Politics, Palin, and Disharmony

Allegory of the Cave of the Mama Grizzly

I'm sure you all studied at one time in your lives Plato's Allegory of the Cave, but to refresh your memory: PRISONERS IN A DARK CAVE ARE FORCED BY THEIR BINDINGS TO LOOK ONLY STRAIGHT AHEAD TO THE WALL IN FRONT OF THEM, ON WHICH PUPPETEERS PROJECT IMAGES OF THINGS AND PEOPLE. THESE PROJECTIONS FORM THE ONLY REALITY THE PRISONERS KNOW. Only when a prisoner is released from his bonds does he see the sleight of hand -- the puppeteers and all their paraphernalia. As he climbs out of the cave into the bright sunlight he is temporarily blinded, his eyes having for so long been accustomed to the dark. The ex-prisoner is understandably frightened and bewildered by this new world. And he must learn to see what is around him without the puppeteers' filtering. But it is only then, after this uncomfortable journey into the bright and unfamiliar world around him, that the prisoner finally can think and understand, that he can appreciate what is real and true from that which is artificial and contrived.



In my view, THE MEDIA TARRING OF SARAH PALIN RESPECTING THE TUCSON TRAGEDY is an event which -- perhaps not this week, but soon enough -- WILL BE REMEMBERED FOR HAVING EXPOSED THE POLITICAL CLASS AND CULTURAL ELITES AS THE PUPPETEERS PROJECTING THEIR OWN IGNORANCE AND VIOLENT HATRED OF SARAH ONTO HER. Those who uncritically followed the media will come to see that they have spent too much time in the cave and need to get out into the sunshine and face some realities.

http://www.americanthinker.com/2011/01/allegory_of_the_cave_of_the_ma_1.html


This is a good article with a good allegory of the viciousness of the left wing media. Highly recommend you read this.

An anti-authority creed

America is a creedal nation and the creed is, as Robert Penn Warren wrote, the "burr under the metaphysical saddle of America." IT IS A RECURRING SOURCE OF NATIONAL INTROSPECTION, DISCONTENT, SELF-INDICTMENT AND PASSIONATE POLITICS. We are in the midst of a recurrence. …

…By the time Huntington's book appeared, AMERICAN HAD HAD FOUR OF WHAT HE CALLED "PERIODS OF CREEDAL PASSION" - the Revolutionary era (1770s), the Jacksonian era (the 1830s), the Progressive era (1900-20) and the 1960s. We are now in the fifth.

THE AMERICAN CREED'S VALUES ARE LIBERAL, as that term was understood until LIBERALISM SUCCUMBED TO 20TH-CENTURY STATISM. The values, expressing the 18th century's preoccupation with defending liberty against government, are, Huntington said, "INDIVIDUALISTIC, DEMOCRATIC, EGALITARIAN, AND HENCE BASICALLY ANTI-GOVERNMENT AND ANTI-AUTHORITY." The various values "unite in imposing limits on power and on the institutions of government. The essence of constitutionalism is the restraint of governmental power through fundamental law."….

….AMERICA IS AN INHERENTLY "DISHARMONIC SOCIETY" because the ideals of its creed are always imperfectly realized and always endangered. Government is necessary but, Huntington says, "the distinctive aspect of the American Creed is its anti-government character. Opposition to power and suspicion of government as the most dangerous embodiment of power are the central themes of American political thought."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/21/AR2011012106907.html


This is a very interesting piece about what the American’s experiment is all about.

Who’s advocating violence?

Glenn Beck has pulled back the curtain on this disgraceful specimen BY QUOTING HER ACCURATELY. No one has identified any statements he has made about Piven that are incorrect, or claims that he has in any way threatened her. Unlike Piven, Beck is a staunch opponent of political violence. But the mis-named Center for Constitutional Rights–another Orwellian touch–thinks there is such a thing as too much free speech. THEY WANT FOX NEWS TO SHUT BECK UP BECAUSE OF THE “SHEER QUANTITY” OF BECK’S REFERENCES TO PIVEN.

PIVEN WAS HEARTENED BY THE RECENT RIOTS IN GREECE AND ENGLAND and urged that radicals in America adopt them as a model:

[B]efore people can mobilize for collective action, they have to develop a proud and angry identity and a set of claims that go with that identity. THEY HAVE TO GO FROM BEING HURT AND ASHAMED TO BEING ANGRY AND INDIGNANT. [T]he out-of-work have to stop blaming themselves for their hard times and turn their anger on the bosses, the bureaucrats or the politicians who are in fact responsible.

An effective movement of the unemployed will have to look something like the strikes and riots that have spread across Greece in response to the austerity measures forced on the Greek government by the European Union, or like the student protests that recently spread with lightning speed across England in response to the prospect of greatly increased school fees.

AS MS. PIVEN UNDOUBTEDLY KNOWS, THE GREEK RIOTS HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY VIOLENT, AND SEVERAL PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MURDERED. That is the violence that she wants to see here in the United States.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2011/01/028190.php


So here we have a leftist advocating violence and the left wants to silence the person who is pointing out what they are saying. The left is a threat to freedom of speech and with their violence freedom of everything else as well.



Why we will miss Keith Olbermann

As John Tabin reports, KEITH OLBERMANN HAS BEEN CANNED. This after being temporarily suspended in November for making political campaign contributions to Democratic congressional candidates.

Olbermann's suspension in November was bogus. Say what you will about the man, HE NEVER HID HIS POLITICS. HE NEVER FEIGNED FAIRNESS OR BALANCE LIKE SO MANY OTHER BIG MEDIA BLOWHARDS DO.

To the contrary: Olbermann wore his rabid left-wing views on his sleeve. That, after all, is why MSNBC hired him.

It's not clear what now has precipitated Olbermann's sudden and surprise resignation. The Daily Beast's Howard Kurtz notes that Olbermann's "combative style put him increasingly at odds with his network bosses."

CONSERVATIVES ARE BOUND TO HAVE MIXED FEELINGS about Olbermann's departure.

On the one hand, many will be glad to see this pompous, angry windbag leave the airwaves. As National Review's Rich Lowry tweeted this evening: "WHO NOW WILL BE THERE TO LECTURE US ANGRILY AND HATEFULLY ABOUT THE NEED FOR CIVILITY?"

In fact, Olbermann was a left-wing hypocrite. He angrily denounced conservatives for their alleged sins while he himself committed flagrant crimes against fairness and the truth.

But that is precisely why conservatives are going to miss him: OLBERMANN WAS A USEFUL AND EFFECTIVE FOIL.

http://spectator.org/blog/2011/01/22/msnbc-shuffles-deck-chairs-as


Olbermann was a walking contradiction. The left’s hatred for Fox News, Shaun Hannity, Glen Beck, etc. was expressed consistently by Olbermann. And even while he spewed hatred, he called for others to do like him and leave the hatred behind.

George Allen to announce Senate bid Monday

Former Sen. George Allen will end weeks of speculation and formally declare his candidacy for U.S. Senate in Virginia on Monday, two Republican advisers tell POLITICO.

Allen, who has been making all the moves of a candidate in recent weeks, is expected to blast an e-mail to supporters with a video message before alerting the media.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/48027.html#ixzz1BxNmair6

And so it begins.

This cynical five-a-day myth: Nutrition expert claims we've all been duped

For a long time, I too was a believer. I was a vegetarian for 20 years. It is only after nearly two decades of my own research — I am a Cambridge graduate and currently studying for a PhD in nutrition —that I have changed my views.

THE MESSAGE THAT FRUIT AND VEG ARE PRETTY USELESS, NUTRITIONALLY, GRADUALLY DAWNED ON ME.

The facts are these. THERE ARE 13 VITAMINS AND FRUIT IS GOOD FOR ONE OF THEM, VITAMIN C.

Vegetables offer some vitamins — vitamin C and the vegetable form of the fat-soluble vitamins A and vitamin K1 — but YOUR BODY WILL BE ABLE TO ABSORB THESE ONLY IF YOU ADD SOME FAT, SUCH AS BUTTER OR OLIVE OIL.

The useful forms of A and K — ¬retinol and K2 respectively — are found only in animal foods. As FOR MINERALS, THERE ARE 16 AND FRUIT IS GOOD FOR ONE OF THEM, POTASSIUM, WHICH IS NOT A SUBSTANCE WE ARE OFTEN SHORT OF, AS IT IS FOUND IN WATER.

Vegetables can be OK for iron and calcium but the vitamins and minerals in animal foods (meat, fish, eggs and dairy products) beat those in fruit and vegetables hands down. There is far more vitamin A in liver than in an apple, for instance.

Among dieticians, FRUCTOSE IS KNOWN AS ‘THE FATTENING CARBOHYDRATE’. It is not metabolised by the body in the same way as glucose, which enters the bloodstream and has a chance to be used for energy before it heads to the liver.

FRUCTOSE GOES STRAIGHT TO THE LIVER AND IS STORED AS FAT. Very few -people understand or want to believe this biochemical fact.

Another argument that is often put forward by dieticians on behalf of fruit and vegetables is that they are ‘a source of antioxidants’.

They believe we need to have more ¬antioxidants in our diet to counteract the oxidants that damage the body’s cells, either as a result of normal metabolic processes or as a reaction to environmental chemicals and pollutants.

But I WOULD RATHER CONCENTRATE ON NOT PUTTING OXIDANTS SUCH AS SUGAR, PROCESSED FOOD, CIGARETTE SMOKE OR CHEMICALS INTO MY BODY.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1349960/5-day-fruit-vegetables-myth-claims-nutrition-expert.html#ixzz1BxRO9Y9r


This will come as a shock for vegans.

