Obama and the Democrats: Leadership is a issue

US lacks credibility on debt, says IMF

THE US LACKS A “CREDIBLE STRATEGY” TO STABILISE ITS MOUNTING PUBLIC DEBT, POSING A SMALL BUT SIGNIFICANT RISK OF A NEW GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS, SAYS THE INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.

In an unusually stern rebuke to its largest shareholder, the IMF said the US was the only advanced economy to be increasing its underlying budget deficit in 2011, at a time when its economy was growing fast enough to reduce borrowing.

The latest warning on the deficit was delivered as Barack Obama, the US president, is becoming increasingly engaged in the debate over ways to curb ….

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/dc1aadea-652e-11e0-b150-00144feab49a.html#axzz1JP2nAJuH


I like the way they framed it. Obama is becoming increasing engaged in the debate over ways to curb America’s mounting debt. Only seems fair since he is the one who exploded the debt.



Inflation Actually Near 10% Using Older Measure

After former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker was appointed in 1979, the consumer price index surged into the double digits, causing the now revered Fed Chief to double the benchmark interest rate in order to break the back of inflation. Using the methodology in place at that time puts the CPI back near those levels.

INFLATION, USING THE REPORTING METHODOLOGIES IN PLACE BEFORE 1980, HIT AN ANNUAL RATE OF 9.6 PERCENT IN FEBRUARY, ACCORDING TO THE SHADOW GOVERNMENT STATISTICS NEWSLETTER….

http://www.cnbc.com/id/42551209

Welcome back Carter.


Obama the out of touch President

….Here's Obama 's problem: Once again, HE'S LOST CONTROL OF THE CAPITOL'S POLITICAL NARRATIVE.

The bully pulpit is a powerful presidential tool -- if the chief executive is talking of relevant things. But OBAMA KEEPS SIDETRACKING HIMSELF into all these areas of society that he so wants to fix, even though there are worse problems elsewhere.

For a long time Obama talked of little but healthcare and financial reforms, while polls showed Americans wanted jobs. He got his healthcare bill, but dozens of Democrats got unemployed from Congress.

When Americans wanted an explanation for a war over Libya's sand, Obama was urging Brazil to drill off its shores and toasting every presidente within sight.

As Americans realized the Democrat majorities had not written a budget for the current fiscal year when in control throughout 2010, Obama was denouncing schoolyard bullies and calling for more college educations, something even Rep. Ron Paul might endorse.

WHENEVER THE PRESIDENT ACKNOWLEDGES THE BUDGET DEFICIT AND THE $14+ TRILLION NATIONAL DEBT, HE SAYS YES, YES, OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO CUT WASTE. HE THEN PROCEEDS TO PROVIDE A LONG LIST OF THINGS WE NEED TO "INVEST" MORE IN LIKE EDUCATION, BRIDGES, GREEN ENERGY and protecting "the most vulnerable" in our society….

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/obama-deficit-speech.html


Out of touch and soon to be out of a job. ABB (Anybody but Barack).



Liberal Pundits seem to be getting frustrated with Obama

The cliche of late has been the trope about “getting ahead of history.” WONDERFUL. I WOULD SETTLE FOR OBAMA JUST CATCHING UP WITH HIMSELF. . . SLOGANS SUCH AS “WIN THE FUTURE” ARE RHETORICAL COTTON CANDY. They melt in your mouth and leave nothing behind. The president needs to say explicitly what he wants and how he’s going to get there. “CHANGE” WON’T DO ANYMORE. IT’S LEADERSHIP WE NEED.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/04/12/time_for_leadership_109520.html


More and more I am reminded of the late 1970s and the presidency of Jimmy Carter. However, seeing what is going on now, Carter would be an improvement over the current president.



Opting Out of Unionization

.Thanks to Gov. Scott Walker’s new labor law, WISCONSIN MAY JUST BE THE NEXT STATE WHERE UNION ROLLS START SHRINKING. If history’s any indication, plenty of government workers will eventually take advantage of their new ability to opt out of unionization and stop paying expensive union dues….

….Walker saw that as a significant cost-savings benefit for Wisconsin’s government workers, arguing that “for those members . . . who don’t want to be a part of the union . . . [and] don’t want that deduction each month out of the paycheck, THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET THAT $500, $600, OR IN SOME CASES $1,000 [PER YEAR] BACK that they can apply for their health care and their pension contribution.” Politifact, which skews liberal, rated Walker’s calculations of how much workers could save “mostly true” after contacting unions and finding out how much they charged members annually.

Making union membership or portions of union dues voluntary has a track record of resulting in fewer employees’ paying. Consider Indiana, where Gov. Mitch Daniels signed an executive order limiting collective bargaining for state workers. IN 2005, WHEN DANIELS SIGNED THE ORDER, 16,408 STATE EMPLOYEES BELONGED TO THE UNION. NOW 1,490 DO.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/264545/opting-out-unionization-katrina-trinko


No wonder the Democrats are against this. Before Daniels signed the order if the unions were getting $500 per year per member, they would have a budget of $8.2 million and if 20% was spent on political contributions that would be $1.6 million going primarily to the Democrats. With only 1490 union members, revenue is decreased to three quarters of a million dollars and political contributions would drop to $150,000 annually.



Death Trap Democrats

Despite November's New Deal magnitude political earthquake, surviving House Democrats just laughed off their historic 63 seat loss and reelected ultra-left San Francisco Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House Minority Leader, a position she will now apparently hold for life. SOMEHOW DEMOCRATS ARE CONVINCED THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WILL COME TO REALIZE THE ERROR OF THEIR WAYS AND TURN TO EMBRACE TAXATION THAT SEIZES MOST OF THEIR MONEY FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO SPEND, rejecting traditional American prosperity. Good luck with that.

But DEMOCRATS HAVE NOW REPEATED THE FOLLY BY CHOOSING DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ (D-FL) TO HEAD THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE. Schultz is just as left wing as Pelosi, but less soft spoken and even more transparently unreasoned.

Schultz wasted no time in demonstrating this. She said regarding the Medicare reforms in Paul Ryan's House GOP budget plan, "No longer would Medicare be a guarantee of health insurance coverage. Instead Medicare would become little more than a discount card. THIS PLAN WOULD LITERALLY BE A DEATH TRAP FOR SENIORS…..."

….While the Democrats still do not understand what they have done with Obamacare, the government's actuaries and accountants do, and have been telling us in official government publications and documents. The 2010 Financial Statement of the United States Government, published by the Treasury Department in December, is the most clear. THAT REPORT DISCLOSES repeatedly in several tables of data that the TOTAL OF FUTURE CUTS IN PAYMENTS TO DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS UNDER MEDICARE AS PROVIDED IN CURRENT LAW DUE TO OBAMACARE and president obama's medicare reimbursement policies IS $15 TRILLION!...

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/04/13/death-trap-democrats


$15 trillion in cuts is larger than the entire US economy this year. It is a death sentence for Medicare as most hospitals would have to stop treating Medicare patients or go out of business (they currently lose money on Medicare patients).



