Tuesday: Did Obama save us from a Depression?

Politics

Did Obama save us from a Depression?

“....The conclusion is that in claiming to have staved off a Depression, THE WHITE HOUSE AND ITS SUPPORTERS SEEM TO BE ENGAGING IN A BIT OF HISTORICAL REVISIONISM.

Economists weren't predicting a Depression.

White House economists forecast in January 2009 that, even without a stimulus, unemployment would top out at just 8.8% — well below the 10.8% peak during the 1981-82 recession, and nowhere near Depression-era unemployment levels.

The same month, the CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE PREDICTED THAT, ABSENT ANY STIMULUS, THE RECESSION WOULD END IN "THE SECOND HALF OF 2009." The recession officially ended in June 2009, suggesting that the stimulus did not have anything to do with it.

The data weren't showing it, either.

The argument is often made that the recession turned out to be far worse than anyone knew at the time. But VARIOUS INDICATORS SHOW THAT THE ECONOMY HAD PRETTY MUCH HIT BOTTOM AT THE END OF 2008 — A MONTH BEFORE PRESIDENT OBAMA TOOK OFFICE.

MONTHLY GDP, FOR EXAMPLE, STOPPED FREE-FALLING IN DECEMBER 2008, long before the stimulus kicked in, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. (See nearby chart.) MONTHLY JOB LOSSES BOTTOMED OUT IN EARLY 2009 WHILE THE INDEX OF LEADING ECONOMIC INDICATORS STARTED TO RISE IN APRIL.

The stimulus timing is off.

WHEN THE RECESSION OFFICIALLY ENDED IN JUNE 2009, JUST 15% OF THE STIMULUS MONEY HAD GONE OUT THE DOOR. And that figure's likely inflated, since almost a third of the money was in the form of grants to states, which some studies suggest they didn't spend, but used to pay down debt…

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=575847&p=1

This is bad. Take away Obama’s claim of keeping us out of a Depression and he doesn’t have much to run on.

It’s been a good week in Wisconsin

So the state's deficit is fixed, its finances are honest for the first time in about a decade, public services are trimmed but not decimated and no taxpayers were skinned to make it happen. ALL IN ALL, IT'S BEEN A GOOD WEEK FOR WISCONSIN, ESPECIALLY ITS HARD-PRESSED, MIDDLE-CLASS TAXPAYERS.

And, if I might get political, the FIRST SIX MONTHS OF THE AGE OF WALKER HAVE LEFT CONSERVATISM IN A SURPRISINGLY SOLID CONDITION IN WISCONSIN.

You might not know that from the theatrics in Madison - the fringe of tents, the bucket-drummers in the rotunda, the activists telling Progressive magazine it's time to make the state "ungovernable."
But that all is precisely theatrics, a show, a tale. The reality is that in our purple battleground of a state, conservative ideas now hold the high ground. Let us count the signs:

THEY'RE WINNING. Scott Walker, Democrats told us all last fall, was a budget-cutting, union-busting, smaller-is-better (eww!) conservative. Voters responded by electing him - and, to boot, not merely Republican but conservative Republican majorities in the Legislature.

When Walker broke the usual low taxes vs. good services impasse by cutting the price we pay for public-sector labor, unions turned the Supreme Court race into a de facto referendum. They spent every milliwatt of power they had - and lost. We'll see if they do better in upcoming recalls (my bet is they don't take the state Senate), but on a clean pair of votes about the state's direction, voters picked conservatism....

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/124108689.html

Wisconsin has a long history of progressive politics. This shift to the right is a huge problem for the left if it holds.


After surgery, Chavez faces troubles in Venezuela

While President Hugo Chavez has been recovering from pelvic surgery in Cuba, HIS TROUBLES AT HOME IN VENEZUELA HAVE BEEN ACCUMULATING.

On top of 23 percent inflation and growing government debt, worsening blackouts have emerged as a serious dilemma, forcing Chavez's government to announce rationing measures including rolling power outages in some parts of the country.

Chavez is increasingly focused on shoring up support ahead of his 2012 re-election bid, and some analysts say his domestic woes seem to be limiting his international reach in Latin America.
"PRESIDENT CHAVEZ IS GOING THROUGH A VERY DIFFICULT TIME," said Maria Teresa Romero, a professor of international studies at the Central University of Venezuela. "He's not the same Hugo Chavez he was four, five years ago…."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_VENEZUELA_CHAVEZS_WOES?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-06-19-13-24-39

Here is some good news for a change.

Climate

Study details significant sea level rise

Sea level has been rising significantly over the past century of global warming, according to a study that offers the most detailed look yet at the changes in ocean levels during the last 2,100 years.
The researchers found that since the late 19th century — as the world became industrialized — SEA LEVEL HAS RISEN MORE THAN 2 MILLIMETERS PER YEAR, ON AVERAGE. THAT'S A BIT LESS THAN ONE-TENTH OF AN INCH, BUT IT ADDS UP OVER TIME.

It will lead to land loss, more flooding and saltwater invading bodies of fresh water, said lead researcher Benjamin Horton whose team examined sediment from North Carolina's Outer Banks. He directs the Sea Level Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania.

The predicted effects he cites aren't new and are predicted by many climate scientists. But outside experts say the research verifies increasing sea level rise compared to previous centuries.
Kenneth Miller, chairman of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Rutgers University, called the new report significant.

"This is a very important contribution because it firmly establishes that the rise in sea level in the 20th century is unprecedented for the recent geologic past," said Miller, who was not part of the research team. MILLER SAID HE RECENTLY ADVISED NEW JERSEY GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE THAT THE STATE NEEDS TO PLAN FOR A SEA LEVEL RISE OF ABOUT 3 FEET BY THE END OF THE CENTURY.....