Jobs and other important things

Natural Born Job Killer

The new House majority INCURRED THE WRATH OF THE MEDIA BY REFUSING TO CHANGE THE NAME OF THE REPEAL BILL and ignoring their calls to "wait a bit longer" before bringing it up for a vote. In fact, the Republicans had the temerity to give the "REPEALING THE JOB-KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW ACT" pride of place in their vote schedule. This affront has inspired a spate of "news" stories claiming that the GOP has misled the public concerning Obamacare's effect on unemployment. The REPUBLICANS HAVE, ACCORDING TO THESE ARTICLES, MISREPRESENTED A CBO REPORT THAT SUGGESTS THE NEW LAW WILL ELIMINATE 650,000 JOBS. A typical example is an AP "fact check" piece that includes this priceless quote from economist Paul Fronstin: "CBO ISN'T SAYING THAT THERE IS JOB LOSS AS MUCH AS THEY ARE SAYING THAT FEWER PEOPLE WILL BE WORKING."

http://spectator.org/archives/2011/01/21/a-natural-born-job-killer

I put this one in my blog simply for the fact check quote. It is a gem.

Everything starts with repeal

Suppose someone - say, the president of United States - proposed the following: We are drowning in debt. More than $14 trillion right now. I'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA FOR DEFICIT REDUCTION. IT WILL YIELD A SAVINGS OF $230 BILLION OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS: We increase spending by $540 billion while we increase taxes by $770 billion.

HE'D BE LAUGHED OUT OF TOWN. And yet, this is precisely what the Democrats are claiming as a virtue of Obamacare. During the debate over Republican attempts to repeal it, ONE OF THE DEMOCRATS' MAJOR TALKING POINTS HAS BEEN THAT OBAMACARE REDUCES THE DEFICIT - AND THEREFORE REPEAL RAISES IT - BY $230 BILLION. Why, the Congressional Budget Office says exactly that.

Very true. And very convincing. Until you realize where that number comes from. Explains CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf in his "preliminary analysis of H.R. 2" (the Republican health-care repeal): "CBO anticipates that enacting H.R. 2 would probably yield, for the 2012-2021 period, a reduction in revenues in the neighborhood of $770 billion and a reduction in outlays in the vicinity of $540 billion."

As National Affairs editor Yuval Levin pointed out when mining this remarkable nugget, THIS IS A HELL OF A WAY TO DO DEFICIT REDUCTION: A RADICAL INCREASE IN SPENDING, TOPPED BY AN EVEN MORE RADICAL INCREASE IN TAXES.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/20/AR2011012003687.html


Krauthammer points out the idiocy of the left’s argument regarding not repealing healthcare because it will increase the deficit, but if goes right along with the argument the left used against extending the tax cuts for those making over $250,000 per year. The problem the Feds have is spending, not taxing.

House GOP begins long drive to dismantle Obamacare

Everyone knows House Republicans (along with three Democrats) voted Wednesday to repeal Obamacare. But fewer people know what those same House Republicans -- this time, with 14 Democrats -- did Thursday.

BY A VOTE OF 253 TO 175, THE GOP DIRECTED KEY HOUSE COMMITTEES TO REPORT ON WAYS TO LOWER HEALTH CARE PREMIUMS, ALLOW PATIENTS TO KEEP THEIR CURRENT HEALTH PLANS, INCREASE ACCESS TO COVERAGE FOR THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS, AND DECREASE THE PRICE OF MEDICAL LIABILITY lawsuits. In other words, the committees are beginning work on replacing the House-repealed Obamacare with Republican health policies.

Repeal got a lot of press coverage. Replacement got far less. If they needed any reminding, GOP lawmakers are learning that controlling the levers of power in the House doesn't mean controlling the media narrative on health care. "DEMOCRATS WANTED TO CHARACTERIZE REPEAL AS DRACONIAN, IGNORING THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE VERY, VERY POSITIVE ALTERNATIVES," says Rep. David Dreier, chairman of the House Rules Committee. "It's been difficult for us to get that [message] out there. We said repeal and replace, and we're in the process of replacing."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/01/house-gop-begins-long-slog-dismantle-obamacare#ixzz1BgOKxzfC


Repeal and replace will be a very attractive alternative to Obamacare, but you've probably not heard anything about the replace part.

Fighting the “Climate of Hate” Venezuelan Style

ANY VENEZUELANS who believe that President Hugo Chávez has committed a crime and resort to the Attorney General Office to seek prosecution of the Venezuelan president WILL GO FROM COMPLAINANT TO DEFENDANT, as provided for in two judgments issued by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ).

The Supreme Tribunal of Justice authorized the Public Prosecution Office, led by Luisa Ortega Díaz, to DISMISS TWO CASES FILED BY HENRY RAMOS ALLUP AND RAFAEL MARÍN, TWO LEADERS OF VENEZUELAN OPPOSITION PARTY ACCIÓN DEMOCRÁTICA (Democratic Action); and by retired Navy Vice Admiral Iván Carratú and retired Colonel Pedro Soto against Chávez. Additionally, THE TOP COURT "INSTRUCTED" THE PUBLIC PROSECUTION OFFICE TO "INITIATE A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AGAINST THE COMPLAINANTS."

http://english.eluniversal.com/2011/01/20/en_pol_esp_anyone-accusing-chav_20A5014571.shtml

This certainly will cut down on the negative language used against Hugo Chavez. This is how the rule of law becomes lawless.



Rep. Bishop takes heat over Breitbart videos about black farmers settlement

VIDEOS FEATURING TWO GEORGIA FARMERS THAT ARE BEING CIRCULATED ON THE WEB by conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart HINT THAT BISHOP, OF ALBANY, MAY HAVE KNOWN ABOUT POSSIBLE FRAUD IN LAST YEAR'S SO-CALLED "PIGFORD" SETTLEMENT between the government and black farmers who claimed that a Department of Agriculture farm loan program discriminated against them.

"I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE IMBIBING," BISHOP SAID of the two farmers after watching the videos. "I'm just perplexed and shocked."…..

…..In the new Breitbart videos, South Georgia farmers Eddie Slaughter and Willie Head complain that Bishop, who also is an African-American, did nothing when they asked him to investigate the Pigford settlement.

SLAUGHTER AND HEAD SAY THEY AND OTHER FARMERS SHOULD HAVE GOTTEN A BETTER DEAL, AND THAT MORE SETTLEMENT MONEY WENT TO LAWYERS AND PEOPLE WHO AREN'T FARMERS THAN TO THEM AND OTHER ACTIVE FARMERS

http://www.ajc.com/news/georgia-politics-elections/rep-bishop-takes-heat-810415.html

Perhaps this is worth a congressional investigation (not Bishop but the settlement).



Poll: Most Say Deal With Deficit Now

Most Americans believe the massive federal budget deficit is a very serious problem that will create hardships for future generations, according to a new CBS News/New York Times poll.

SIXTY-FOUR PERCENT SAY THEY ARE VERY CONCERNED THE DEFICIT WILL CREATE HARDSHIP IN THE FUTURE, AND ANOTHER 26 PERCENT ARE SOMEWHAT CONCERNED. Just eight percent say they are not concerned.

FIFTY-SIX PERCENT SAY THE DEFICIT NEEDS IMMEDIATE ACTION, while 38 percent say efforts to address the deficit can wait until the economy has improved. Republicans and independents were more likely to push to deal with the deficit now, while Democrats were more likely to say it can wait.

So how do Americans propose to address the deficit? BY CUTTING PROGRAMS, NOT RAISING TAXES. Sixty-two percent would prefer to cut programs from which they benefit, including 81 percent of Republicans. Just 29 percent want taxes raised, including 42 percent of Democrats.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20029119-503544.html

This isn’t news, but it does give you a measure of the dissatisfaction.

Criminalizing free speech by exploiting the Arizona tragedy

THE PROGRESSIVE ELITES ARE TIRED OF HAVING TO ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE CITIZENS ABOUT THEIR POLICIES. They feel that only they have the knowledge and power to make decisions for us. Questioning their policies is an act of rebellion that cannot be tolerated. CIVILITY MUST BE INTRODUCED WHICH MEANS POLITELY GOING ALONG WITH THE STATUS QUO ELITE'S AGENDA. Any strong disagreement about pending laws would be seen as hostility against these elected progressives.



REPRESENTATIVE BOB BRADLEY (D.-PA.) PLANS TO INTRODUCE A BILL TO CRIMINALIZE NOT ONLY LANGUAGE BUT ALSO IMAGERY SUCH AS THE CROSSHAIRS ON A MAP BY SARAH PALIN. The Democratic Council used the same imagery in 2004. The government subjectively will have power to decide who to prosecute or who to ignore. Freedom of speech protection would become arbitrary and capricious. This would never pass in present day America but shows their arrogance.



On a parallel front, other prominent progressives such as LOUISE SLAUGHTER (D.-N.Y.) AND JAMES CLYBURN (D.-S.C.) WANT TO GIVE THE FCC (FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION) THE POWER TO CONTROL THE NEWS THAT THE PUBLIC WOULD BE ALLOWED TO HEAR. They realize to be effective, state propaganda must silence the opposition, a necessary element of a government to totally control the populace.



Never let a crisis go to waste to silence the opposition and push your agenda. MOIRA LIASSON OF NPR HAS SUGGESTED THAT CALLING PEOPLE SOCIALISTS, FASCISTS OR COMMUNISTS ARE INCENDIARY TERMS THAT SHOULD BE REPRESSED TO HAVE CIVIL POLITICS. This is absurd since these are defined terms, and politicians refer to themselves using these words

http://www2.hernandotoday.com/content/2011/jan/20/202023/criminalizing-free-speech-by-exploiting-the-arizon/news-opinion-editorial/


Free speech is the keystone to democracy. The latest attacks upon it in the name of civility are truly frightening.