Dean charges GOP “hate anything” for the little guy

"The President made Medicare more sustainable because of health care reform. These guys [Republicans] hate Medicare, they hate the welfare state, they hate Social Security, THEY HATE ANYTHING THAT HELPS ORDINARY PEOPLE. THEY ARE IN THE PAY OF CORPORATIONS, that's who paid for their campaigns and of course that is whose tune their going to dance to," former DNC Chairman Howard Dean said on MSNBC.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/04/12/howard_dean_on_gop_they_hate_the_welfare_state.html

Dean is outing what the Democrats really feel. It isn’t enough to say that the Republican policies hurt the poor. Dean posits the intentions of the GOP. They hate anything that helps ordinary people. Not only is this nonsense, but in fact, the Democrats have lost the ordinary man and are now the party of government dependent people.



Facts about America’s decline

In absolute terms, the U.S. enjoyed an incline this past decade. BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010, U.S. GDP INCREASED 21% IN CONSTANT DOLLARS, despite the shattering setbacks of the Great Recession in 2008-09 and the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001. In 2010, U.S. military spending ($697 billion) was 55% higher than in 2000. And in 2010, the U.S. population was 310 million, an increase of 10% since 2000.

The notion that demography is destiny may be a stretch, but demographics are important when, as in THE U.S., POPULATION INCREASE—DUE TO HIGHER BIRTH AND IMMIGRATION RATES THAN OTHER DEVELOPED COUNTRIES—CUSHIONS THE IMPACT OF AN AGING POPULATION.

But there were also some important declines relative to the rest of the world. In 2000, U.S. GDP WAS 61% OF THE COMBINED GDPS OF THE OTHER G-20 COUNTRIES. BY 2010, THAT NUMBER DROPPED TO 42%. In 2000, U.S. GDP was slightly more than eight times that of China, but it fell to slightly less than three times in 2010. JAPAN IS A CONTRASTING CASE: U.S. GDP WAS TWICE AS LARGE AS JAPAN'S IN 2000 BUT 2.6 TIMES AS LARGE IN 2010, before the tsunami and nuclear disasters of 2011.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704415104576251292725228886.html


I found this extremely interesting. I recommend you read it.



Wal-Mart ends its flirtation with the left

In July 2006, Dach was installed as the public relations chief for Wal-Mart. HE DRAFTED A NUMBER OF OTHER PROGRESSIVES INTO THE COMPANY, SEEKING TO CHANGE THE COMPANY’S WAY OF DOING BUSINESS: its culture, its politics, and most importantly its products.

Out went drab, inexpensive merchandise so dear to low-income Americans. IN CAME UPSCALE ORGANIC FOODS, “GREEN” PRODUCTS, TRENDY JEANS, AND POLITICAL CORRECTNESS. In other words, Dach sought to expose poor working Americans to the “good life” of the wealthy, environmentally conscious Prius driver.

How did that all work out?

AFTER SUFFERING SEVEN STRAIGHT QUARTERS OF LOSSES, TODAY THE MERCHANDISE GIANT WAL-MART WILL ANNOUNCE THAT IT IS “GOING BACK TO BASICS,” ending its era of high-end organic foods, going “green,” and the remainder of its appeal to the upscale market. Next month the company will launch an “It’s Back” campaign to woo the millions of customers who have fled the store.

http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/timblair/index.php/dailytelegraph/comments/gore_store_no_more/


It appears a “new Coke” moment has come and gone at Wal-Mart. Welcome back.



Calling for higher taxes on themselves? Not so fast

…Mr. Saban and Ms Pritzker also believe the rich should pay more. "HIGHER TAXES FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME TO HELP OTHERS WHO ARE LESS FORTUNATE -- THAT'S OKAY BY ME," Mr. Saban was quoted in the now-defunct Portfolio magazine. "Warren said that over the last 20 years, the net worth of the 400 richest Americans has grown seven times and the average American's net earnings are flat. He said that's not right, and that's why he's a Democrat. I agree. It's not good for our democracy," Ms Pritzker was quoted by Bloomberg.

THERE IS A HYPOCRISY, IF NOT PSYCHOSIS, AT WORK in the minds of the tax-demanding rich: MR. BUFFETT SHIELDED $31 BILLION OF HIS WEALTH BY TRANSFERRING IT TO BILL GATES' PHILANTHROPIES. The Pritzker family is famous for employing a skein of trusts and offshore accounts to obfuscate their wealth. WHEN THE PATRIARCH, ABRAM PRITZKER, DIED, IN 1986, HIS HEIRS CLAIMED AN ESTATE WORTH $25,000. THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE SAW IT DIFFERENTLY, VALUING THE ESTATE A FEW DOLLARS NORTH OF THAT FIGURE AND SUED TO COLLECT $53 MILLION IN BACK TAXES. THE TWO SIDES SETTLED FOR $9.5 MILLION IN 1994.

Mr. Saban's actions suggest a passive-aggressive relationship with taxes. FOUR YEARS AGO HE SETTLED WITH THE IRS AFTER ADMITTING TO USING OFFSHORE TAX SHELTERS TO AVOID PAYING $300 MILLION ON THE $1.5 BILLION HE REALIZED AFTER SELLING HIS SHARE OF FOX FAMILY WORLDWIDE to Disney. Mr. Saban told Senate investigators: "You have before you a very disappointed person, who feels misled, lied to, cheated."

MS PRITZKER SEES NO CONTRADICTION, MUCH LESS IRONY, IN THE NEED TO PAY TAXES AND THE DESIRE TO AVOID TAXES. In fact, she readily justifies the practice of demanding more taxes and then getting out of Dodge with this creaky riposte to Bloomberg: "Our family has done more than just good tax planning. What we're good at is building businesses, creating jobs and supporting

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/04/time_for_the_rich_to_shut_up_o.html

These people remind me of the ‘cowardly lion’ in the Wizard of Oz. He was brave except when he wasn’t. Perhaps the Greek word “hypocrisys” best describes what these people are doing.



IBD Poll: Public Favors Limiting Collective Bargaining

BY 45%-42%, VOTERS BACK REPUBLICAN EFFORTS TO BALANCE STATE BUDGETS BY LIMITING COLLECTIVE BARGAINING RIGHTS FOR GOVERNMENT UNIONS, according to the latest IBD/TIPP poll. That stance is backed by Republicans, 80%-8%, and by independents, 46%-36%. Even 14% of Democrats say limit collective bargaining.

THAT’S A SWITCH FROM LAST MONTH WHEN AN IBD/TIPP POLL ASKED WHETHER VOTERS FAVORED WISCONSIN GOV. SCOTT WALKER OR THE STATE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS in that state’s showdown over bargaining rights. That poll found the public supported the unions, 49%-43%. Democrats backed the unions, 83%-11%, while independents backed them, 47%-42%. Republicans backed Walker, 82%-11%.

THE MAIN DIFFERENCE IS THE INDEPENDENTS’ REACTION, SUGGESTING THAT SOME HAVE RETHOUGHT THEIR EARLIER BACKING OF THE UNIONS. Perhaps the budget fight in Congress swayed some to the argument that deficits need to be reined in. Or maybe the independents are just fickle. Either way, the public does seem to be open to budget cutting arguments.

IN TODAY’S IBD WE REPORT THAT THE MOST RECENT POLLING SHOWS THE WHITE HOUSE LOSING GROUND WITH MODERATES SINCE LAST FALL’S ELECTION. A major part of that decline is anxiety about the federal debt and the administration’s sluggish response to the issue.