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20110620/US.SCI.Rising.Sea/

Another hockey stick of sorts. However what makes this truly foolish is Dr. Miller warning Chris Christie to prepare for a 3 foot rise by the end of the Century. Two millimeters per year would give you a rise of less than 16 inches in a Century.

What's your fair share?

What is your fair share?

As you can see, the top 1 percent of earners shoulder 38 percent of the personal federal income taxes and make only 20 percent of income. The top 5 percent of income earners pay almost 60 percent of income taxes and make almost 35 percent of all personal income.

Here are some other data points that I find interesting:

Of the top 1 percent of income earners, only 23 percent are millionaires.

A household income above $380,000 puts you in the top 1 percent of income earners.

Of the top 10 percent of income earners, only 2 percent are millionaires.

A household income above $114,000 puts you in the top 10 percent of income earners. That means that a cop making $60K married to a teacher making $60K make it into the top 10 percent.

Please send other suggestions for charts and data. I appreciate your input....

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265367/more-tax-redistribution-veronique-de-rugy

Obama and the Democrats keep talking about paying your fair share. Now I don’t know anyone who would say if you earn a bigger percent of the income than the percentage of taxes you pay that you are paying your fair share. But the rich (top 1%) earn 20 percent of income and pay 38% of the income taxes. What sounds fair to you?



Obama's Likability Gap

If it is true, as Michelle Obama said in February, that her husband isn't smoking anymore, maybe HE'D BETTER START MELLOWING OUT WITH THE CIGS AGAIN BEFORE IT COSTS HIM THE PRESIDENCY.

The Barack Obama we've been seeing lately is a different personality than the one that made a miracle run to the White House in 2008.

Obama.2008 was engaging, patient, open, optimistic and a self-identified conciliator.

OBAMA.2011 HAS BEEN SOMETHING ELSE—TESTY, PETULANT, IMPATIENT, ARROGANT AND INCREASINGLY A DIVIDER.

Never forget: That historic 2008 victory came with 52.9% of the total vote and 52% of independent voters. David Axelrod recently noted "how small the margin for error is."

Presidential personality is well inside the margin of error for 2012, but THE ONE ON DISPLAY RECENTLY HAS NOT BEEN ATTRACTIVE. AND IT'S HAPPENING A LOT….

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704658704576275061542909404.html

I saw him on the news being sincere and talking with potential supporters. He sounded almost churlish as he seemed to be saying “woe is me.”



Democrats Join Threat to Hold Up Debt Ceiling Vote Without Spending Cuts

PRESIDENT OBAMA IS STARTING TO FEEL PRESSURE FROM HIS OWN PARTY TO TIE SPENDING CUTS TO A VOTE TO RAISE THE DEBT LIMIT, even as the administration expresses confidence that Congress will ultimately raise the cap.

The latest moderate Democrat to draw a line in the sand is Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., who told members of a local political group Wednesday THAT HE'LL NEED TO SEE A COMMITMENT TO CUT SPENDING AND OVERHAUL THE TAX CODE IN ORDER TO VOTE TO RAISE THE $14.3 TRILLION CAP. The government is expected to reach that ceiling by mid-May.

"What I've told anyone who will listen to me in Washington, including my leadership, is that I'm not going to vote for that unless there is a real and meaningful commitment to debt reduction," Pryor told the Political Animals Club at its monthly meeting at the governor's mansion.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/21/democratic-sen-pryor-debt-ceiling-hike-spending-tax-code-fixes/

It appears the much maligned TEA Party has not only changed the makeup of the Congress, but has realigned the discussion. Written off by the MSM and many political pundits as “astro-turf” and nuts, they are now calling the tune.



Blame Game

….Instead, the climate push was … a total flop. By late 2010, the main cap-and-trade bill had fizzled out in the Senate; not a single Republican would agree to vote for it. GREENS ENDED UP WINNING ZILCH FROM CONGRESS, NOT EVEN MINOR LEGISLATION TO BOOST RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY OR ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Worse, after the 2010 midterms, the House GOP became overrun with climate deniers, while voters turned apathetic about global warming. All those flashy eco-ads and all that tireless eco-lobbying only got us even further from solving climate change than we were in 2008.

So now greens are in the post-mortem stage, and, not shockingly, it’s a sensitive subject. On Tuesday, Matthew Nisbet, a communications professor at American University, released a hefty 84-page report trying to figure out why climate activism flopped so miserably in the past few years. Nisbet’s report is already causing controversy: Among other things, he argues that, CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, GREENS WEREN’T BADLY OUTSPENT BY INDUSTRY GROUPS AND THAT MEDIA COVERAGE OF CLIMATE SCIENCE WASN’T REALLY A PROBLEM. And he raises questions about whether greens have been backing the wrong policy measures all along. Is he right? Have environmentalists been fundamentally misguided all this while? Or were they just unlucky?...

http://www.tnr.com/article/politics/87140/environmental-green-movement-al-gore-nesbit?page=0,1

This is an interesting article. It shows you the thinking of the green left. Looking over what went wrong, the one thing you don’t see is any question that they were correct in their basic assessment or that those who oppose them might just possibly be right. The AGW theory does have one actual hallmark, the hot spot. So far there is no sign of it, but that doesn’t seem to bother true believers.


Troubles to left and troubles to the right

At first glance, President Obama's partisan speech last week attacking GOP budget proposals WAS PRECISELY WHAT AN INCUMBENT RUNNING FOR RE-ELECTION SHOULDN'T DO. It was not a speech designed to appeal to independent voters, a group Mr. Obama has suffered serious erosion with.

But MR. OBAMA'S TONE MAKES MORE SENSE WHEN ONE REALIZES THAT HIS SINKING POLL NUMBERS ALSO INDICATE AN EROSION IN SUPPORT WITH HIS LIBERAL BASE. Only about three-quarters of self-identified liberals approve of his job performance, a number that has drifted downward since Mr. Obama compromised on tax cuts and decided to keep Guantanamo open. His latest budget deal with House Republicans only further confused his base. "I have been very disappointed in the administration to the point where I'M EMBARRASSED THAT I ENDORSED HIM," ONE SENIOR DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER told the Daily Beast last week….