What government waste?

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA) IS TEACHING FARMERS HOW TO PARTICIPATE IN “CARBON MARKETS” DESPITE THE FACT THAT SUCH MARKETS DO NOT EXIST and Congress – in rejecting cap and trade legislation last year – has refused to create them.

DEPUTY SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE KATHLEEN MERRIGAN MADE THE ADMISSION AT THE WORLDWATCH INSTITUTE’S 2011 STATE OF WORLD SYMPOSIUM Wednesday, saying that one of the ways USDA was dealing with climate change was to teach American farmers how to participate in “carbon markets,” the technical term for a cap and trade program.


“[USDA] will show farmers clearly and directly how they can benefit from participating in carbon markets,” Merrigan said. “It’s got to go from the drawing board to the boardroom.”

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/federal-government-teaching-farmers-part

It appears the government has money to burn. Oops won’t that accelerate AGW?

More global warming news

THE COLDEST AIR OF THE WINTER SO FAR HAS ARRIVED OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND MIDWEST AND WILL CAUSE TEMPERATURES TO PLUMMET IN THE NORTHEAST IN THE WAKE OF TODAY'S DISRUPTIVE SNOWSTORM.

The wave of arctic air may lead to frozen pipes in some households and eventually broken water mains in some communities.

Furnaces and heaters will be working hard in coming days, and you will get the bill for it later in the month.

Actual temperatures may do no better than the single digits for highs today in Chicago and Milwaukee.

http://www.accuweather.com/blogs/news/story/44721/deep-freeze-gripping-midwest-a-1.asp

I posted this since the warmist claim cold weather is proof of global WARMING. Hmmmm.









Big new wind turbines too close together, says top boffin

A top American fluid-dynamics boffin says that NEW, LARGER WIND TURBINES NOW GOING INTO SERVICE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE PLACED MUCH FURTHER APART - which will have serious implications for the amount of energy produced by wind farms of the future.

The latest wind farms now going into service use huge turbines with rotor diameters in the 100m range, expected to offer large outputs. But according to engineering professor and fluid dynamics expert Charles Meneveau of Johns Hopkins University, there's a problem....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/21/wind_turbines_too_close_together/

Bigger apparently is not necessarily better.

Exceptionalism, Faith and Freedom: Palin’s America

….Palin is thus on firm ground when SHE LINKS “THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE ARE AN EXCEPTIONAL NATION” WITH THE OBSERVATION, MADE BY DE TOCQUEVILLE, THAT IN AMERICA “THE SPIRIT OF RELIGION AND THE SPIRIT OF FREEDOM [ARE] INTIMATELY UNITED.” “The Founders,” she declares, “deliberately and self-consciously constructed a government based on the belief that religion was at the root of the personal and public virtues necessary to sustain freedom.”

IN HER VIEW, WE ARE FREE AND EQUAL BECAUSE AS CHILDREN OF GOD WE HAVE AN INHERENT DIGNITY THAT IS INVIOLATE: “We are free as a consequence of being made in the image of God.” In statements like this, Palin brings together her argument for a certain form of politics (“to govern ourselves locally without waiting for any central authority to show us the way”), her claim of American exceptionalism (“we have managed to be, for the most part, the moral and upright people that our Founders hoped we would be”), her grounding of democracy in religion (the equality of men and women follows from their status as God’s children) and her admiration for Jefferson Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King and Frank Capra.

There is then a unity to the book, but it is not one Palin proclaims or works out discursively. Rather, the unity is conveyed by the quotations that carry the argument, long (sometimes two-page) quotations from an impressive variety of authors, quotations that are strong in isolation and even stronger when they are laid next to one another. THE BOOK IS REALLY AN ANTHOLOGY. The author does not present herself as controlling or magisterial; she gives her authorities space and then she gets out of the way. HER PERFORMANCE MIMES THE BOOK’S LESSON: RATHER THAN ACTING AS A CENTRAL AUTHORITY, SHE LETS INDIVIDUAL VOICES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES. Humility is not something Palin is usually credited with, but here she enacts it by yielding the stage as others proclaims the truths she wants us to carry away…..

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/17/exceptionalism-faith-and-freedom-palins-america/

Getting praise for her new book in the NY Times seemed to be quite a coup. The reviewer (Stanley Fish) is a man of the left, but a bit different than many on the left. Anyway I thought you might want to look at getting this book.

Cohen and the climate of hate

Cohen comments: How the rest of the world see them

IN WHAT HAS TO BE A LEADING CANDIDATE FOR THE MOST INFLAMMATORY, IGNORANT AND DOWNRIGHT OFFENSIVE POLITICAL STATEMENT OF THE YEAR, CONGRESSMAN STEVE COHEN (D-TN) compared Republican opposition to President Obama’s health care reforms to the tactics of Adolf Hitler’s henchman Joseph Goebbels and the genocidal regime in Nazi Germany. In A DEEPLY INSENSITIVE AND TASTELESS MANNER he also invoked the Holocaust to hammer home his point, in a speech to an almost empty House of Representatives on Tuesday evening, comments which have already drawn a sharp rebuke from the National Jewish Democratic Council. The video of the Congressman’s bizarre rant can be viewed here. CBS News Political Hotsheet has transcribed some of his remarks :

“They don’t like the truth so they summarily dismiss it. They say it’s a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like [Nazi propagandist Joseph] Goebbels. You say it enough, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, you repeat the lie, and eventually, people believe it. Like blood libel. That’s the same kind of thing.”

… “The Germans said enough about the Jews and the people believed it and you had the Holocaust. You tell a lie over and over again. And we’ve heard it on this floor: Government takeover of health care.”

There can be no doubt that IF A BRITISH POLITICIAN MADE THESE KINDS OF CHARGES in a similar context in the House of Commons THERE WOULD BE WIDESPREAD PUBLIC REVULSION OVER THE REMARKS AND IMMEDIATE CONDEMNATION FROM LEADERS ON ALL SIDES OF THE POLITICAL AISLE, AS WELL AS FROM THE PRESS. Yet the story has barely featured as a major news item in the US mainstream media with a couple of notable online exceptions, and ignored completely by pillars of the liberal establishment such as The New York Times. And as for the White House and the Democratic leadership, which has had a full day to respond to the comments, there has been complete silence.

…THE EXTREME REMARKS MADE BY ONE HIS OWN SUPPORTERS, WHOM NANCY PELOSI IRONICALLY DESCRIBED AS THE “CONSCIENCE OF THE FRESHMAN CLASS” BACK IN 2008. Congressman Cohen’s hate-filled statements represent a new low for American political discourse, and so far America’s liberal elites have been strikingly reticent in denouncing them

.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/nilegardiner/100072674/democratic-congressman%E2%80%99s-comparison-of-republicans-with-nazis-is-met-with-thunderous-silence-from-president-obama-and-americas-liberal-elites/


Conscience of the Democrat’s freshman class? No wonder they lost so many seats.

Cohen denies comparing GOP to Nazis

DEMOCRATIC REP. STEVE COHEN (TENN.) CLAIMED WEDNESDAY THAT HE DID NOT COMPARE REPUBLICANS TO NAZIS during a floor speech this week, BUT REITERATED MANY OF THE SAME POINTS HE MADE IN THAT SPEECH.

In his first television interview since his Tuesday-night speech, Cohen said he does not think most "reasonable people" would construe his words as a direct comparison between Nazis and the GOP.

But HE MAINTAINED THAT REPUBLICAN RHETORICAL TACTICS DURING THE HEALTHCARE DEBATE HAVE RESEMBLED NAZI PROPAGANDA.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/139007-democratic-lawmaker-i-did-not-compare-republicans-to-nazis


This reminds me of the old saying, "I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but what you heard is not what I meant." The other saying that comes to mind is “Are you going to believe me (Cohen) or your lying ears (normally eyes).”

Was Obama only kidding about civility?

REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TENN) IS REFUSING TO APOLOGIZE FOR HIS WORDS ON THE HOUSE FLOOR likening GOP opponents of ObamaCare to Geobbels, and invoking the Holocaust. So far, NEITHER ROBERT GIBBS NOR PRESIDENT OBAMA HAS COMMENTED ON THIS OBVIOUS SLAP IN THE FACE TO THE PRESIDENT'S CALL FOR CIVILITY. This would seem to be an obvious opportunity for the President to triangulate and win over independents - a Sistah Souljah moment. But is he willing to antagonize an ObamaCare supporter?

Meanwhile, even liberal Jewish groups that support Obama are condemning Cohen's words. JTA reports:

"THE NATIONAL JEWISH DEMOCRATIC COUNCIL CRITICIZES THE COMMENTS OF REPRESENTATIVE STEVE COHEN (D-Tenn.), which compared Republicans to the Nazis and unfortunately reintroduced the Holocaust into the health care debate," said the umbrella body for Jewish Democrats. "As we have said repeatedly, INVOKING THE HOLOCAUST TO MAKE A POLITICAL POINT IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE -- on either side of the aisle."

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/01/was_obama_just_kidding_about_c.html

Let’s see, Palin was wrong to have targeted Gabrielle Giffords’ district and even worse she defended herself. Now we have a Democrat making charges against the Republicans and evoking Goebbels and the Nazis and he sees no problem with it. We are getting dangerously close to hypocrisy.



Anderson Cooper takes Steve Cohen to the woodshed over Nazis/Goebbels remarks

He’s not going to be giving the keynote speech at a Tea Party convention anytime soon. But he DID GO TO BAT FOR THE REPUBLICAN PARTY AT A TIME WHEN A LOT OF MEDIA PERSONALITIES ARE CALLING FOR LOWER-VOLUME POLITICAL DISCOURSE.