THE POLL FOUND THAT, BY 47%-26%, VOTERS GAVE OBAMA FAILING GRADES FOR HIS HANDLING OF THE BUDGET. That suggests that liberal groups should rethink their knee-jerk opposition to budget cuts: It is putting them out of step with the broader public.

http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/2576-ibd-poll-public-favors-limiting-collective-bargaining

It’s still way early to interpret this for the coming 2012 elections, but it isn’t good news for the Democrats.

Everything you wanted to know about Unions, but were afraid of the answer.

Wisconsin from a left wing perspective

…NOBODY DENIES THE RECESSION HAS TANKED STATE REVENUES. That's why even progressive governors have been making budget cuts -- and why Wisconsin's state unions conceded to Walker's demands for higher pension and health care contributions. WHAT THE UNIONS ARE RIGHTLY RESISTING IS A SHIFT IN THE LONG-TERM BALANCE OF POLITICAL POWER that undercutting collective bargaining would represent.

HOW DO WE KNOW THIS IS ABOUT POWER, NOT BUDGETS? Even as they go after the unions, Walker and his Republican legislative allies are also trying to change the makeup of future Wisconsin electorates in their favor. THEY ARE PUSHING TO END SAME-DAY VOTER REGISTRATION (WHICH CURRENTLY EMPOWERS YOUNGER VOTERS, WHO ARE MORE LIBERAL THAN THEIR ELDERS AND MOVE AROUND MORE) AND TO PASS ONEROUS VOTER ID LAWS THAT WOULD ESPECIALLY BURDEN LOWER-INCOME VOTERS….

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/28/why_the_wisconsin_fight_matters_109038.html


E.J. Dionne sees this as an attempt to change the makeup of future Wisconsin election by ending same-day voter registration and to pass “onerous voter ID laws” (requiring a ID to vote—the dogs).

Actually you can turn the argument around. Why did Wisconsin allow same day registration to begin with if it wasn’t a plot by the Democrats to change the future Wisconsin electorate? What’s sauce for the goose….



How Big Labor Became Little Labor

WHAT WE ARE WITNESSING IN WISCONSIN AND ELSEWHERE IS THE DEATH KNELL OF BIG LABOR. Once upon a time, most Americans could identify the head of the AFL-CIO. He was George Meany, the cigar-chomping ex-plumber who ran the union federation from 1955 to 1979. He was one of the nation's great power brokers, much quoted and wooed by presidents. It's doubtful that as many Americans can name Meany's present successor. (Answer: Richard Trumka, ex-head of the mine workers' union.)

The American labor movement has been in eclipse for decades, but public- sector unions were one of its few remaining bastions. Now, their power too is waning. STATES AND LOCALITIES FACE LONG-TERM BUDGET SQUEEZES. LABOR COSTS REPRESENT ROUGHLY HALF OF THEIR SPENDING, notes the Cato Institute's Chris Edwards. Pension and retiree health benefits are underfunded. Teachers' unions are being pressed to weed out poor performers. All these unions are on the defensive. Critics are less Republicans than taxpayers and parents.

It's hard for us to recall now how dominant unions were immediately after World War II. By the mid-1950s, unions represented 36 percent of private-sector workers

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/02/28/how_big_labor_became_little_labor_109042.html


A good history of the labor movement in the country. And yet another pundit analyzes why there is such a storm in Wisconsin as labor unions are fighting for their lives.



Upending Our Caste System

As Wisconsin flips its wig, there has been A GREAT DEAL OF DISHONEST, ILL-INFORMED, AND INDEED KNAVISH COMMENTARY on the relationship between public-sector unions and the fiscal conditions of the states. THE THRUST OF THESE UNENLIGHTENING ANALYSES HAS BEEN THAT PUBLIC-SECTOR UNIONS ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THE DIRE FISCAL SITUATION facing Wisconsin and many other states. The general shape of the Left’s argument here has been that of a compound error with two distinct components: 1) THE INABILITY TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE SHORT-TERM PROBLEMS FACING STATES AS A RESULT OF THE RECENT RECESSION AND THEIR LONG-TERM FISCAL PROBLEMS; 2) THE MUCH MORE SERIOUS CONFLATION OF COLLECTIVE-BARGAINING RIGHTS WITH UNIONS’ POLITICAL POWER

.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260830/upending-our-caste-system-kevin-d-williamson?page=1


Definite worth the read and then continue on to another analysis below.



The Privileged Class

The manufactured Madison, Wis., mob is not the movement the White House was hoping for. BOTH MAY FIND THEMSELVES AT THE WRONG END OF THE POPULIST PITCHFORK. While I generally defend collective bargaining and private-sector unions (lots of airline pilots in my family), it is the abuse by public unions and their bosses that PUSHES CENTRISTS LIKE ME TO THE GOP. It is the right and duty of citizens to petition their government. The Tea Party and Republicans seek to limit government growth to protect their pocketbooks. Public-union bosses want to increase the cost of government to protect their racket.


1. PUBLIC UNIONS ARE BIG MONEY.

Public unions are big money…..Of the top 20 biggest givers in federal-level politics over the past 20 years, 10 are unions; just four are corporations. The three biggest public unions gave $171.5 million for the 2010 elections alone, according to The Wall Street Journal. That’s big money.
2. PUBLIC UNIONS REDISTRIBUTE WEALTH.

Michael Barone sums it up: “public-employee unions are a mechanism by which every taxpayer is forced to fund the Democratic Party.”
3. PUBLIC UNIONS SILENCE THE VOTERS’ VOICE.

In effect, the unions sit on both sides of the table and collectively bargain to raise taxes while the voters’ voice is silenced. …. The proposals offered by Gov. Scott Walker would avert 5,500 layoffs of public employees and save $300 million.

4. PUBLIC UNIONS ARE UNNECESSARY.

The primary purpose of private-sector unions today is to get workers a larger share of the profits they helped create. …The government is a monopoly and it earns no profits to be shared. Public employees are already protected by statutes that preclude arbitrary hiring and firing decisions

.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-02-26/end-unions-and-end-the-privileged-class/

Collective bargaining is a way to negotiate how to share the profits in the private sector. In the public sector that doesn’t exist. Collective bargaining in the public sector is how more the taxpayers can or should pay the public sector and it becomes a problem when the taxpayers make on average less than the public sector’s average pay and benefits are.

Who is killing the public unions?

Some people, like the tens of thousands of protesters in Madison and the tens of millions of Americans who agree with them, believe that THE VILLAINS ARE SCHEMING CORPORATE INTERESTS, FOX NEWS, TEA PARTY ‘FANATICS’ AND OPPORTUNISTICALLY POPULIST POLITICIANS LIKE SCOTT WALKER.

Many of their opponents agree that the right is responsible, though from their point of view THE TEA PARTY AND POLITICIANS LIKE WALKER ARE THE GOOD GUYS, and the public sector unions are the ones in the black hats.

In fact, both sides are wrong. Despite the differences in rhetoric, killing public sector unions is a nonpartisan policy in the United States. While Republicans are more explicit about their goal, and want to move faster, DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS ARE BOTH TAKING STEPS THAT WILL SOON REDUCE THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNION MOVEMENT TO A SHADOW OF ITS CURRENT SELF.

LOOK AT RAHM EMMANUEL, NEWLY ELECTED MAYOR OF CHICAGO. Chicago is a dark blue city in a deep blue state; Emmanuel is a career Democratic pol who served as chief of staff to the most liberal American president elected in many years. And what is Emanuel doing?