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704570704576275022988451268.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_MIDDLESecond

Obama is in a dilemma. The liberal base feels he hasn’t gone far enough and this is disappointment enough to hold down their numbers at the polls in 2012. In the meantime the rest of the country thinks he has gone much too far and isn’t focusing on what’s important. In fact, the main issue in the coming election will most likely be the deficit and this issue belongs to Obama and the Democrats (they can’t credibly blame Bush).



Obama’s mistakes: At least from his point of view

Seven years ago, in April 2004, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH HELD A FORMAL NEWS CONFERENCE IN WHICH HE WAS ASKED, "WHAT WOULD YOUR BIGGEST MISTAKE BE…and what lessons have you learned from it?" Bush's hemming and hawing answer -- in several minutes of flailing about, HE NEVER MANAGED TO COME UP WITH A SINGLE MISTAKE TO CITE -- WAS WIDELY CRITICIZED IN THE DAYS THAT FOLLOWED.

On Wednesday, President Obama held a town hall at the headquarters of Facebook in Palo Alto, California, during which he was asked, "If you had to do anything differently during your first four years, what would it be?" OBAMA, IT TURNS OUT, IS NO BETTER AT ANALYZING HIS OWN MISSTEPS THAN BUSH.

The president began his response haltingly, pointing out that he has actually been in office just two and a half years, and "I'm sure I'll make more mistakes in the next year and a half." But what mistakes has he already made? "There are all sorts of day-to-day issues where I say to myself, oh, I didn't say that right, or I didn't explain this clearly enough," Obama said, "or maybe if I had sequenced this plan first as opposed to that one, maybe it would have gotten done quicker."

BUT THE PRESIDENT MENTIONED NO ACTUAL MISTAKES.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/04/obama-mistakes-cant-think-any#ixzz1KAt24epY

I actually have a bit of sympathy for Obama on this question. It’s one of those that you can’t win on. It’s like asking someone if they stopped beating their wife. It wasn’t fair to Bush and it isn’t fair to Obama. More revealing would be to ask what he’s most proud of and why.



Stripped of Dignity

A young computer programmer on his way to a pheasant-hunting trip last November offered a cri de coeur about government groping.

“IF YOU TOUCH MY JUNK,” HE TOLD THE T.S.A. AGENT AT THE SAN DIEGO AIRPORT JUST BEFORE HE ABANDONED HIS TRIP, “I’LL HAVE YOU ARRESTED…..”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/opinion/20dowd.html?_r=1

The noise about this has died down since the Thanksgiving holidays, but the issue remains. How do we provide security and still conform to the Constitution. I believe we need to be profiling at the airports. Rather than look at everyone as if we are all potential terrorists, we should be profiling behavior as they do in Israel.


The tolerant left: an oxymoron?

One thing you have to say about the Left: THEY NEVER MISS AN OPPORTUNITY TO LET THE MASK OF HATRED SLIP. IT’S PRACTICALLY PAVLOVIAN; they are so invested in the myth of their own righteousness that their “tolerance” fetish goes right out the window whenever they suffer the slightest affront to their delusional notion of how the world works.

Truly, these folks have the self-esteem of an abused pit bull. From the Iowa Republican:

A University of Iowa professor felt the need to reply to a blast email by the College Republicans on Monday morning. ELLEN LEWIN, A PROFESSOR OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND GENDER, WOMEN’S & SEXUALITY STUDIES in the Department of Gender, Women’s & Sexuality Studies, sent a vulgar response to a College Republican email about the group’s, “Conservative Coming Out Week.”

The College Republican email, which was sent to the entire University of Iowa Community, had been approved by a number of university officials before being sent out.

LEWIN RESPONDED TO EMAIL BY WRITING, “#*@% [F-WORD] YOU, REPUBLICANS” FROM HER OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY EMAIL ACCOUNT.

This is why pushing back against them is so important: Like President Obama, they’re not used to real opposition. THEY’RE UNUSED TO BEING QUESTIONED. THEY CONSIDER ANY CHALLENGE TO THEIR BOGUS “MORAL AUTHORITY” (BASED ON WHAT, ONE MIGHT ASK?) TO BE TANTAMOUNT TO TREASON….

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/265303/tolerant-left-michael-walsh
Lefties don’t do well to opposition and seem to go crazy when they are caught in a lie. They are the epitome of bigots (the definition is “One who is strongly partial to one's own group, religion, race, or politics and is intolerant of those who differ”) yet they love to use the word to describe conservatives.


Obama the Hun

Pres. Obama wanted a campaign finance bill that would take the teeth out of the Citizens United ruling before the 2010 election. Congressional Democrats wrote such a bill, and then watched it slip into a coma. But that wasn’t the end of it. According to a leaked White House memo, Obama plans to create new campaign finance rules via fiat by signing an executive order.

As the Washington Examiner reported yesterday, the EO “would require all companies that sign contracts with the federal government to report on the personal political activities of their officers and directors.”

And by “political activities,” Obama means: “all contributions or expenditures to or on behalf of federal candidates, parties or party committees made by the bidding entity, its directors or officers, or any affiliates within its control; and any contributions made to third party entities with the intention or reasonable expectation that parties would use those contributions to make independent expenditures or electioneering communications.”

All of that information must be disclosed, according to the leaked executive order, so that the government can “ensure that its contracting decisions are merit-based in order to deliver the best value for the taxpayer.” While that may sound like the order is intended to expose sweetheart deals, it’ll also make it that much easier for federal agencies to deny contracts to firms that donated big bucks to Republican candidates.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/04/20/obama-crafts-an-executive-order-to-get-around-the-citizens-united-ruling/#ixzz1K9oJZH29


This is clearly unconstitutional. It is an unwarranted limitation of freedom of speech and even the Democrats should realize it. They don’t like Citizen United because it gave the power to contribute to corporations. But this order goes beyond corporate donations to directors or officers of a company. Bad move by Obama but nothing surprising.