On Wednesday night during his “KEEPING THEM HONEST” SEGMENT, CNN “AC360” anchor Anderson Cooper TOOK ON TENNESSEE DEMOCRATIC REP. STEVE COHEN, who had compared Republicans to Nazis in a debate about the repeal of Obamacare on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Cooper offered his thoughts and fired these questions at Cohen:

• Representative Cohen, how can you think that it’s appropriate for a member of Congress on the floor of the House to COMPARE THE STATEMENTS MADE BY REPUBLICANS ABOUT HEALTH CARE TO LIES ABOUT JEWS TOLD BY JOSEPH GOEBBELS AND OTHER NAZIS? HOW IS IT APPROPRIATE?

• IF YOU WEREN’T TRYING TO COMPARE THEM TO NAZIS, YOU WOULDN’T HAVE MENTIONED NAZIS. I mean, you said their statements on health care are the same kind of lies that Nazis told….

http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/20/keeping-the-honest-anderson-cooper-takes-steve-cohen-to-the-woodshed-over-nazisgoebbels-remarks/#ixzz1BbUyJ5Yk

This Cohen thing is a big deal. The President asks to tone things down and a star from the Democrats libel Republicans by calling them Nazis.

Report Card on Obama's First Two Years

Two years ago today, Barack Obama was inaugurated as president of the United States. ARE YOU BETTER OFF TODAY THAN YOU WERE TWO YEARS AGO?

And interesting collection of statistics. The ones I found most revealing are:


The number of unemployed Up 24.7%


The number on food stamps Up 35.1%


The National Debt Up 32.1%


The last one is unbelievable. In only two years Obama has increase the debt by almost a third.


Todd: Obama’s approval soaring

Five days ahead of his State of the Union address, President Obama has rising support, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. The President’s approval ratings is now at 53 percent, an eight point jump in one month and the highest ratings for the president since July 2009.

NBC News’ Chuck Todd says President Obama is getting a boost from several factors, including a general sense of optimism among Americans. The poll asked “Will the Economy Get Better or Worse in the Next Year?” 40 percent said better, 17 percent said worse. The “better” answer jumping from just 32 percent in December.

http://www.mediaite.com/tv/nbc-news-marks-obamas-first-two-years-in-office-with-soaring-approval-ratings/

This is one of those facts that must be greeted with AMBIVALENCE BY THE LEFT. Obama’s approval has certainly gone up, but only after he started to sound conciliatory and made a deal to extend the Bush tax cuts. It’s kind of like the mixed emotions the guy who watched his mother in law drive over a cliff in his brand new Cadillac.



To the Rescue: Spending cuts from the GOP

A number of the House GOP’s leading conservative members on Thursday will announce legislation that WOULD CUT $2.5 TRILLION OVER 10 YEARS, which will be by far the most ambitious and far-reaching proposal by the new majority to cut federal government spending.

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, will unveil the bill in a speech at the Heritage Foundation on Thursday morning.

Jordan’s bill, which will have a companion bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republican, would IMPOSE DEEP AND BROAD CUTS ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. IT INCLUDES BOTH BUDGET-WIDE CUTS ON NON-DEFENSE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING BACK TO 2006 LEVELS and proposes the elimination or drastic reduction of more than 50 government programs.

http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/20/house-gop-conservatives-set-to-unveil-2-5-trillion-in-deep-spending-cuts/#ixzz1Ba4VV373


At last, we are seeing some sanity in Washington. After a four year orgy of spending by the Democrats, the Republicans appear to be looking to give us “real change we can believe in.”



Hubris heading for a fall

It takes a worried man to sing a worried song, and in a recent speech that seemed like Larry Summers's swan song, the president's now-departed economic adviser WARNED THAT AMERICA IS "AT RISK OF A PROFOUND DEMORALIZATION WITH RESPECT TO GOVERNMENT." He fears a future in which "AN INADEQUATELY RESOURCED GOVERNMENT PERFORMS BADLY, LEADING TO FURTHER DEMANDS THAT IT BE CUT BACK, EXACERBATING PERFORMANCE PROBLEMS, DEEPENING THE BACKLASH, AND CREATING A VICIOUS CYCLE."

The idea that America's problem of governance is one of inadequate resources misses this lesson of the last half-century: NO AMOUNT OF RESOURCES CAN PREVENT GOVERNMENT FROM PERFORMING POORLY when it tries to perform too many tasks, or particular tasks for which it is inherently unsuited.

Actually, GOVERNMENT IS NOT SUFFICIENTLY DEMORALIZED. The hubris that is the occupational hazard and defining trait of the POLITICAL CLASS CONTINUES TO CAUSE GOVERNMENT TO OVERPROMISE AND UNDERPERFORM. This class blithely considers itself exempt from the tyranny of the bell-shaped curve - the fact that in most occupations a few people are excellent, a few are awful, and most are average.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/19/AR2011011905000.html

I love this column. Will hits the nail on the head with this one.



The clash between the left and the right

There was once a time in this country when you could make a movie, or write a book or any essay, DEPICTING YOUR CULTURAL AND POLITICAL ENEMIES AS SUBHUMAN AND WORTHY OF DESTRUCTION. And this was a very healthy thing. Such works of art could provide a catharsis for the audience, letting them express their revulsion at their enemy vicariously. CATHARSIS is a basic idea that goes back at least to the Greeks, and our post-Tucson attempts TO CENSOR OURSELVES WILL ONLY CAUSE MORE PROBLEMS. Because let’s face it: LIBERALS THINK THAT CONSERVATIVES ARE SUBHUMAN, AND CONSERVATIVES THINK THAT LIBERALS ARE UTOPIAN, BABY-KILLING DESPOTS. Pretending otherwise will just prolong the inevitable clash that can only be resolved with one side winning the debate. And part of that debate means giving vent to just how much the two sides hate each other. THIS CAN BE DONE CRUDELY — I.E. KEITH OLBERMANN’S TANTRUMS — or artistically, with fictionalized characters and dramatic panache. But pretending the hate is not there, and that catharsis cannot help us deal with it, is like treating a boil with a band-aid.

 

http://dailycaller.com/2011/01/19/chris-matthews-marked-for-death/#ixzz1Ba8HrW5f


A very interesting point of view with so many deploring the vitriol in politics today. Most of the people who condemn the level of vitriol don’t have a very good grasp of history. What makes America so great is that we argue our differences freely and then use the ballot to settle them. The argument right now by those on the left is they fear the vitriol will lead to violence. The fact that it hasn’t happened doesn’t seem to stop their missive, “what if?” And once again the solution they seem to be pointing to is more likely to cause problem than to calm things down. The law of unintended consequences it alive and well, but the left fails to recognize that it even exists.

Senate map shrinks for Democrats in 2012

North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad's retirement plans underscore a big problem for Democrats in 2012 and beyond. Farm Belt and Southern voters who prefer a Republican president but have often backed moderate Democrats for Congress seem increasingly inclined to vote GOP in all federal races.

Republicans rejoiced at Conrad's announcement this week, convinced they can win the open seat in 2012 and hold it for years to come. They see it as a replay of last fall's North Dakota election, in which Republican John Hoeven easily won the Senate seat vacated after 18 years by Democrat Byron Dorgan.

They also point to neighboring South Dakota. After Republican John Thune narrowly defeated Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle in 2004, Democrats didn't even bother last year to oppose Thune's re-election. Republicans feel they can hold the seat for many years, and they are eyeing South Dakota's other Senate seat, now held by Democrat Tim Johnson.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_farm_belt_replay

Not good news in a year the Democrats will have 23 seats up for grabs while the Republicans will have 10. And the Republicans need to win only 14 of the 33 seats (42%) to take control of the Senate. If they win 50% they will have 53 seats and if they win 62% like they did this year, they will hold 57 seats in the Senate.


Here’s a brief article on the current state of the 23 democrats and 10 republican seats that are up for grabs in 2012. The Republicans have only 10 seats up of which 2 are vulnerable (20%). The Democrats have 23 seats up for grabs of which 13 are vulnerable (57%).

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/01/20/assessing_the_2012_senate_battlefield_108599.html


Disparaging the intellect of Conservatives: The 30th anniversary

On the 30th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s inaugural address, David Davis, a Tory member of Parliament, praises the Gipper in the Wall Street Journal‘s European edition:

When the 69-year-old Reagan became president, he encountered A BARRAGE OF INTELLECTUAL SNOBBERY FROM THE EUROPEAN AND EAST COAST ESTABLISHMENTS. The then British ambassador to the U.S., Sir Nicholas Henderson, opined that “Reagan believes there are simple answers to complex problems. THE MAIN WORRY IS NOT JUST AGE, BUT WHETHER HE POSSESSES THE MENTAL VITALITY AND POLITICAL VISION NECESSARY.”

BUT REAGAN PROVED THEM ALL WRONG. He became the first Cold War president to serve two terms without becoming involved in a major armed conflict, despite it being an extraordinarily unstable and volatile period in world history.

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/257563/across-pond-robert-costa


And his leadership led to the longest period of peacetime economic expansion up til then, the fall of Communism, and a tax reform making the tax code simpler and better. Up until his presidency, inflation was the government’s friend as everyone was being put in higher brackets due to inflation. Reagan remedied that. But the Democrats seem to be caught in their 1980s playbook. Disparage the intelligence of any Republican who runs against any Democrat.

Palinphobia: Why Sarah Palin Drives Them Wild

If she grants interviews to Oprah or Barbara Walters, she’s accused of wanting to be a celebrity. If she denies those interviews, she’s labeled a coward.