The mayor-elect was cagey on the subject during the campaign, but massive tax increases are off the table, and so are big bailouts from Washington DC. ACCORDING TO TIME MAGAZINE, THE CAMPAIGN HAS SPOKEN CRYPTICALLY ABOUT SAVING $110 MILLION from reducing “outdated and duplicative work processes to focus on front-line service delivery.” TRANSLATE THAT OUT OF BUREAUCRATIC NEWSPEAK AND IT MEANS GETTING MORE WORK DONE WITH FEWER PEOPLE: LAYOFFS. Emanuel says that the city’s generous pensions need to be preserved, but may also have to be, ahem, renegotiated. This does not sound like a renegotiation up.

Strip away the fluff and the rhetoric and it looks as though Chicago’s new mayor plans to balance the city budget primarily through layoffs and cutbacks.

http://blogs.the-american-interest.com/wrm/2011/02/27/blue-state-dems-turn-on-state-local-workers/

This is the dirty little secret. The left will howl and protest cutbacks by right wing governors, but they will quietly accept those by left wing governors and politicians. The reason is it has to be done and the left knows it.

What Journalism Isn’t

On Sunday morning, the economics analyst and TV commentator BARRY RITHOLTZ DROPPED A BOMBSHELL ON HIS BLOG: ROGER AILES, THE POWERFUL PRESIDENT OF FOX NEWS, WILL BE INDICTED IN CONNECTION WITH ALLEGEDLY TELLING A NEWS CORP. EXECUTIVE TO LIE TO FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS, according to Ritholtz's blog post.

The story, which was based on what an unnamed source told Ritholtz, quickly boomeranged around the Web and Twitter. Several well-read web sites, including Business Insider and Political Wire, picked up the report….

…Ritholtz, for his part, describes his attitude in writing the post as "passing along what an informed person had said."

"If it's true we'll find out. If it's not, no big deal," he says. "We'll see where this goes."

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/02/27/ailes_indictment_story/index.html


Just a reminder, don’t believe everything you read on the internet. I try to make sure when I’m quoting a story that it is backed up or I will give the limitations on what you are reading.



THE HILL POLL: On shutdown, more voters would blame Dems

Twenty-nine percent of likely voters would blame Democrats for a government shutdown, compared to 23 percent who would hold Republicans responsible, according to a new poll conducted for The Hill.


THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING BECAUSE MOST PEOPLE BLAMED THE GOP FOR THE LAST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, which occurred during President Clinton’s first term. A week before the 1995 shuttering, polls showed the public blamed Republicans by a two-to-one-margin.

http://thehill.com/polls/146361-the-hill-poll-more-voters-would-blame-dems-than-gop-for-shutdown

The results are only surprising if you’ve been living in a cave for the past 4 years. The Democrats have set an all time record for deficit spending and people want it stopped. Shutting down the government because you want not to cut spending is not going to woo the majority of Americans. But a poll like this will probably make the Democrats think twice before the filibuster or Obama vetoes the spending bill.



Bernard Nathanson: A Life Transformed by Truth

FEW PEOPLE, IF ANY, DID MORE THAN BERNARD NATHANSON TO UNDERMINE THE RIGHT TO LIFE OF UNBORN CHILDREN by turning abortion from an unspeakable crime into a constitutionally protected liberty. Someday, when our law is reformed to honor the dignity and protect the right to life of every member of the human family, including children in the womb, historians will observe that FEW PEOPLE DID MORE THAN BERNARD NATHANSON TO ACHIEVE THAT REVERSAL…..

…..BY HIS OWN ESTIMATE, HE PRESIDED OVER MORE THAN 60,000 ABORTIONS AS DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL HEALTH, PERSONALLY INSTRUCTED MEDICAL STUDENTS AND PRACTITIONERS IN THE PERFORMANCE OF ABOUT 15,000 MORE, AND PERFORMED 5,000 ABORTIONS HIMSELF. In one of those abortions, he took the life of his own son or daughter—a child conceived with a girlfriend after he had established his medical practice. Writing with deep regret in his moving autobiography The Hand of God (1996), Nathanson confessed his own heartlessness in performing that abortion: “I swear to you, I had no feelings aside from the sense of accomplishment, the pride of expertise.”…

http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2011/02/2806/


It is always interesting to read a story like this one. From one of the main people who got abortions legalized to one of the most harsh critics of the procedure and the maker of the movie, The Silent Scream, Dr. Nathanson died last week and was buried in blessed ground by the Church he first demonized and later converted to.




Union Friends’ Pockets

In Wisconsin, ABOUT 64 PERCENT OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS CARRY HEALTH INSURANCE OFFERED BY WEA TRUST, an organization created by and still very closely AFFILIATED WITH THE WISCONSIN EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, Inc. (WEAC), according to a 2010 report by the Education Action Group Foundation and the MacIver Institute.

Collective bargaining has helped the WEA Trust grow. Gov. Scott Walker’s office has said that making it such that NO DISTRICT IS REQUIRED TO BUY INSURANCE THROUGH THE WEA TRUST COULD REDUCE HEALTH-CARE COSTS BY $68 MILLION A YEAR, noting that “many school districts participate in WEA Trust because WEAC collectively bargains to get as many school districts across the state to participate in this union-run health insurance plan as possible.”

Coverage offered by the WEA Trust is generous. “WEA Trust offers what is commonly known as the ‘Cadillac’ of school employee health coverage,” the Education Action Group Foundation report states. “It earned that moniker for two very good reasons — THE HEALTH COVERAGE IS VERY THOROUGH, AND THE COST TO LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS IS VERY HIGH.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner


One hand washes the other. Meanwhile the taxpayers get hosed.

The bottom line and more

The bottom line

I read a lot of article and try to bring to you the best of what I’ve found. In reading as much as I do, I form certain opinions and I thought I would start off each entry with a section called “THE BOTTOM LINE.” This will give you my overall view of what’s going on. I hope you enjoy this new feature.


There are TWO MAJOR MOVEMENTS GOING ON TODAY. You have the UPRISINGS IN THE MIDDLE EAST in countries like Egypt, Libya, etc. I look at what’s happening there as a crisis but I FEAR IT WILL NOT BE USHERING IN A PERIOD OF PEACE AND DEMOCRACY. I see it more like the revolutions that swept through Europe in 1848. They occurred, but accomplished very little.


At home we have THE PUBLIC UNION CRISIS. Its focus is Wisconsin, but you can plan on it spreading to Ohio, Indiana, etc. The Unions know they are in trouble and seem to be adopting the strategy of Otto von Bismark. Bismark saw the social revolutions in Europe in the 1870s and tried to blunt their effect on Germany by providing the changes the Social Democrats were promising such as old age pensions. THE UNIONS ARE CONCEDING THE INCREASE CONTRIBUTIONS FOR THEIR RETIREMENT AND HEALTHCARE IN THE HOPES OF HOLDING ON TO THEIR RIGHT TO USE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.


No matter what either side says, this is a fight over power and who will wield it. Scott Walker, the governor of Wisconsin, is TRYING TO SHIFT THE POWER AWAY FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS BACK TO THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. The Unions know if they can hang on to their right to collective bargain any of the give backs they are agreeing to can be changed in the future when they have more friendly government officials. Right now the final outcome isn’t known, but it is a very important issue.