Wisconsin: The Unions paid the Democrats to flee the state

The Indiana Democratic Party’s first quarter campaign finance report was filed last Friday and CONFIRMS WHAT EVERYONE ALREADY SUSPECTED BUT DEMOCRATS DENIED: THEIR “WE ARE INDIANA” WALKOUT WAS BOUGHT AND PAID FOR NATIONAL UNIONS. Read the report here:

http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/32622

During the period of the walkout that began on February 22 and ended on March 28, DEMOCRAT-BACKED UNIONS CONTRIBUTED NEARLY $140,000 TO THE INDIANA DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Their goal: stop the legislative session in its tracks, kill anti-union bills, and pay whatever it took to keep Democrats holed up in an Illinois hotel. THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S LARGEST BENEFACTOR WAS THE COMFORT INN URBANA, WHICH RECEIVED $84,953.70 BY APRIL 6 TO PAY FOR HOTEL ROOMS OCCUPIED BY DEMOCRAT LEGISLATORS. Because the Indiana Democratic Party began the year with a measly $40,000 in the bank, they needed help from the deep pockets of national unions to pay the hefty hotel bill. And that’s exactly what they got

http://blogs.dailymail.com/donsurber/archives/32622


Wisconsin has turned into a disaster for the Unions and in return a disaster for the Democrats. It not only has been bad publicity for the Democrats, but it also has weakened the unions a major supporter of the Dems.



Charlie Sheen or Charlie Manson: You make the call

This calls to mind the parlor game back in the 1990s, when folks noted the similarities between Al Gore’s Earth in the Balance and the Unabomber’s manifesto (the late Tony Snow first came up with this comparison), and THE OBVIOUS UPDATE TODAY WOULD BE CHARLIE MANSON AS A WARM-UP ACT FOR CHARLIE SHEEN’S NIGHTCLUB ACT, currently bombing at a city near you. SO HERE’S THE QUIZ: WHICH CHARLIE SAID WHAT? (Answers at the bottom.)

1. “I probably took more drugs than anyone could survive. I was banging seven-gram rocks, because that’s how I roll. I have one speed, I have one gear: Go.”

2. “I live in the underworld. I don’t tell people what to do. They know what to do.”

3. “I’m in the bullring. I run in the bullring with the heart of the world.”

4. “That’s how I roll. And if it’s too gnarly for people, then buh-bye.”

5. “If you’re a part of my family, I will love you violently.”

6. “We are all martyrs. Love is a martyr… I am a martyr. But I am also a victim. And I’m a performer. And a dam. I’m both. I am everything.”

7. “You have the right to kill me, but you do not have the right to judge me.”

8. “I think Obama is an idiot for doing what he’s doing. They’re playing with him.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/planet-gore/265132/charlie-sheen-or-charlie-manson-you-make-call-steven-f-hayward


I didn’t do too well either. Here are the answers (Answers: Manson, 2, 3, 6, and 8. Sheen: 1, 4, 5, and 7)

Wisconsin and other liberal nightmares

Charlie Cook lays out a grim future for Democrats in the US Senate


http://www.nationaljournal.com/video-charlie-cook-looks-into-senate-s-future-20110228


Here’s a video when Charlie explains the obvious.



Walker warns missing Democrats

REPUBLICAN GOV. SCOTT WALKER ON MONDAY GAVE ABSENT DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKERS AN ULTIMATUM TO RETURN TO WISCONSIN within 24 hours and vote on a proposal to reduce the power of public sector unions or the state would miss out on a debt restructuring.

Walker stepped up the pressure on 14 Senate Democrats who fled the state to avoid a vote on the bill as he prepared to unveil on Tuesday a two-year state budget that he said cuts $1 billion from funding to local governments and schools.

What began as one small state trying to rewrite the rules of labor relations has blown up into what could be THE BIGGEST CONFRONTATION WITH AMERICAN LABOR UNIONS SINCE THEN PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN FIRED STRIKING AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS IN 1981.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/28/us-wisconsin-governor-idUSTRE71R51620110228

Teachers and other government employees are going to be fired and it's going to be the Democrat's fault.  But don't expect to hear that fact on the MSM.


Obama slapped down by the Wisconsin Governor’s office

Gov. Scott Walker on Monday afternoon responded to comments President Barack Obama made earlier in the day about the protests in Madison:

Walker's office issued this statement:

"I'M SURE THE PRESIDENT KNOWS THAT MOST FEDERAL EMPLOYEES DO NOT HAVE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING FOR WAGES AND BENEFITS WHILE OUR PLAN ALLOWS IT FOR BASE PAY. AND I'M SURE THE PRESIDENT KNOWS THAT THE AVERAGE FEDERAL WORKER PAYS TWICE AS MUCH FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AS WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IN WISCONSIN. AT LEAST I WOULD HOPE HE KNOWS THESE FACTS.

"Furthermore, I'm sure the President knows that we have repeatedly praised the more than 300,000 government workers who come to work every day in Wisconsin.

"I'm sure that President Obama simply misunderstands the issues in Wisconsin, and isn't acting like the union bosses in saying one thing and doing another."

http://nation.foxnews.com/gov-scott-walker/2011/02/28/obama-gets-smackdown-gov-walker


Wow! This one is a devastating blow to President O. Sometime simply stating the facts can destroy a liberals arguments.