If she’s quiet when viciously attacked, she’s accused of hiding. If she speaks up, she’s described as injecting herself into the story.

If she addresses health care reform, bailouts, and QE2 via columns, Facebook, and Twitter, she’s accused of not engaging in unscripted conversations. In 2008, she was criticized by many for calling it like she saw it and going off script at campaign events.


When she resigned as Governor, she was labeled a quitter. I assure you that if she hadn’t resigned, she would have been painted by many as a self-centered hypocrite who didn’t care about Alaska. They would have argued that she prioritized the preservation of her political future over the fact that frivolous ethics charges against her were draining the resources of the governor’s office.


The truth? MANY ON THE LEFT AND RIGHT ARE READY AND WILLING TO POUNCE ON SARAH PALIN’S EVERY MOVE. The question is why. And the answer is simple.


She’s just a regular person like you and me. But she’s a regular person who has managed to pack convention halls and book signings, to release two bestselling books, to launch a successful and unconventional television series, to boost the ratings of every television show she has appeared on – and SHE HAS DONE IT ALL JUST BY BEING HERSELF. NO HELP FROM THE GOP ESTABLISHMENT, NO HELP FROM THE MEDIA ELITE, and no help from any you-do-for-me-I-do-for-you deals with big shots. TO TOP IT ALL OFF, SHE’S – HEAVEN FORBID – HAPPY.


The worst part for the elites? While running a city and a state, SHE MANAGED TO KEEP HER VALUES INTACT. She sustained a successful marriage and prioritized her children. She kept smiling and loving life. She even made time for those 5 a.m. runs.


TO THE BUSINESS-AS-USUAL POLITICIAN AND/OR MEDIA HACK, SHE’S SIMPLY MADDENING. So, they respond by saying SHE’S NOT SMART ENOUGH. (TRANSLATION: SHE DOESN’T SPEAK OUR PRETENTIOUS LANGUAGE.) Or they claim she’s too controversial. (Translation: She stands by principle, even when it’s unpopular.) Or they declare she’s not presidential. (Translation: She doesn’t play by our rules, and that scares the crap out of us.) Or they insist that her TV series proves she’s not a serious politician. (Translation: If she pulls a Reagan, we’re screwed. And why didn’t I get offered a TLC show?)


PALIN’S WORK ETHIC, RECORD OF ACHIEVEMENT, AND COMMITMENT TO PRINCIPLE INSPIRE MANY AMBITIOUS AMERICANS. Because they get that she’s not a superhero, but a hard worker. And if she can do it, so can they.


But to the insecure, to those who feel the need to tear you down in order to lift themselves up, Palin is an absolute nightmare….

http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=41284


An excellent article. I especially like the part about her not being smart enough and the translation. As I’ve said many time, she scares the devil out of the left and the establishment right. I like her.



Why is this story a bunch of junk?

2010 was the warmest year since global temperature records began in 1850 - although margins of uncertainty make it a statistical tie with 1998 and 2005.

The WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANIZATION (WMO) CONCLUDES 2010 WAS 0.53C WARMER THAN THE AVERAGE FOR THE PERIOD 1961-90 - A PERIOD COMMONLY USED AS A BASELINE.

The 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1998, it notes.

The WMO analysis combines data from three leading research agencies, and is regarded as the most authoritative.

The three records are maintained by the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) and National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), and jointly in the UK by the Hadley Centre and the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU).

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12241692


Here’s the answer as to why this story is a bunch of junk. Suppose you were a school teacher who figure out that the current class you have has the best average grades ever. But then you find out someone hacked into the school computer and lowered the grades of previous classes and raised the lowest grades in this class giving them the average of the C students. That’s basically what’s been going on. GISS has been lowering earlier temperatures even while they’ve taken out the temperatures at the poles and substituted temperatures from as far as 800 miles away (warmer). And even with all these adjustments we are talking about 2010 being .018 degree on average warmer. This isn’t just nonsense, it borders on fraud.




Democrats try to curb Cuccinelli's powers

DEMOCRATS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ARE TRYING TO CURB THE POWER OF THE STATE'S ATTORNEY GENERAL TO SUBPOENA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN AN EFFORT INTENDED TO LIMIT INQUIRIES like the one Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli II is conducting at the University of Virginia.

Under a 2002 statute designed to catch government employees defrauding the public of tax dollars, Cuccinelli (R) has demanded that the university turn over documents and e-mails related to the work of Michael Mann, a former university climate scientist whose research showed that the Earth has been warming.

Cuccinelli has said he wants the documents, including grant applications and e-mails exchanged between Mann and 39 other scientists and university staffers, TO HELP DETERMINE WHETHER MANN COMMITTED FRAUD BY KNOWINGLY SKEWING DATA AS HE SOUGHT PUBLICLY FUNDED GRANTS FOR HIS RESEARCH.

Cuccinelli's demand has pleased conservatives, who say that global warming is a hoax, but has OUTRAGED MANY ACADEMICS, WHO SAY HE IS SMEARING AN HONEST RESEARCHER BECAUSE HE DOES NOT APPROVE OF HIS FINDINGS.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/18/AR2011011806201.html

Now if this was just an attempt to smear an honest researcher, wouldn’t the best way to overcome it to simply give Cuccinelli the documents and prove him wrong?

Healthcare and civility

House Passes Repeal of Healthcare

HOUSE REPUBLICANS PASSED A BILL TO REPEAL PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S HEALTH CARE PLAN Wednesday, taking their first major step toward rolling back the massive overhaul that has dominated the American political landscape for almost two years.

THE VOTE WAS 245 TO 189, AND UNANIMOUS GOP SUPPORT GAVE THE VOTE THE SAME PARTISAN FEEL OF THE MARCH VOTE TO PASS THE LAW, underscoring once again the hardened political lines of the health care debate. Only three Democrats backed the repeal, a smaller number than Republicans had once predicted.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0111/47831.html#ixzz1BZQStlHx

A partisan vote to be sure, but the repeal passed by much more than the original bill passed by.  The reason for this is that the Democrats knew voting for it would hurt moderate democrats and Pelosi let some vote against it.  Evidently voting for repeal will not hurt Republicans.

Democrat show his civility: Compares Republicans to Nazis

The newfound civility didn’t last long. POLITICAL RHETORIC IN CONGRESS DOESN’T GET MUCH NASTIER than the words of one House Democrat during the debate on repealing the health care law.


In an extraordinary outburst on the House floor, REP. STEVE COHEN (D-TN) INVOKED THE HOLOCAUST TO ATTACK REPUBLICANS ON HEALTH CARE and compared rhetoric on the issue to the work of infamous Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels.

“They say it's a government takeover of health care, a big lie just like Goebbels," Cohen said. "YOU SAY IT ENOUGH, YOU REPEAT THE LIE, YOU REPEAT THE LIE, AND EVENTUALLY, PEOPLE BELIEVE IT. LIKE BLOOD LIBEL. That's the same kind of thing. And Congressman Cohen didn’t stop there.

The Germans said enough about the Jews and people believed it--believed it and you have the Holocaust. We heard on this floor, government takeover of health care. Politifact said the biggest lie of 2010 was a government takeover of health care because there is no government takeover," Cohen said.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/01/abc-news-jonathan-karl-reports-the-newfound-civility-didnt-last-long-political-rhetoric-in-congress-doesnt-get-much.html


Blood libel anyone? How absolutely irresponsible and just plain stupid. I guess Cohen is going for the Grayson award for outrageous speech.



Sheila Jackson Lee Says Repealing ObamaCare Violates Constitution

Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democrat from Texas, said on Tuesday afternoon that repealing the national health care law would violate the Constitution.

Arguing that the Commerce Clause provides the constitutional basis for ObamaCare, Jackson Lee said repealing the law by passing Republicans' H.R. 2 VIOLATES BOTH THE FIFTH AMENDMENT'S RIGHT TO DUE PROCESS AND THE FOURTEENTH AMENDMENT'S EQUAL PROTECTION CLAUSE.

“The Fifth Amendment speaks specifically to denying someone their life and liberty without due process," she said in a speech on the House floor moments ago. "That is what H.R. 2 does and I rise in opposition to it. And I rise in opposition because it is important that we preserve lives and we recognize that 40 million-plus are uninsured

http://spectator.org/blog/2011/01/18/shelia-jackson-lee-says-repeal


The more I heard from Congresswoman Lee, the more I think we need to go beyond reading the Constitution to actually having classes on it for our Congress people. Unless I’m reading this wrong, it appears Ms. Lee is calling for Obamacare to take the 5th. One of the comments on this story said: “I'm a lawyer and reading that "analysis" made me nauseous. Never has so much stupidity been put into so few words.”

Two thirds of Doctors Surveyed see a decline in quality of care under Obamacare

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. doctors surveyed fear healthcare reform could worsen care for patients, by flooding their offices and hurting income, according to a Thomson Reuters survey released Tuesday.

The SURVEY OF MORE THAN 2,900 DOCTORS found many predict the legislation will force them to work harder for less money.

"WHEN ASKED ABOUT THE QUALITY OF HEALTHCARE IN THE U.S. OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, 65 PERCENT OF THE DOCTORS BELIEVED IT WOULD DETERIORATE WITH ONLY 18 PERCENT PREDICTING IT WOULD IMPROVE," Thomson Reuters, parent company of Reuters, said in a statement.

http://www.cnbc.com/id/41149280/

Perhaps Rep Cohen should read this before he libels Repubicans.