But what is interesting and known are the tactics of the left. If you are a conservative and you are AGAINST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, THE LEFT BRANDS YOU AS ANTI-IMMIGRATION. If you are a conservative and AGAINST PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS THE LEFT BRANDS YOU AS ANTI-UNION. The Alinsky tactics are in effect and on display in Wisconsin.



Time to go for the whole enchilada?

…Seems to me that Governor Walker is asking for adjustments that are WAY TOO MODEST and would leave in place — perhaps solidify — a situation that is only marginally less unjust and untenable than what Wisconsin has now. Under his proposal, citizens working in the private sector would still be paying more for public-employee pensions and substantially more for public-employee health insurance than those citizens pay for their own comparable benefits. He would exempt many public employees from even these modest adjustments. (And for what? Did you see the firefighters out there yesterday, joining the taker-class’s demonstrations against the public?) Furthermore, Walker is being very cagey when asked WHETHER HIS GOAL IS TO BREAK THE PUBLIC-SECTOR UNIONS — he won’t say yes, but his statements have an undertone of “WOULDN’T BE THE WORST THING IN THE WORLD . . .”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260601/gov-walkers-strategy-andrew-c-mccarthy


The question we need to address is do we actually need Public Sector Unions? The Unions are already out there with their horror stories of what would happen to everyone without UNIONS, but we aren’t talking doing away with unions. We are talking Public Sector Unions.



Democrats and the new Populism

The Obama campaign and other liberals are looking to tap into the populist current of today's politics and turn the Wisconsin union fight into a national issue in the 2012 election. While the liberals can wield rhetorical pitchforks and light political torches, they should realize that IT'S THEIR GUYS WHO ARE LIVING INSIDE THE CASTLE TODAY. Specifically, public-sector unions -- by many measures the most entrenched special interest in American politics -- are not fighting against The Man, which is to say the entrenched powers of government. In this struggle, THE MAN IS THE GOVERNMENT UNIONS, which are sitting in the smoky back room divvying up the spoils of a crooked racket. And CRONYISM -- NOT WEALTH -- IS THE OBJECT OF TODAY'S POPULIST IRE.


The Left has misread the postbailout populist sentiment all along, assuming public anger was directed at the rich. BUT AMERICAN ANGER, I SUSPECT, IS DIRECTED NOT AT SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE MONEY OR SUCCESS, BUT AT THOSE WHO PROFIT THROUGH CRONYISM AND THEIR CONNECTIONS TO POWER.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/02/democrats-wage-populist-fight-against-their-allies#ixzz1Es8F7xVc

This is an interesting way of looking at what’s happening. It rings true for me. What about you?



Liberal Facts

RACHEL MADDOW, MSNBC: But, if you look at like the last election cycle, OF THE TOP TEN PEOPLE DONATING MONEY IN THAT ELECTION, SEVEN OF THEM WERE GIVING TO REPUBLICANS. It was all corporate interests and right-wing PACs and stuff. Seven of the ten were all right-wing. AND THE ONLY THREE THAT WEREN'T WERE UNIONS.

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/02/23/rachel-maddow-lies-leno-about-republican-political-contributions#ixzz1EsigPr9a


What I have discovered is that liberal facts aren’t necessarily real facts, but things liberals feel should be real. Maddow’s claim is utterly debunked if you go to the link and read. In fact, only one of the top ten contributors was Republican and four of the top ten were unions.



Washington: The Senate Democrats refuses to entertain cutting spending

When Congress returns next week, HOUSE REPUBLICANS PLAN TO INTRODUCE A TWO-WEEK CR THAT WOULD CUT FEDERAL SPENDING BY $4 BILLION, which is essentially a pro-rated amount based on the $61 billion in cuts (over a 30 week period) contained in the CR passed by the House last week.

On Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader HARRY REID (R., NEV.) PROPOSED A 30-DAYS “STOP-GAP” SPENDING RESOLUTION TO KEEP THE GOVERNMENT FUNDED AT CURRENT LEVELS while a longer term deal is negotiated. The current continuing resolution expires on March 4.

House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said this was unacceptable, arguing that even a short-term continuing resolution must contain spending cuts. “The only people who refuse to consider any spending cuts in the short-term CR are the Senate Democratic Leaders like Sens. Reid and Schumer,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said in a statement. “With a massive federal deficit and record-setting debt, the idea that we can’t cut one penny worth of federal government spending is indefensible.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260574/house-republicans-offer-short-term-cr-4-billion-cuts-andrew-stiles


Boehner’s staff has met with Reid’s staff and there has been no movement. The Democrats claim they have already cut spending by $41 billion since they didn’t enact President Obama’s budget but continued spending at the 2010 rate. The logic here is similar to your spouse coming home loaded with shopping bags and proceeds to tell you how much money s/he has saved you.


Here’s a fact check on what’s being claimed by the Democrats and Repubicans

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2011/02/harry_reids_illusory_41_billio.html?hpid=news-col-blog



Failure to preserve, protect and defend …

Notable examples in the scant couple of years The One has been in office include: REFUSAL TO ENFORCE VOTING LAWS AGAINST INTIMIDATION AT THE POLLS IN CHICAGO, EFFORTS TO USE THE REGULATORY FUNCTIONS OF THE FPA TO CIRCUMVENT THE SPECIFIC LEGISLATION OF CONGRESS to ban cap-and-trade, REFUSAL TO ENFORCE IMMIGRATION LAWS, and attempts by the FCC to regulate matters banned from its jurisdiction by law.

We need not even mention the UNDEMOCRATIC PARLIAMENTARY TACTICS AND OUTRIGHT BRIBERY USED BY OBAMA AND HIS ALLIES TO RAM THROUGH THE UNPOPULAR AND CLEARLY UNCONSTITUTIONAL OBAMACARE BILL -- without it even having been read by most Congress members.

On the judiciary side, we witness the executive IGNORING A FEDERAL COURT RULING ON OBAMACARE'S UNCONSTITUTIONALITY, the refusal -- to the point where an order of compliance had to be issued from the bench -- to refrain from imposing an illegal moratorium on oil drilling; and, now the clearest and most blatant power grab of all. Obama has arrogated to himself, in the matter of DOMA, the power to declare that law unconstitutional and order his Justice Department not to contest lawsuits challenging it.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/02/obama_completes_his_trifecta.html


Obama’s record is getting worse and worse.



The War on Terror—in case you forgot

Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 20, a citizen of Saudi Arabia and resident of Lubbock, Texas, was arrested late yesterday by FBI agents in Texas ON A FEDERAL CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED USE OF A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION in connection with his alleged purchase of chemicals and equipment necessary to make an improvised explosive device (IED) and his research of potential U.S. targets.


The arrest and the criminal complaint, which was unsealed in the Northern District of Texas, were announced by David Kris, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; James T. Jacks, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas; and Robert E. Casey Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Dallas Field Division

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-terror-suspect-arrested-in-lubbock-texas-20110224,0,5306188,full.story


We owe a debt of gratitude to those who are front and center in this war. Lest we forget, we have our freedom and our safety from those who go into harm’s way.


Green Energy begets a House probe

…..He (Obama) said high-tech facilities LIKE SOLYNDRA WOULD HELP "LAY A NEW FOUNDATION FOR LASTING GROWTH."