High Speed Insolvency

“Generations hence, when the river of time has worn this presidency’s importance to a small, smooth pebble in the stream of history, people will still marvel that its defining trait was a mania for high-speed rail projects. This disorder illuminates the progressive mind. . . . TO PROGRESSIVES, THE BEST THING ABOUT RAILROADS IS THAT PEOPLE RIDING THEM ARE NOT IN AUTOMOBILES, WHICH ARE SUBVERSIVE OF THE DEFERENCE ON WHICH PROGRESSIVISM DEPENDS. Automobiles go hither and yon, wherever and whenever the driver desires, without timetables. AUTOMOBILES ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO THINK THEY—UNSUPERVISED, UNTUTORED, AND UNSCRIPTED—ARE MASTERS OF THEIR FATES. The automobile encourages people in delusions of adequacy, which make them resistant to government by experts who know what choices people should make.”

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/02/27/high-speed-to-insolvency.html


Don’t you just love George Will? He basically shows you why the automobile is so despised by leftist. It obviously is a subversive instrument of the right.



Unstoppable: The Runaway Federal Budget

The General Accounting Office is preparing to drop a devastating financial report on Congress, identifying hundreds of billions in government waste due to “duplication, overlap, and fragmentation.” Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) is not surprised. “Go study that report,” he advised Trish Turner of Fox News. “It will show why we’re $14 trillion in debt. Anybody that says we don’t look like fools up here hasn’t read the report. We don’t know what we’re doing.”

More precisely, every aspect of a gigantic bureaucracy does only what it knows, unto eternity. I read about this report right after I watched the movie Unstoppable, in which Denzel Washington and Chris Pine try to halt a runaway locomotive that so huge and powerful it simply obliterates everything in its path. Government bureaucracies are all runaway trains.

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=42061

If you’ve seen the movie, President Obama is the Engineer who jumps off the train to switch the tracks after failing to connect his airbrakes. He is unable to get back on and the train becomes a time bomb heading to a population center.



Union Power, By the Numbers

Responding to my piece, Jonathan Chait writes that unions are paltry players compared to the big, bad business lobby when it comes to buying influence in Washington and state capitols.

HERE ARE THE TEN LARGEST DONORS IN U.S. POLITICS AS OF FEBRUARY 7, according to OpenSecrets.Org:

ActBlue: $51 million

AT&T: $46 million

AFSCME: $43 million

National Association of Realtors: $38 million

Goldman Sachs: $33 million

American Association for Justice: $33 million

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers: $33 million

National Education Association: $32 million

Laborers Union: $30 million

Teamsters Union: $30 million

THAT’S FIVE UNIONS TO TWO BUSINESSES AND THREE OTHER GROUPS. Five out of ten is half, by my always-suspect English-major math. And who are those other groups? ACTBLUE IS A DEMOCRATIC CLEARINGHOUSE, THE TRIAL LAWYERS ARE SUPER-LOPSIDEDLY DEMOCRATIC, AND FOUR OUT OF FIVE OF THE REALTORS’ TOP CAMPAIGN-CASH RECIPIENTS ARE DEMOCRATS.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260943/union-power-numbers-kevin-d-williamson

It’s fun to have these kinds of arguments. The left will have some way to spin this as the corporations “way outspend” us poor little unions.



Civility: Liberal style

Keep calm and carry on, right? Only if you’re on the right and are a member of the Tea Party movement. Otherwise, THERE’S A WHOLE OTHER SET OF RULES TO PLAY BY.

On Monday, Milwaukee AM 620 WTMJ radio host Charlie Sykes detailed an encounter between DEMOCRATIC STATE REP. GORDON HINTZ, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN BUSTED IN A PROSTITUTION STING, and Republican State Rep. Michelle Litjens, in which the rules of civility were completely ignored after a vote to “engross” a state budget repair bill.

“After the vote to engross, HE TURNS TO A FEMALE CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN, WHO IS ALSO FROM THE OSHKOSH AREA, LOOKS AT HER AND SAYS, ‘YOU ARE F—ING DEAD,’” Sykes said. “He didn’t say ‘f—ing,’ he said the whole thing. He says to a female colleague, ‘You are f—ing dead.’”

http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/28/prostitute-patronizing-dem-wisconsin-state-represent-to-female-gop-colleague-you-are-fucking-dead/#ixzz1FLamGPIk

Another liberal reveals his true stripes. But you have to wonder about his electorate. How in the world did he get reelected when he had previously been busted in a prostitution sting?



Is Democracy Viable?

Those who see hope in the Middle East uprisings seem to assume that they will lead in the direction of freedom or democracy. There is already talk about the "liberation" of Egypt, even though THE BIGGEST CHANGE THERE HAS BEEN THAT A ONE-MAN DICTATORSHIP HAS BEEN REPLACED BY A MILITARY DICTATORSHIP THAT HAS SUSPENDED THE CONSTITUTION.


Perhaps the military dictatorship will be temporary, as its leaders say, but we have heard that song before. What we have also heard, too many times before, is the assumption that getting rid of an undemocratic government means that it will be replaced by a freer and better government.

History says otherwise. AFTER RUSSIA'S CZARS WERE REPLACED BY THE COMMUNISTS, THE GOVERNMENT EXECUTED MORE PEOPLE IN A DAY THAN THE CZARS HAD EXECUTED IN HALF A CENTURY. It was much the same story in Cuba, when the Batista regime was replaced by Castro and in Iran when the Shah was replaced by the Ayatollahs.

It is not inevitable that bad regimes are replaced by worse regimes. But it has happened too often for us to blithely assume that overthrowing a dictator means a movement toward freedom and democracy

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/03/01/is_democracy_viable_109065.html


Some common sense from Thomas Sewell.



A Look at what you can expect with Obamacare

Their requests have been rejected by regional health authorities who were accused of operating covert “blacklists” to restrict dozens of treatments to save money.

An investigation by The Sunday Telegraph has uncovered more than 80 cases in which desperately sick NHS patients have been refused the cancer drugs their doctor sought, in the four months since a £200 million fund was introduced to stop health authorities rationing treatments.