The answer that no one wants to take seriously: the debt ceiling

For months, some political leaders and commentators have argued that failure to raise the debt ceiling would necessarily cause the U.S. to default on its debt. President Obama's Council of Economic Advisors chairman, Austan Goolsbee, recently warned, "If we get to the point where you've damaged the full faith and credit of the United States,that would be the first default in history caused purely by insanity. I don't see why anybody's talking about playing chicken with the debt ceiling."


In fact, IF CONGRESS REFUSES TO RAISE THE DEBT CEILING, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WILL STILL HAVE FAR MORE THAN ENOUGH MONEY TO FULLY SERVICE OUR DEBT. Next year, for instance, about 6.5% of all projected federal government expenditures will go to interest on our debt, and tax revenue is projected to cover about 67% of all government expenditures. WITH ROUGHLY 10 TIMES MORE INCOME THAN NEEDED TO HONOR OUR DEBT OBLIGATIONS, WHY WOULD WE EVER DEFAULT?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954004576089963912388314.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop


This is the dirty little secret no one wants to public to know about. If we didn’t raise the debt ceiling government would have to cut spending by 33%. That would be a very difficult cut to take, but in the last three years, government has increased spending by 30%. Maybe it isn’t so ominous after all.  It also explains why the Republicans will have a lot of leverage with Obama.  Obama and the Republicans know that failure to raise the debt ceiling will not cause a default.

The gathering storm

Illinois is caught in a trap of its own making, agreeing with unions (the Democrat base) to pay EXORBITANT AMOUNTS OF RETIREMENT AND HEALTH BENEFITS TO PUBLIC EMPLOYEES THE STATE CANNOT AFFORD. Governors in nearby states are inviting Illinois residents and businesses to move from Illinois. No doubt many will accept those invitations, taking their money and their jobs with them.


States that have had enough have Republican governors who are committed to reducing spending and taxes.


In his State of the State address last week, INDIANA REPUBLICAN GOV. MITCH DANIELS PROPERLY TOOK CREDIT FOR POLICIES THAT HAVE PLACED HIS STATE AMONG THE FINANCIALLY STRONGEST IN THE NATION: the lowest property taxes in the country and matching spending to income by eliminating "nice to do" programs, focusing instead on "must do" ones.


Daniels noted, "Elsewhere state government payrolls have grown, but here, we have the nation's FEWEST STATE EMPLOYEES PER CAPITA, fewer than we did in 1978."


He said that during the current recession "AT LEAST 35 STATES RAISED TAXES, BUT INDIANA CUT THEM. Since '04, the other 49 states added to their debt, by 40 percent; WE PAID OURS DOWN BY 40 PERCENT." Other states went into the red, he said, but in Indiana "our savings account remains strong, and our credit AAA."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/01/tale-two-parties-and-their-priorities#ixzz1BWLG7Y95


You will be reading about this more and more in the next 21 months. This, along with healthcare are the issues that will determine the 2012 election.

'I WISH I COULD'

 Just as a new report details how state-run media networks have used the Arizona shootings to attack conservative voices (by an eight-to-one ratio), ONE LIBERAL HATE-TALKER HAS DECIDED TO DOUBLE-DOWN ON HIS NOTORIOUSLY-EXTREME RHETORIC.

Syndicated/ XM-Sirius Satellite-based MIKE MALLOY, no stranger to Radio Equalizer readers, spent part of last night's show defending his violence fantasies and even REVEALED A NEW ONE: A DESIRE TO CHOKE RUSH LIMBAUGH TO DEATH.

In the past, Malloy's "fantasies" have targeted Dana Perino, Matt Drudge, Dick Cheney and many others. As conservative hosts have come under fire by left-wing media outlets over the past week, Bill O'Reilly and others have called attention to Malloy's greatest hits, leading to Mike's on-air "explanation

http://radioequalizer.blogspot.com//

Malloy is a poster child for “hate radio.” Here are a couple of his tirades.

I HAVE A GOOD NEWS TO REPORT; GLEN BECK APPEARS CLOSER TO SUICIDE - I'M HOPING THAT HE DOES IT ON CAMERA; suicide is rampant in his family, and given his alcoholism and his tendencies towards self-destruction, I AM ONLY HOPING THAT WHEN GLEN BECK DOES PUT A GUN TO HIS HEAD AND PULLS THE TRIGGER, THAT IT WILL BE ON TELEVISION, because somebody will capture it on YouTube and it will be the most popular video for months. -- Mike Malloy



THE REAL INTERNAL TERRORISTS ARE THE REPUBLICANS, I mean, isn't that clear? RUSH LIMBAUGH IS A BIGGER THREAT TO THIS COUNTRY THAN OSAMA BIN LADEN. He's a bigger threat than anybody that the CIA can invent. He's a bigger threat than any terrorist that ever leveled its sights against the United States, Limbaugh is, SO WHY ISN'T HE ARRESTED AND SENTENCED FOR TREASON?... -- Mike Malloy



Why We're a Divided Nation

By Walter Williams

Some Americans have strong, sometimes unyielding preferences for Mac computers, while most others have similarly strong preferences for PCs and wouldn't be caught dead using a Mac. Some Americans love classical music and hate rock and roll. Others have opposite preferences, loving rock and roll and consider classical music as hoity-toity junk……WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD OF ROCK AND ROLL LOVERS IN CONFLICT WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC LOVERS, or Mac lovers in conflict with PC lovers, or football lovers in conflict with golf lovers? IT SELDOM IF EVER HAPPENS. When there's market allocation of resources and peaceable, voluntary exchange, people have their preferences satisfied and are able to live in peace with one another.

Think what might be the case if it were a political decision of whether there'd be football or golf watched on TV, whether we used Macs or PCs and whether we listened to classical music or rock and roll. EVERYONE HAD TO COMPLY WITH THE POLITICALLY MADE DECISION OR SUFFER THE PAIN OF FINES OR IMPRISONMENT. Football lovers would be lined up against golf lovers, Mac lovers against PC lovers and rock and rollers against classical music lovers. PEOPLE WHO PREVIOUSLY LIVED IN PEACE WITH ONE ANOTHER WOULD NOW BE IN CONFLICT…..

….The best thing the president and Congress can do to reduce the potential for conflict and violence is REDUCE THE IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT ON OUR LIVES. Doing so will not only produce a less-divided country and greater economic efficiency, but greater faith and allegiance to the vision of America held by our founders — a country of limited government. Our founders, in the words of Thomas Paine, recognized that, "GOVERNMENT, EVEN IN ITS BEST STATE, IS BUT A NECESSARY EVIL; IN ITS WORST STATE, AN INTOLERABLE ONE."

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/williamns011911.php3?printer_friendly

It amazing how simple this solution is and how intolerable it is to those on the left.

AGW is dead: warmists answer, change the definition of alive

What Eschenbach says is so pure and simple and obvious you’d need to be as dumb as Chris Huhne not to get it:

THE THEORY LINKING MAN-MADE CO2 WITH DANGEROUS GLOBAL WARMING IS DEAD. It has been falsified. It has run smack bang into a “null hypothesis.” It has met its Waterloo. It has bought the farm. It has gone for a Burton. It has cashed in its chips, fallen off its perch, gone south, gone west, shuffled off this mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the Choir Invisible. MAN-MADE GLOBAL WARMING HAS CEASED TO EXIST…..

… What Eschenbach focuses on, though, is TRENBERTH’S ABSURD DEMAND that THE “NULL HYPOTHESIS” ON AGW THEORY BE REVERSED. That is, instead of having to prove AGW exists, what PEOPLE SHOULD NOW BE REQUIRED TO PROVE THAT IT DOESN’T EXIST. (!)….

…. The reason for this is that “Climate Change” has long since abandoned any connection it had now with actual science. IT IS AN IDEOLOGY. A RELIGION. A PSYCHOPATHOLOGY....

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100072360/warmists-we-cant-win-the-game-so-lets-change-the-rules/


Watching what is going on is like watching Bret Farve this past year for Minnesota. At one time he was great. Now he’s a shadow of his former self. Trenberth and the other high priests of AGW now preach a pathetic doctrine and try to back it up with fraudulent data. It is sad.

What's really going on now

What Obama has learned from W

President Obama has “learned from experience” that some of the Bush administration’s decisions on terrorism issues were necessary, according to former Vice President Dick Cheney.

In his first interview since undergoing major heart surgery last July, Cheney said he thinks OBAMA HAS BEEN FORCED TO RETHINK SOME OF HIS NATIONAL SECURITY POSITIONS now that he sits in the Oval Office.

“I THINK HE’S LEARNED THAT WHAT WE DID WAS FAR MORE APPROPRIATE THAN HE EVER GAVE US CREDIT FOR WHILE HE WAS A CANDIDATE. So I think he’s learned from experience. And part of that experience was the Democrats having a terrible showing last election.”

Cheney also asserted that Obama has learned that the prison at Guantanamo Bay simply cannot be closed, despite the promises he made while campaigning for the White House.

“I THINK HE’S LEARNED THAT HE’S NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CLOSE GUANTANAMO,” Cheney said. “That it’s — if you didn’t have it, you’d have to create one like that. You’ve got to have some place to put terrorists who are combatants who are bound and determined to try to kill Americans

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/138341-cheney-obama-has-learned-from-experience-that-bush-moves-were-necessary


With all the talk about civility, this is one area where there is a lot of civility between Obama and the right. The left isn’t complaining too loudly, but the right actually supports the policies that Obama has kept.

House Dem calls for 'beefed up' security, special treatment for members by TSA

A top House Democrat said the attack on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) should change how members of Congress are screened at airports.


“I really believe that that is the place where we feel the most ill at ease, is going through airports,” Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), who serves as assistant minority leader in the House, said on "Fox News Sunday."