Then came last November, the day after the midterm elections when everyone was focused on the historic shift to Republican control of the House. Solyndra announced then that not only was it not going to create those 1,000 full-time jobs so eagerly hailed by Obama and Biden, but it also was GOING TO CLOSE AN OLDER FACTORY AND ACTUALLY LAY OFF 175 FULL- OR PART-TIME WORKERS…..

….But now Fred Upton and Cliff Stearns, chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Oversight Subcommittee, have been examining the company's financials and the possibility of waste and fraud. Since its 2005 founding, IT SEEMS THAT SOLYNDRA HAS NEVER MADE A PROFIT AND ITS OWN AUDITOR HAD RAISED SERIOUS QUESTIONS that did not slow or stop the immense guarantee's approval by the Obama administration……

……Oh, one other thing: The majority owner of Solyndra is George Kaiser. He's an Oklahoma billionaire. He was also a bundler, a major fundraiser, for the 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

But that's probably coincidence.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/02/solyndra-obama-biden-stimulus-waste.html#more


Green energy reminds me of alchemy. For thousands of years people have dreamed of being able to turn lead into gold. The modern day version of this is green energy’s dream of replacing oil with solar and wind. The science isn’t there in either case.

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.

Wisconsin in the News

Wisconsin: Is it an attack on Unions?

THE FERMENT IN WISCONSIN IS NO WORKERS' UPRISING AGAINST THE RICH AND POWERFUL. It is instead political muscle-flexing by a well-funded special interest group, which is limbering up for President Obama's re-election bid. Obama's campaign, operating as Organizing for America, is bussing protesters to the state capitol and manning phone banks to apply pressure to state legislatures. Obama himself has called Gov. Scott Walker's bill curbing government-sector collective bargaining "an attack on unions."

While liberal writers wax romantic about a workers' uprising (former Labor Secretary Robert Reich wrote on Twitter "Wisconsin is spreading to Ohio -- America's microversion of Tunisia and Egypt. People are taking to the streets to get their rights"), WHAT WE'RE REALLY SEEING IS THE LABOR MOVEMENT ACTING AS A WHOLLY OWNED SUBSIDIARY OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.

Liberals and the White House try to blur the issue by lumping together government unions and labor unions in general. OBAMA WRONGLY CALLS WALKER'S BILL "AN ATTACK ON UNIONS." It is, at its heart, a measure changing the way the state government procures labor -- WALKER WOULD END SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACTS WITH A POLITICALLY CONNECTED SPECIAL INTERESTS.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/02/wisconsin-its-unions-vs-people-0#ixzz1EPs7UTo6


Wisconsin has been a huge story in the media the last three days. From disappearing Democratic Senators, to huge protests, to fake doctor notes, we are getting a preview of what an America that is like Europe would be like. The spoiled and pampered “civil servants” demanding that we continue to fund outrageous contracts.



Raging Wisconsin

….CALLING TO MIND A MANEUVER THAT DEMOCRATS IN THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE PULLED A FEW YEARS BACK, WISCONSIN’S DEMOCRATS HAVE FLED THE CAPITOL, and in some instances have fled the state, in order to subvert the very democratic process from which their irony-immune party derives its name. And the exquisitely temperate ladies and gentlemen who were just the day before yesterday lecturing us about the allegedly corrosive tone of conservative political discourse are parading through the mean streets of Madison WAVING PLACARDS BEARING THE NAME AND LIKENESS OF ADOLF HITLER, AND DENOUNCING GOVERNOR WALKER AS A NAZI.

ADOLF HITLER AND HIS NATIONAL SOCIALIST GOVERNMENT MURDERED SOME 6 MILLION JEWS and waged a bloodthirsty war for world domination under a “Thousand-Year Reich.” GOVERNOR WALKER HAS PROPOSED THAT GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES IN WISCONSIN PAY 12.6 PERCENT OF THE COST OF THEIR INSURANCE PREMIUMS, WHICH IN THE MINDS OF WISCONSIN DEMOCRATS APPARENTLY AMOUNTS TO MORE OR LESS THE SAME THING. President Obama, himself fresh off lecturing the nation about its tone, chimed in with a predictably tin-eared characterization of this modest initiative as an “assault.”….

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/260114/raging-wisconsin-editors


This is another lose/lose situation for the Democrats. After rhetorically moving to the middle, President Obama’s popularity moved up. After weighing in on Wisconsin, his popularity is tumbling. The Democrats seem to be the party of the people but only if you are the “special” people they rely on.



The NY TIMES take on Wisconsin

….But the legislative push by Wisconsin’s new governor, Scott Walker, a Republican, to slash the collective bargaining rights of his state’s public employees could prove a watershed for public-sector unions, perhaps signaling the beginning of a decline in their power — both at the bargaining table and in politics…..

….“These kinds of high-profile public-employee battles have enormous stakes,” said Benjamin Sachs, a professor of labor law at Harvard. “We’re still feeling the consequences of President Reagan confronting the union in the air controllers’ strike. For anyone interested in union rights, the fight in Wisconsin couldn’t be more important.” ….

…. To end that cycle, he wants to restrict the unions to bargaining over just one topic, base wages, while eliminating their ability to deal over health care, working hours and vacations…..

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/19/us/19union.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1298127672-GtGTWgP4vkqJdamhqlSUhQ


Why would the Governor Walker want to keep unions from bargaining about fringe benefits? It makes sense. Unions go after more and more fringe benefits which aren’t paid for right away and the politicians who give in to them will be long out of office when the bill comes due. If you want to bargain rationally with a politician, it must be about things the public can see right away.

How to bring the Democrats back to Madison


I found this in the comment section of a story on the Wisconsin Democrat senators being AWOL.

The Republicans do have recourse--THIS 20 SENATOR QUORUM RULE ONLY APPLIES TO BILLS INVOLVING STATE FINANCIAL CONCERNS, if I'm not mistaken. There are a whole slew of other non-finance issues too on the Republican agenda, LIKE VOTER ID AND CONCEALED CARRY. I THINK IF THE REPUBLICANS THREATENED TO START PASSING PET AGENDA ITEMS, THE SENATORS OF THE TRUANT PARTY MIGHT BE INCLINED TO HIGHTAIL THEIR LITTLE FANNIES BACK TO MADISON and what the taxpayers of this state are paying them to do.

I’m not sure this is correct, but if it is, the Republicans should start legislating right away.


Americans Say Reagan Is the Greatest U.S. President

Ahead of Presidents Day 2011, Americans are most likely to say Ronald Reagan was the nation's greatest president -- slightly ahead of Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. Reagan, Lincoln, or John F. Kennedy has been at the top of this "greatest president" list each time this question has been asked in eight surveys over the last 12 years.

In the eight times Gallup has asked this same "greatest president" question over the last 12 years, one of three presidents -- Lincoln, Reagan, and Kennedy -- has topped the list each time. Reagan was the top vote getter in 2001, 2005, and now 2011. Lincoln won in 1999, in two 2003 surveys, and in 2007. Kennedy was on top in 2000, and tied with Lincoln in November 2003.



http://www.gallup.com/poll/146183/Americans-Say-Reagan-Greatest-President.aspx


This is just a bit of trivia. In the story they give the top 5 Presidents by party affiliation. Republicans foolishly list W as number 5 with 5% of the vote, but Democrats are even more foolish putting Obama 3rd with 11% of their vote. Doesn’t anyone study history any more?