The fund was a key move by the Coalition so that those suffering from cancer would never again be refused drugs on grounds of cost.

Ministers were responding to years of anger over a system which meant patients were unable to secure life-extending drugs because central NHS rationers had decided the treatments were not “cost effective”.

Announcing the fund last summer, Andrew Lansley, the Health Secretary, promised to end “the scandal” of cancer patients being refused the drugs that their doctors sought, because of restrictions by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8349297/Cancer-sufferers-refused-life-extending-drugs-despite-Government-pledge.html

Will Wisconsin spread?

Obama’s Attempt to Distance Himself From Wisconsin Rally Fails

In a good indication that the Wisconsin PROTESTS HAVE BECOME A LIABILITY FOR DEMOCRATS, the White House and the DNC have clumsily attempted to distance themselves from the event in the New York Times:

Administration officials said Sunday that the WHITE HOUSE HAD DONE NOTHING TO ENCOURAGE THE DEMONSTRATIONS IN WISCONSIN — nor was it doing so in Ohio, Florida and other states where new Republican governors are trying to make deep cuts to balance their budget. …

And, officials and union leaders said, reports of the involvement of the Democratic National Committee — specifically ORGANIZING FOR AMERICA, THE GRASS-ROOTS NETWORK BORN OF MR. OBAMA’S 2008 CAMPAIGN — WERE OVERBLOWN TO START WITH.…

“This is a Wisconsin story, not a Washington one,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “False claims of White House involvement are attempts to distract from the organic grass-roots opposition that is happening in Wisconsin.”

But apparently someone forget to tell the DNC’s communication director BOB WOODHOUSE TO SCRUB HIS TWITTER FEED to reflect this new strategy. Doug Ross has pointed out a Feb. 17 Tweet from Woodhouse saying that THE WHITE HOUSE WAS “PROUDLY” PLAYING A ROLE IN THE PROTEST.

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2011/02/21/obama%e2%80%99s-attempt-to-distance-himself-from-wisconsin-rally-fails/


It sounds as if the President is doing the political hokey pokey. “You put you left foot in you take your left foot out….”


New poll: Public sides with Wisconsin governor over union

A new national poll just released by pollster Scott Rasmussen shows that 48 PERCENT OF THOSE SURVEYED SUPPORT WISCONSIN REPUBLICAN GOV. SCOTT WALKER in his showdown with the state's public-employee unions, while 38 percent support the union. Broken down by party, Rasmussen found that 68 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS SUPPORT THE UNIONS, WHILE 68 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS SUPPORT WALKER. Among the POLITICALLY-CRITICAL INDEPENDENTS, 56 PERCENT SUPPORT THE GOVERNOR. And in a showdown in which teachers have abandoned the classroom to protest against Walker's budget bill, 38 percent said they believe that teachers, along with firefighters and police, should have the right to strike, while 49 PERCENT SAID THOSE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES SHOULD NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO STRIKE

.
http://washingtonexaminer.com/blogs/beltway-confidential/2011/02/new-poll-public-sides-wisconsin-governor-over-union#ixzz1EgyW4TbQ

And this story may tell you why President Obama is doing the hokey pokey.



Our reactionary President

…..In a noisome bit of body snatching, THE MADISON PROTESTERS ASSOCIATE THEMSELVES WITH THE DEMONSTRATORS IN EGYPT. If we must use Egypt analogies, THIS ONE HAS IT BACKWARD. Tapping into new technologies empowering individuals, the anti-Mubarak protesters overthrew a sclerotic political system that no longer fit the times. In their aims, THE ANTI-WALKER THRONGS ARE MORE LIKE EGYPT’S COUNTERDEMONSTRATORS WHO RODE IN ON CAMELS TO TRY TO SAVE A DECREPIT, 30-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL DISPENSATION.


Obama’s transformative agenda has largely consisted of accelerating already-present trends. WE HAD ALREADY TRIED A STIMULUS AND DEFICIT SPENDING — OBAMA GAVE US MORE OF BOTH. WE ALREADY HAD SUBSIDIES TO GREEN ENERGY — OBAMA CREATED MORE. WE ALREADY WERE SPENDING MORE THAN EVER ON EDUCATION — OBAMA ADDED MORE. WE ALREADY HAD MASSIVE GOVERNMENT HEALTH-CARE PROGRAMS crowding out the private sector and tipping the federal government toward bankruptcy — Obama added yet another one….

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260307/our-reactionary-president-rich-lowry


Progressive? It doesn’t really look like it. In fact, the left has grown lazy and moribund in regard to ideas. When challenged on what they are doing they tend to resort to name calling using racist, bigots, homophobe, sexists, etc instead of explanations. These are not the actions of a dynamic and thoughtful movement.



The Left’s Assault on Democracy in Wisconsin

LEFTIST RADICALS DON’T BELIEVE IN DEMOCRACY IN THE WAY THE TERM IS USED IN AMERICA. If they win, it’s democracy in action, a noble rendering of the wise judgment of the people. If they lose, democracy has been undermined and usually some cabal of corporate villains in a smoke-filled backroom somewhere is to blame for the injustice.

The union goons and paid protesters wreaking havoc in Madison, Wisconsin believe in the radical left-wing un-American conception of democracy.

They’re being cheered on by the REV. JESSE JACKSON who dropped by to outrageously compare the ongoing disruptions to the 1965 civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. “THIS IS A MARTIN LUTHER KING MOMENT, this is a Gandhi moment,” he said without chuckling.

They’re also being praised and encouraged by the nation’s foremost leftist guru, professor Noam Chomsky. CHOMSKY TOLD DEMOCRACY NOW! RECENTLY THAT HE HOPES THE PROTESTS BEGIN TO RESEMBLE THE VIOLENT DEMONSTRATIONS IN EGYPT. “It was heartening to see that there are tens of thousands of people protesting in Madison day after day in fact. I mean that’s the beginning maybe of what we really need here, a democracy uprising. Democracy’s almost been eviscerated

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/02/22/the-left%E2%80%99s-assault-on-democracy-in-wisconsin/


We’ve seen a lot of hypocrisy going on over the past week. I guess the phrase “We won,” is only applicable if it is a leftist who won the election.