Clyburn called for the Transportation Security Administration, which administers airport security checkpoints, to interact “a little better” with the Capitol Hill Police.


“WE’VE HAD SOME INCIDENTS WHERE TSA AUTHORITIES THINK THAT CONGRESSPEOPLE SHOULD BE TREATED LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE,” he said. “Well, the fact of the matter is, we are held to a higher standard in so many other areas, and I think we need to take a hard look at exactly how the TSA interact with members of Congress.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/136849-house-dem-calls-for-beefed-up-security-special-treatment-by-tsa


I can’t believe he actually said that. In fact, congressmen and women should be treated like everyone else because they need to experience what all of us experience. After all, they have the power to change the way we are treated.



Endangered Dems sound alarms about redistricting

While most Democratic lawmakers are staying quiet about the looming threat that congressional redistricting poses to their seats, a FEW ARE SOUNDING ALARM BELLS AND ASKING VOTERS FOR HELP KEEPING THEIR JOBS.

One Massachusetts lawmaker has already announced his intention to run again, and at least one New York representative is signaling a readiness to fight. But Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is making the most noise as he enters his eighth term by actively shopping around for a new district.

"I will not wait until a new Ohio map is produced to begin this crucial discussion of the consequences of congressional redistricting," Kucinich, who was first elected in 1996, wrote in an e-mail to his constituents last month, exhorting them to weigh in with suggestions and advice. "THE QUESTION WILL NOT BE: WHO IS MY OPPONENT? THE QUESTION WILL BE: WHERE IS MY DISTRICT? SERIOUSLY."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/news/2011/01/endangered-dems-sound-alarms-about-redistricting#ixzz1BTnePatr


Kucinich is worried since Ohio will lose two congressional seats. Speculation is that three democrat districts including Kucinich's will become two and Kucinich will have to run against another Democrat.

Keith Olbermann: The most dense left wing pundit on the planet

Olbermann at the beginning of his show on January 17th.

Finally tonight as promised a special comment on the nine days since Tucson. That awful night I said this: “We need to put the guns down. JUST AS IMPORTANTLY WE NEED TO PUT THE GUN METAPHORS AWAY AND PERMANENTLY - left, right, middle, politicians, and citizens, sane and insane....

Olbermann at the end of his show on January 17th.

Nine days have passed and the willful blindness hasn't slowed down yet. BESIDES THE TOTAL ABSENCE OF EVEN THE GLIMMER OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY THAT SENATOR MCCAIN AND I HAVE EVINCED, we learned from all this that the RIGHT LIVES IN A PERPETUAL STATE OF VICTIMHOOD. We learned that the RIGHT DOES NOT EVEN RECOGNIZE THE IRONY OF ITS CLAIM of being unfairly blamed for the violence of others WHEN IT HAS SPENT THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS DOING EXACTLY THAT TO MUSLIMS, PARTICULARLY AMERICAN MUSLIMS. ....

AND ULTIMATELY WE LEARNED, ESPECIALLY FROM MRS. PALIN’S FOOLISHNESS, THIS TEMPLATE OF WHAT THE RIGHT WOULD DO IN AN ACTUAL OPEN AND SHUT SLAM DUNK CASE IN WHICH A PARTISAN OF THE RIGHT ATTEMPTED TO KILL ONE OF THE LEFT, THE RIGHT WOULD BLAME THE VICTIM, BLAME HIM OR HER FOR NOT HAVING BROUGHT ENOUGH SECURITY OR FOR NOT HAVING BROUGHT A GUN

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http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/01/18/olbermann-if-conservative-tried-kill-liberal-right-would-blame-victim


The man is a walking contradiction. He seems to have a bigger ego than Bill O’Reilly and an intellect that is small enough to believe Nancy Pelosi when she said that "DEFICIT REDUCTION HAS BEEN A HIGH PRIORITY FOR US"

Ranking of US Presidents

Further evidence of the unwisdom of experts. A major survey of British academics has come up with a ranking of US presidents. In top place, predictably, is that old despot Franklin D Roosevelt.

What a perfect illustration of how received opinion tends to be wrong. Roosevelt is praised for having rescued the US from recession through the New Deal. IN FACT, THE NEW DEAL ALMOST CERTAINLY PROLONGED THE SLUMP. Its mass of regulations ENCOURAGED CARTELS AND CRONY CAPITALISM, BURDENED BUSINESSES AND DETERRED EMPLOYERS FROM TAKING ON WORKERS. In 2004, two economists at the UCLA, Harold L Cole and Lee A Ohanian, conducted a major study which concluded that the New Deal had in fact LENGTHENED THE RECESSION BY SEVEN YEARS…..


Anyway, here’s my list.

1. Ronald Reagan (here’s why)

2. Abraham Lincoln (here’s why)

3. Thomas Jefferson (here’s why)

4. Grover Cleveland

5. Calvin Coolidge

6. George Washington

7. John Adams

8. James Polk

9. James Madison

10. John Quincy Adams

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100072306/frankin-roosevelt-pah-here-are-ten-far-greater-us-presidents/


An interesting look at the US Presidents and in particular the fascist nature of Progressive politics in the first half of the 20th Century.



We’ve been lied to

By all accounts, an Internet documentary named "Zeitgeist" was the favorite movie of accused Tucson shooter Jared Loughner. Created in 2007 by New York-based conspiracy merchant Peter Joseph, "Zeitgeist" is a two-hour mash-up of old and new conspiracy theories involving religion, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and the Federal Reserve system. Its message is simple: "We've been lied to. We've been lied to by every institution."

"He wanted to watch it all the time," a teenage friend of Loughner's told the Arizona Republic. "It was cool at first. But then it got weird. It was all he wanted to do."

"Zeitgeist" has three parts. The first tells us that Christianity is a myth, and that religion in general conditions us to believe other myths. The second tells us that the most powerful of those other myths is 9/11 -- we call it an act of terrorism when it fact it was an inside job perpetrated by the U.S. government. And the third part tells us the real powers behind 9/11 and the other myths are central bankers. They're making the myths for money, while we're just being duped.

"Christianity, along with all other related theologies, is an historical fraud," the narration begins. "Zeitgeist" posits a sort of Zodiac-based foundation for all faiths and gives us insights like, "Jesus' solar Piscean personification will end when the sun enters the Age of Aquarius."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/politics/2011/01/tucson-shooter-obsessed-bizarre-internet-movie#ixzz1BOULze5j

What I find ironic is that Loughner was influenced by an internet video that has as its basic premise is that we’ve been lied to. The left interpretation of what happened in Tucson was due to right wing hate radio lying to the people and influencing crazy people to kill.



Palin derangement syndrome

….Today THE CONVERSATION TURNED TO SARAH PALIN AND MY NEW ACQUAINTANCE BLURTED OUT: “OH I HATE HER.” Since she did not yet know my politics, and since we were in Los Angeles, it is clear that she expected to hear back what you usually hear back in this city: “Yeah, I hate her, too.” Instead, I ASKED HER WHY.

At this point I could have predicted her response because it’s the same response you get from Liberals no matter who on the Right you’re talking about, “BECAUSE SHE’S STUPID.” I replied: “BEING STUPID IS NO REASON TO HATE SOMEONE, BUT TELL ME, WHICH ONE OF HER POLICIES DO YOU DISAGREE WITH?” IT WASN’T HARD TO PREDICT HER RESPONSE: “ALL OF THEM!”

I continued to push. “Well, then, if it’s all of them, it should be easy for you to name one.” Her reply? “They’re too many to list.”

“So don’t list them, just give me one,” I said.

This went on for awhile until my new acquaintance FINALLY ADMITTED THAT SHE DIDN’T KNOW ANY OF MS. PALIN’S POLICIES. Before she ran off – Democrats always run off when asked to provide facts behind their hatred for Republicans – I looked her in the eye and said, “If you don’t know any of her policies perhaps you should look into them.” She promised she would. She won’t. IF THERE ARE TWO THINGS YOU CAN COUNT ON WITH DEMOCRATS, THEY ARE FILLED WITH HATE AND EMPTY OF FACTS…..

….This is the genesis of the notion that Palin is “stupid.” LIBERALS ARE CONVINCED THAT THERE’S SOMETHING “THE MATTER” WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE JOBS. This is what they mean by “What’s The Matter with Kansas,” Kansas being a place where people work – Hollywood, Cambridge Massachusetts, the TV studios in Manhattan are places were people talk. To the Liberal, anyone who has a job must be stupid, after all, not everyone is as good a talker as they are, but surely everyone can find one excuse or another to sit at home and collect welfare….

…If Democrats disagreed with Ms. Palin on the issues that would be one thing. BUT THEY DON’T MERELY “DISAGREE” WITH HER, THE HATE HER AND THEY HATE HER WITHOUT CARING ONE WHIT ABOUT WHERE SHE STANDS ON THE ISSUES. They hate her BECAUSE SHE IS LIVING PROOF THAT EVERYTHING ABOUT THE DEMOCRAT PARTY NARRATIVE IS A LIE and for this reason she cannot be allowed to be liked because if Democrats liked her, they might actually listen to her policies.

http://frontpagemag.com/2011/01/18/why-the-left-hates-sarah-palin/

A well thought out article. Liberals would learn a lot by reading this, but actually having an open mind and reading something like this is not in the character of most liberals.