The future is happening now

Why I’m a Chris Christie fan

As Mr. Chrisie recounted it: “You can imagine how that was received by 7,500 firefighters. As I walked into the room and was introduced. I WAS BOOED LUSTILY. I MADE MY WAY UP TO THE STAGE, THEY BOOED SOME MORE. . . . SO I SAID, ‘COME ON, YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT,’ AND THEY DID!”


HE CRUMPLED UP HIS PREPARED REMARKS AND THREW THEM ON THE FLOOR. He told them, “Here’s the deal: I understand you’re angry, and I understand you’re frustrated, and I understand you feel deceived and betrayed.” And, he said, they were right: “FOR 20 YEARS, GOVERNORS HAVE COME INTO THIS ROOM AND LIED TO YOU, PROMISED YOU BENEFITS THAT THEY HAD NO WAY OF PAYING FOR, making promises they knew they couldn’t keep, and just hoping that they wouldn’t be the man or women left holding the bag. I understand why you feel angry and betrayed and deceived by those people. Here’s what I don’t understand. WHY ARE YOU BOOING THE FIRST GUY WHO CAME IN HERE AND TOLD YOU THE TRUTH?”


He told them there was no political advantage in being truthful: “The way we used to think about politics and, unfortunately, the way I FEAR THEY’RE THINKING ABOUT POLITICS STILL IN WASHINGTON” INVOLVES “THE OLD PLAYBOOK [WHICH] SAYS, “LIE, DECEIVE, OBFUSCATE AND MAKE IT TO THE NEXT ELECTION.” He’d seen a study that said New Jersey’s pensions may go bankrupt by 2020. A friend told him not to worry, he won’t be governor then. “That’s the way politics has been practiced in our country for too long. . . . So I said to those firefighters, ‘YOU MAY HATE ME NOW, BUT 15 YEARS FROM NOW, WHEN YOU HAVE A PENSION TO COLLECT BECAUSE OF WHAT I DID, YOU’LL BE LOOKING FOR MY ADDRESS ON THE INTERNET SO YOU CAN SEND ME A THANK-YOU NOTE.’“

http://peggynoonan.com/


Big, bold and honest is the way you describe Chris Christie and may I add Presidential.



Poll: Most Americans Don’t support Public employee unions

CLARUS' NATIONWIDE STUDY FOUND THAT 64 PERCENT OF AMERICAN PEOPLE THINK STATE WORKERS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO JOIN LABOR UNIONS.

Another 29 percent believe that d government employees should be represented by unions that bargain for higher pay, benefits and pensions.

The survey also uncovered a deep divide along party lines-- Republicans and independents strongly oppose unionization for government employee. Indeed, ONLY 10 PERCENT OF REPUBLICANS AND 23 PERCENT OF INDEPENDENTS SUPPORT The right of public employees to be represented by unions.

Contrarily, 49 PERCENT OF DEMOCRATS THINK THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNIONIZE

http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/114185/20110218/unions.htm


This is not good for the democrats as they rally behind the unions.



WHO GOVERNS WISCONSIN?

THE FIGHT FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE NOW CENTRES UPON WISCONSIN. On one side are Governor Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican majorities in the legislature, and the majority of Wisconsinites who voted them into office. On the other side are the public sector unions for whom governance is, at bottom, a racket – and their Democratic allies.

This fight began when Governor Walker decided to deal with Wisconsin's state budget deficit, projected at $3.6bn over the coming two years, BY ADDRESSING ROOT CAUSES: NOT THROUGH TAX HIKES OR STATE WORKER LAYOFFS, BUT BY TACKLING THE EXCESSIVE POWERS AND BENEFITS OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR UNIONS. With this done, sensible budgeting and prioritisation is possible – not with an eye toward union demands, but to the actual needs of Wisconsinites.

THE STRIKING THING ABOUT THE GOVERNOR'S PROPOSALS IS THEIR MILDNESS. Indeed, private sector workers – that is, the overwhelming majority of Wisconsinites and Americans both – would be fortunate to have such terms. WISCONSIN PUBLIC SECTOR UNION MEMBERS ARE TO BE ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE 5.8% OF THEIR SALARIES TO PENSIONS, AND 12% TO THEIR HEALTHCARE PREMIUMS. They furthermore will retain collective bargaining rights only on matters of salary, but lose them for benefits and perks. These would be regarded as fairly ordinary terms of employment engagement for most Americans.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/feb/18/us-unions-wisconsin


What is amazing is that the Democrats are so quick to want to raise taxes on people earning more money, unless they support the Democratic Party. Here we have a privileged groups of primarily Democrats who the state is asking to “pay their fair share” and the answer seems to be a resounding, “Hell no.”



Even Joe Klein comes out against the Wisconsin Protesters

...An election was held in Wisconsin last November. The Republicans won. IN A DEMOCRACY, THERE ARE CONSEQUENCES TO ELECTIONS AND NO ONE, NOT EVEN THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES UNIONS, ARE EXEMPT from that. There are no guarantees that labor contracts, including contracts governing the most basic rights of unions, can't be renegotiated, or terminated for that matter. We hold elections to decide those basic parameters. And IT SEEMS TO ME THAT GOVERNOR SCOTT WALKER'S BASIC REQUESTS ARE MODEST ONES--asking public employees to contribute more to their pension and health care plans, though still far less than most private sector employees do. He is also trying to limit the unions' abilities to negotiate work rules--and this is crucial when it comes to the more efficient operation of government in a difficult time. When I covered local government in New York 30 years ago, the school janitors (then paid a robust $60,000 plus per year) had negotiated the "right" to mop the cafeteria floors only once a week....

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2011/02/18/wisconsin-the-hemlock-revolution/#ixzz1EP9aFYED


This is a losing issue if you are a democrat and Joe Klein comes out against your position.



Makes you wonder

A reader asks a good question about news coverage of events in Wisconsin:

BTW...IN NO MSM COVERAGE I HAVE SEEN IS THERE ANY NOTE THAT THE CROWD IS "PREDOMINANTLY WHITE".... WHY IS THAT?

Heh. We all remember how liberal news coverage of tea party rallies rarely failed to note that they were "predominantly white." Somehow, that is no longer a salient fact when the same outlets cover illegal sick-outs by Wisconsin teachers. Why would that be?

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/02/028403.php


Actually from the pictures I’ve seen the correct term would be “overwhelmingly white.” I guess they must be racists.



New Press Secretary but old lies

White House press secretary JAY CARNEY SAYS THE RECOVERY ACT ADDED SEVERAL MILLION JOBS AND LOWERED THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE. ACCORDING TO CARNEY, THE "GOALS" OF THE STIMULUS PACKAGE "HAVE BEEN MET."



A reporter asked Carney why unemployment is at 9% and not 7%, the percentage projected if the stimulus worked. Carney dismissed the question. "WE'VE SAID REPEATEDLY THAT WE DON'T WANT TO RELITIGATE THE BATTLES OF THE PAST," Carney told the reporter.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/02/17/whs_jay_carney_stimulus_goals_have_been_met.html


I guess $854 billion doesn’t buy as much as it once did.


Stripping Most Institutional Media of Constitutional Protection?