Howard Dean and the $100,000 Wisconsin Slush Fund

YOU CAN CALL THEM "DEAN DOLLARS."

Former Vermont Governor and Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, a one-time presidential candidate, is the founder of a group that by mid-day of President's Day HAD RAISED OVER $100,000 IN A SLUSH FUND TO "BACK" THE ON-THE-LAM WISCONSIN DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATORS.

The Dean Dollars are being specifically funneled to the Wisconsin State Senate Democratic Committee (SSDC) -- AN APPARENT VIOLATION OF WISCONSIN ELECTION LAW that pointedly says, according to the Wisconsin Election Board's Legal Counsel in a 2005 decision, that the "SSDC may not accept a contribution of more than $6,000 from a single committee in a calendar year."

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/22/howard-dean-and-the-100000-wis


It appears we have welfare for elected officials who are on the lam.



Missing Democrats: A spreading problem

Seats on one side of the Indiana House were nearly empty today as House Democrats departed the the state rather than vote on anti-union legislation.

A source tells the Indianapolis Star that Democrats are headed to Illinois, though it was possible some also might go to Kentucky. They need to go to a state with a Democratic governor to avoid being taken into police custody and returned to Indiana.

The House was came into session twice this morning, with only three of the 40 Democrats present. Those were needed to make a motion, and a seconding motion, for any procedural steps Democrats would want to take to ensure Republicans don’t do anything official without quorum.

With only 58 legislators present, there was no quorum present to do business. The House needs 67 of its members to be present.

http://www.indystar.com/article/20110222/NEWS/110222004/House-Democrats-flee-Indiana-stop-votes?odyssey=mod

It appears we have a new Democratic phenom.  The case of the disappearing Democrats.  Actually it is more like the spoiled kid who if he doesn't get his way threatens to take is ball and go home. 


George Will dissects Wisconsin

…He does, however, think there is sincerity unleavened by information: MANY PROTESTERS DO NOT REALIZE THAT MOST WORKER PROTECTIONS - merit hiring; just cause for discipline and termination - ARE THE RESULT NOT OF COLLECTIVE BARGAINING BUT OF WISCONSIN'S UNIQUELY STRONG AND CENTURY-OLD CIVIL SERVICE LAW.

"I am convinced," he says, "this is about money - but not the employees' money." IT CONCERNS UNION DUES, WHICH HE WANTS THE STATE TO STOP COLLECTING FOR THE UNIONS, just as he wants annual votes by state employees on re-certifying the unions. He says many employees pay $500 to $600 annually in union dues - teachers pay up to $1,000. Given a choice, many might prefer to apply this money to health care premiums or retirement plans. And he thinks "eventually" most will say about the dues collectors, "What do we need this for?"

SUCH UNIONS ARE GOVERNMENT ORGANIZED AS AN INTEREST GROUP TO LOBBY ITSELF TO DO WHAT IT ALWAYS WANTS TO DO ANYWAY - GROW. These unions use dues extracted from members to elect their members' employers. And governments, not disciplined by the need to make a profit, extract government employees' salaries from taxpayers. Government sits on both sides of the table in cozy "negotiations" with unions.

A few days after President Obama submitted a budget that would increase the federal deficit, he tried to sabotage Wisconsin's progress toward solvency. THE WASHINGTON POST: "THE PRESIDENT'S POLITICAL MACHINE WORKED IN CLOSE COORDINATION . . . WITH STATE AND NATIONAL UNION OFFICIALS TO MOBILIZE THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS TO GATHER IN MADISON and to plan similar demonstrations in other state capitals." Walker notes that in the 1990s, Wisconsin was a trendsetter regarding school choice and welfare reform. Obama, he thinks, may be worried that Wisconsin might again be a harbinger….

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/21/AR2011022103190.html


One of the truisms of Unions is that they will sacrifice many of the promises they made to organize a group to get a check off clause (the company collects union dues from the members for the union) in that first contract. Of all the things being proposed by Walker, doing away with this is most likely the biggest problem for the Unions.


Two-Thirds of Wisconsin Public-School 8th Graders Can’t Read Proficiently

TWO-THIRDS OF THE EIGHTH GRADERS IN WISCONSIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS CANNOT READ PROFICIENTLY ACCORDING TO THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, despite the fact that Wisconsin spends more per pupil in its public schools than any other state in the Midwest.

In the National Assessment of Educational Progress tests administered by the U.S. Department of Education in 2009—the latest year available—ONLY 32 PERCENT OF WISCONSIN PUBLIC-SCHOOL EIGHTH GRADERS EARNED A “PROFICIENT” RATING WHILE ANOTHER 2 PERCENT EARNED AN “ADVANCED” rating. The other 66 percent of Wisconsin public-school eighth graders earned ratings below “proficient,” including 44 percent who earned a rating of “basic” and 22 percent who earned a rating of “below basic

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/two-thirds-wisconsin-public-school-8th-g


This sounds like those teachers really need to be back in the classroom explain what is happening since it appears 66% of their students will have a tough time reading about it.



Wisconsin labor unrest spills across Lake Michigan

MICHIGAN UNION LEADERS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS WILL JOIN WITH COLLEAGUES IN WISCONSIN AND OHIO ON TUESDAY AS THE AFL-CIO PLANS STREET PROTESTS IN LANSING against Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's attempt to balance the state budget on the backs of public employees.

In scenes that US Rep. Paul Ryan (R) has likened to the massive recent protests and clashes in Cairo, Wisconsin public sector employees and union activists staged a seventh day of protests in Madison Monday as Gov. Scott Walker (R) refused to budge on his plan to gut collective bargaining, the behind-closed-doors process by which civil service workers, including teachers, secure pay, health, and pension benefits.

FIGHTING SIMILAR PROPOSALS, OHIO UNION ACTIVISTS PROTESTED IN COLUMBUS LAST WEEK, as well, and now Michigan union protesters are planning a morning protest in Lansing. In Tennessee, a Republican-backed plan to end collective bargaining for the state's 52,000 teachers has drawn sharp rebukes from the education establishment. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels has also proposed curbing collective bargaining rules in the Hoosier State….

http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20110221/ts_csm/364791


Wisconsin is only the first place you will be seeing this struggle. Stand bye.


Mika Makes Excuses For Vile WI Signs—Till She Sees Them

Mika Brzezinski learned a life lesson this morning: look before you leap to defend liberals . . .


At the top of Morning Joe, Joe Scarborough referenced the hateful emails he and Mika had received from the left and the similarly ugly signs held by Wisconsin union protesters. MIKA REFLEXIVELY DEFENDED THE VILENESS, SAYING THAT PEOPLE WERE "HURTING AND REALLY DON'T FEEL LIKE THEY'RE BEING HEARD."


Aww. But later, the show rolled video of some of the Wisconsin signs, including one with crosshairs on Gov. Walker, another calling him Hitler, one accusing him of rape, and of course that great old standard "death to tyrants."



TO HER CREDIT, MIKA DID CHANGE HER TUNE. VIEW VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP.

Admitting that she hadn't previously seen those signs, MIKA AGREED WITH JOE THAT IF TEA PARTIERS HELD UP SOMETHING SIMILAR, "THEY'D BE ON A [MSM] LOOP."

View the video and watch Mika's change of heart as she runs headlong into the hard reality of what's happening in Wisconsin.

http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2011/02/21/mika-makes-excuses-vile-wi-signs-till-she-sees-them#ixzz1EgpGKtH1


An admission that the MSM treats the TEA Party more harshly than it does Public Employee Unions. Who would of thought it?



GOP can cut spending without closing government

Washington Democrats and liberal mainstream media journalists have been wearing out their tongues for a week PREDICTING HOUSE REPUBLICANS WILL FORCE A GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN JUST AS THEY DID IN 1995, WITH THE SAME DISASTROUS RESULTS FOR THE GOP. They are framing the issue this way because they want a government shutdown, thinking IT WILL BLUNT THE DRIVE BY HOUSE REPUBLICANS TO CUT FEDERAL SPENDING, which voters demanded last November. Unfortunately, many Republicans have bought into the fallacy that the only way to achieve their goal is through a political stalemate that forces a suspension of government services.

In fact, THIS IS NOT AN "EITHER/OR" PROPOSITION, as congressional Republicans can show this week by taking two steps. First, HOUSE GOP LEADERS SHOULD INTRODUCE AN ALTERNATIVE CONTINUING RESOLUTION THAT ENSURES NO SLOWDOWN IN ESSENTIAL SERVICES, including the delivery of Social Security checks and Medicare payments for medical treatment, keeping the military at full strength and funding agencies charged with maintaining the public safety. House Speaker John Boehner should make clear that this alternative continuing resolution will be approved if Senate Democrats and/or President Obama refuse to accept the $61 billion in spending cuts approved last week by the lower chamber. Just as Cato the Elder ended his every Roman Senate speech by demanding that "Carthage must die," BOEHNER SHOULD CONSTANTLY DEMAND THAT DEMOCRATS STOP OBSTRUCTING THE DEFUNDING OF OBAMACARE, WHITE HOUSE "CZARS," EPA'S REGULATORY CAP-AND-TRADE, AND OTHER MUCH-NEEDED SPENDING CUTS…..

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2011/02/examiner-editorial-gop-can-cut-spending-without-closing-government#ixzz1Eh9uvyg9

I do think the democrats think this is 1995, not 2011. There seems to be a giggly anticipation that this will do the Republicans in and revive the Democrats. I don’t think this is the case.



Time Magazine: Greens move on from 'climate change' to organic food movement

THESE ARE DARK DAYS FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT. A year after being on the cusp of passing landmark legislation to cap greenhouse gases, greens are coming to accept the fact THAT THE CHANCE OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE HAS BECOME MORE REMOTE THAN EVER. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is under attack by newly empowered Republicans in Congress who argue that the very idea of environmental protection is unaffordable for our debt-ridden country. Accustomed to remaining optimistic in the face of long odds, the environmental movement all at once faces a challenge just to stay relevant in a hostile political climate. In 2004, authors Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus faced a harsh backlash from the greens when they released a polemic essay called "The Death of Environmentalism," but now it appears they might have been ahead of their time.

EVEN AS TRADITIONAL ENVIRONMENTALISM STRUGGLES, ANOTHER MOVEMENT IS RISING IN ITS PLACE, ALIGNING CONSUMERS, PRODUCERS, THE MEDIA AND EVEN POLITICIANS. IT'S THE FOOD MOVEMENT, AND IF IT CONTINUES TO GROW IT MAY BE ABLE TO CREATE JUST THE SORT OF POLITICAL AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION THAT ENVIRONMENTALISTS HAVE FAILED TO ACHIEVE IN RECENT YEARS. That would mean not only changing the way Americans eat and the way they farm — away from industrialized, cheap calories and toward more organic, small-scale production, with plenty of fruits and vegetables — but also altering the way we work and relate to one another. TO ITS MOST ARDENT ADHERENTS, THE FOOD MOVEMENT ISN'T JUST ABOUT REFORM — IT'S ABOUT REVOLUTION…..

http://hockeyschtick.blogspot.com/2011/02/time-magazine-greens-move-on-from.html


As AGW falls new green movements are afoot. This is a new one on me. I had heard that bio-diversity was the next big green assault.