SEVERAL WASHINGTON STATE LEGISLATORS HAVE PROPOSED A RESOLUTION THAT WOULD “URGE[] CONGRESS TO PROPOSE AN AMENDMENT TO THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION for the states’ consideration which provides THAT CORPORATIONS ARE NOT PERSONS UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES or any of its jurisdictional subdivisions.” It’s pretty clear from context that they mean corporations aren’t supposed to have constitutional rights, and that they are asking for the amendment because THEY WANT TO OVERTURN CITIZENS UNITED.

But of course the proposed amendment, to the extent it STRIPS BUSINESS CORPORATIONS OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, WOULD ALSO STRIP MEDIA CORPORATIONS OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS. It would also strip nonprofit corporations — such as the ACLU, NRA, etc. — of First Amendment rights. And it would let government take corporate property without just compensation, and more.

Now I don’t know whether the state legislators actually want this to happen, and actually want THE GOVERNMENT TO HAVE THE POWER TO, SAY, CENSOR THE NEW YORK TIMES (or the Seattle Times). But that’s precisely what they are asking for

.

http://volokh.com/2011/02/18/stripping-most-institutional-media-of-constitutional-protection/

I’m sure that isn’t what the people who proposed this wanted. However, that is what they are in essence proposing. Sometimes I don't think liberals are very bright. 


Dr. Berwick and Mr. Hide

In Robert Louis Stevenson's famous novella about the duality of human nature, a minor character describes Mr. Hyde thus: "THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH HIS APPEARANCE; SOMETHING DISPLEASING, SOMETHING DOWN-RIGHT DETESTABLE. I NEVER SAW A MAN I SO DISLIKED." It is difficult to avoid similar feelings of revulsion watching the C-SPAN video of Dr. Donald Berwick's alter ego testifying at the February 10 hearing of the House Ways and Means Committee. His disingenuous opening remarks, evasive answers, and transparent contempt for congressional oversight revealed Obama's recess-appointed administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) as a grotesque changeling. GONE WERE THE BOLD STATEMENTS ABOUT RATIONING, BRITAIN'S SOCIALIZED MEDICAL SYSTEM, AND THE PERILS OF THE MARKET. The celebrated visionary, Dr. Donald Berwick, has been completely subsumed in the sly apparatchik, Mr. Hide.

The Dr. Berwick with whom we have become all too familiar was a vocal advocate of health care rationing. IN A 2009 INTERVIEW FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY HEALTHCARE, HE GUSHED WITH ENTHUSIASM FOR THE HEAVY-HANDED RATIONING REGIME OF GREAT BRITAIN'S NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH & CLINICAL EXCELLENCE (NICE) and advised his interlocutor that "THE DECISION IS NOT WHETHER OR NOT WE WILL RATION CARE; THE DECISION IS WHETHER WE WILL RATION WITH OUR EYES OPEN." When the good doctor's alter ego appeared before the Ways and Means Committee, however, he told a different story. Mr. Hide, it seems, has always been a vehement opponent of rationing. When asked by Tom Price, M.D. (R-GA) about the above-quoted remark and a variety of similar public statements, he stunned the committee with the following answer: "I ABHOR RATIONING…. MY ENTIRE LIFE HAS BEEN SPENT FIGHTING RATIONING

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/02/18/dr-berwick-and-mr-hide


It is no wonder Obama didn’t want him to go through the conformation process. He is either a fool or a liar.





Whatever happened to the romance between the environmental lobby and natural gas?

After years of basking in a green glow as the cleanest fossil fuel and a favorite short-term choice to replace cheap-but-dirty coal, GAS NOW FINDS ITSELF UNDER ATTACK FROM ENVIRONMENTALISTS, filmmakers and congressional Democrats — and even from some scientists who raise doubts about whether its total emissions are as climate-friendly as commonly believed.

Case in point: the Sierra Club, whose former executive director, Carl Pope, has spoken warmly in recent years about gas as an alternative to coal in power plants. NOW, THE GROUP IS CONSIDERING CALLING FOR NATURAL GAS TO BE PHASED OUT BY 2050 — about 20 years after it wants coal eliminated.

While the group said it hasn’t changed its mind about gas vs. coal, Deputy Executive Director Bruce Hamilton says he and other Sierra Club leaders are “trying to be clearer in our communication. ... WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT NATURAL GAS IS NOT A CLEAN FUEL AND IT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED UP BEFORE IT CAN BE AN ACCEPTABLE FUEL.”

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/259945/green-double-cross-begins-steven-f-hayward


I recommend you read this article and go on to the comments. It is very entertaining. For instance the second one listed (when I looked at them was)


A friend of mine once told me of environmentalists:


"The environmentalist can't take yes for an answer".



The Role of Fannie and Freddie in the Economic crisis

How unwilling is President Obama to truly rein in the growth of government? Consider his refusal to do anything about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Oh, Obama last week -- more than two years after the two mortgage giants were seized and placed into a federal conservatorship -- issued "recommendations" that would supposedly wind down the twins over a decade.

Mind you, FANNIE AND FREDDIE HAVE COST THE TAXPAYERS $160 BILLION IN DIRECT SUBSIDIES since they were taken over in August 2008. The country would be better off if they shut down today. ….

…THE HOUSING BUBBLE AND CRISIS NEVER WOULD HAVE OCCURRED ABSENT GOVERNMENT PRESSURE. Congress, acting through the Department of Housing and Urban Development, pushed Fannie and Freddie to buy trillions of dollars worth of subprime loans in order to make "housing more affordable." Meanwhile, regulators bullied banks to make loans to minority borrowers who couldn't afford to pay them back.

IN 1996, HUD SET AN EXPLICIT TARGET, COMMANDING THAT 42 PERCENT OF THE LOANS BOUGHT BY FANNIE AND FREDDIE BE TO PEOPLE WITH INCOMES BELOW THE AREA'S MEDIAN. THAT TARGET ROSE TO 50 PERCENT BEFORE CLINTON LEFT OFFICE -- AND WAS PUSHED EVEN HIGHER IN THE BUSH YEARS. ….

http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/the_housing_menace_djbi0v0oAavvUVucvzuVcN#ixzz1EJjUB3Mk


The Democrats want to blame a lack of government oversight on the financial crisis, but as Ronald Reagan said in the 1980s “Government is not the solution. Government is the problem.”


From Pro-abortion to Pro Life

She is a former Planned Parenthood clinic director. She has a new book, with an important story.

….JOHNSON: THE DIFFERENCE IS THAT THE ABORTION INDUSTRY DESIRES TO HELP WOMEN IN THEIR TIME OF NEED AND CRISIS BY PROVIDING NOT ONLY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, BUT ABORTION SERVICES IF A WOMAN IS NOT READY, or not in a position financially or emotionally, or not stable enough to bring a child into her life. THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT HAS THE SAME DESIRE TO HELP WOMEN IN THEIR TIME OF NEED AND CRISIS BUT LOOKS BEYOND THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS OF THE WOMAN AND CONSIDERS THE LIFE OF THE CHILD and the woman’s family as well. The abortion industry provides a “quick fix” and focuses more on the immediate effects of the crisis, while the pro-life movement focuses on the long-term effects of the woman’s choice and the reality of what is best for the woman, rather than providing an “out.”…

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/260084/meet-abby-johnson-kathryn-jean-lopez


This is an interesting interview and seems to represent both sides of the debate well. I thought I would post it because it shows a respectful disagreement. It’s probably something we could use more of. I recommend reading it.