One liberal stands up for Sarah Palin: Ed Koch

Why do I defend Palin in this case? I DON'T AGREE WITH HER POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY: She is an arch conservative. I AM A LIBERAL WITH SANITY. I know that I am setting myself up for attack when I ask, why did Emile Zola defend Dreyfus? Palin is no Dreyfus and I am certainly no Zola. BUT ALL OF US HAVE AN OBLIGATION, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN POLITICS AND PUBLIC OFFICE, TO DENOUNCE, WHEN WE CAN, THE PERPETRATORS OF HORRENDOUS LIBELS and stand up for those falsely charged. We should denounce unfair, false and wicked charges not only when they are made against ourselves, our friends or our political party but against those with whom we disagree. If we are to truly change the poisonous political atmosphere that we all complain of, including those who create it, we should speak up for fairness when we can….

….I repeat my earlier comment that she "scares the hell out of me." Nevertheless, she is entitled to fair and respectful treatment. THE FOOLS IN POLITICS TODAY IN BOTH PARTIES ARE THOSE WHO THINK SHE IS DUMB. I've never met her, but I'VE ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT SHE IS HIGHLY INTELLIGENT but not knowledgeable in many areas and politically uninformed….

…. Many women understand what she has done for their cause. She will not be silenced nor will she leave the heavy lifts to the men in her Party. She will not be falsely charged, remain silent, and look for others - men - to defend her. SHE IS PLUCKY AND UNAFRAID.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2011/01/18/palin_defeated_unfair_critics_at_nyt__msnbc_108561.html

Well said. I do believe that Koch is A LIBERAL WITH SANITY, and there are so few of them left.



The Liberal Agenda Backfires

America’s debate about government’s proper size and purposes has proceeded against the backdrop of European disorders, such as rioting by French young people. Some of them, although they have not yet entered the labor market (unemployment is 25 percent among those under 25), are indignant that when they do, they will have to remain in it for two extra years because the retirement age has been raised to 62.

Such demonstrations of government-induced decadence—a.k.a. THE ENTITLEMENT MENTALITY—have provided counterpoints to the Great Unraveling. THAT HAS BEEN THE FATE OF AMERICAN LIBERALS’ AGENDA IN THE 24 MONTHS SINCE BARACK OBAMA’S INAUGURATION. That event was supposed to launch a long liberal epoch, something unknown since the one that ended in 1938, when the nation recoiled against Franklin Roosevelt’s overreaching, which included his attempt to “pack” the Supreme Court by enlarging it. Because the episode that ended in 1938 had lasted only six years, counting it as an “epoch” amounts to defining “epoch” down. Today, the long list of liberal disappointments is still growing:

ORGANIZED LABOR’S TOP PRIORITY—“CARD CHECK” legislation to make unionization of workplaces easier by abolishing workers’ rights to secret ballots—is dead….

The near invisibility and complete futility of last month’s Cancún conference ON CLIMATE CHANGE marked the exhaustion of a U.N. delusion…


Things that liberals thought would be gone by now include: GUANTÁNAMO, THE PATRIOT ACT, AND THE BUSH TAX RATES…

 

http://www.newsweek.com/2011/01/15/defining-epoch-down.html



26 States Join Suit Against Obama Health Law

SIX MORE STATES JOINED A LAWSUIT IN FLORIDA AGAINST PRESIDENT OBAMA'S HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL on Tuesday, meaning more than half of the country is challenging the law

The announcement was made as House members in Washington, led by Republicans, debated whether to repeal the law.

The six additional states, all with Republican attorneys general, joined Florida and 19 others in the legal action, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said.

"IT SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE THAT MORE THAN HALF OF THE STATES CONSIDER THE HEALTH CARE LAW UNCONSTITUTIONAL AND ARE WILLING TO FIGHT IT IN COURT," she said in a statement.

The states claim the health care law is unconstitutional and violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties.

Joining the coalition in the Florida case were: IOWA, KANSAS, MAINE, OHIO, WISCONSIN AND WYOMING.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/01/18/states-join-obama-health-care-lawsuit-fla/


Elections do have consequences.

10 days since the shooting

Gabrielle Giffords could lose her seat

Even as REP. GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SHOWS SIGNS OF A NEAR-MIRACULOUS RECOVERY, with doctors on Sunday upgrading her condition from critical to serious, a little-known statutory provision in ARIZONA STATE LAW COULD ENDANGER THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN'S HOLD ON HER SEAT through what doctors say will be a protracted medical struggle.

A statute buried in Arizona law states that if a public officeholder CEASES TO "DISCHARGE THE DUTIES OF OFFICE FOR THE PERIOD OF THREE CONSECUTIVE MONTHS," the office shall be deemed vacant - at such time, a special election could be called to fill the vacancy.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/17/AR2011011702542.html?hpid=topnews


This is a tough one. No one wants to let an assassin deprive the congresswomen of her seat, but she has a long recovery ahead and the people of Tucson deserve to be represented in the 112 congress.



Unions and the destruction of the public school system

KIDS AREN'T CARS" is a new short film series set for release February 1st. Using examples from the Midwest, it DOCUMENTS THE IMPACT ORGANIZED LABOR HAS HAD ON THE AMERICAN EDUCATION SYSTEM, creating a one-size-fits-all assembly line model that leaves students behind and treats teachers equally, stifling innovation and improvement.

Our government education system has been spending more and more each year, yet the results have been the same. While unions demand higher spending - which of course ends up in the pockets of their members - MONEY IS NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM.

Those that have been in the trenches gave shocking interviews - stories of money grabs by adults while children are left behind.

AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF A LITERACY CLINIC IN DETROIT - where high school graduates go to learn how to read - COMPARED THE ACTIONS OF THE SCHOOL BOARD TO THE KU KLUX KLAN. "If they were sitting up there in Klan robes," she said, no one would be tolerating what is going on, but the effect is the same

 

http://townhall.com/columnists/KyleOlson/2011/01/17/new_film_documents_unions_destruction_of_public_education


Unions have their place, but it isn’t at the public trough.

Obamacare

Prognosticators are rarely held accountable in Washington, but SENATE DEMOCRATS MAY WANT TO CONSIDER HOLDING CHUCK SCHUMER ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS ANALYSIS OF THE BENEFITS OF OBAMACARE. Last March, Sen. Schumer smugly predicted, “BY NOVEMBER THOSE WHO VOTED FOR HEALTHCARE WILL FIND IT AN ASSET and those who voted against it will find it a liability.”

Well, November has come and gone and it is safe to say THE 65 HOUSE DEMOCRATS WHO LOST THEIR SEATS IN 2010 MIGHT QUIBBLE WITH SCHUMER’S PREDICTION. Indeed, the weight of Obamacare hung like an albatross around the necks of these defeated Representatives. And the wreckage is likely not over.

This week, the House will again vote on Obamacare – this time, to repeal it. After this vote, House members will have no where left to hide on the question of repealing Obamacare. The upside – if there is one – for the far-left is only 13 of the 34 House Democrats who courageously voted against the federal government’s hostile takeover of our health care system remain. And yet, many of them are now waffling on their position.

http://townhall.com/columnists/MikeNeedham/2011/01/17/repealing_obamacare,_and_the_senate/page/full/

We will hear a lot about this over the next two years. In this case, the Democrats will be fighting to keep it while the Republicans we try to repeal it.

Progressives: Always Angry, Newly Desperate

…..Being a writer makes one a reader, and this writer is no exception. Yet try as I might last week, I couldn't find a single column blaming the American left for what Jared Loughner did in Tuscon. Not one. That is not to say that none existed. Perhaps some obscure publication or two created by some far-right fringe elements published screeds of which I am unaware. But nothing remotely compares to the avalanche of vitriol which spewed from high-profile, mainstream media sources such as the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC or Newsweek, all of which was not only easy to find, but almost impossible to avoid.

Which is precisely why I refuse to go where far too many of those on the right went last week, neatly encapsulated in THE PART OF THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH WHEN HE TOLD AMERICANS THAT "WHAT WE CANNOT DO IS USE THIS TRAGEDY AS ONE MORE OCCASION TO TURN ON EACH OTHER." With all due respect, we didn't turn on each other, Mr. President. IT WAS OVERWHELMINGLY THE AMERICAN LEFT WHICH TURNED ON ANYONE AND EVERYONE from Sarah Palin to talk radio, to the Tea party movement in particular, and conservatism in general. And anyone who equates those on the right defending themselves with those on the left attacking them—as a means of demonstrating "moral equivalence," no less—is only kidding himself….


…..What did progressives see? The 2012 election. The genuine possibility of historically unprecedented political irrelevance in less than two years. THINK LAST WEEK WAS UGLY? THAT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING OF THE 2012 ELECTION CAMPAIGN. The bet here is that by the time we reach the end, what Americans heard and saw last week will be tame by comparison. Progressive are "all in" for 2012—but unlike 2008, most Americans now know exactly who they're dealing with.

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0111/ahlert.php3


This is a very interesting commentary on what we’ve seen by the left since the shootings in Tucson. The last paragraph is prophetic. Here’s hoping we have a campaign on the issues rather than what we saw last week.

Can’t we all just get along?

A week’s worth of talk about civility is very nice. WE SHOULD BE MORE CIVIL TOWARD EACH OTHER. There’s little more depressing in life than the incivility of much public discourse. But if you take five seconds to think about it, what happened in Tucson had nothing whatever to do with unmannerly misbehavior. Quite the opposite: the morning’s events gave ample evidence of humankind’s ability to hear the immediate call to greatness, as in Daniel Hernandez’s heroic salvation of Gabrielle Giffords’s life and HOW DORWAN STODDARD GAVE HIS LIFE TO SHIELD HIS WIFE, MAVANELLE, from Jared Loughner’s spray of bullet fire.

Thus, as we continue to gather more evidence of Loughner’s schizophrenia, the continuing rhetorical calls for the need for “civility” are now turning into nothing less than cover. THEY’RE A DODGE, a means by which those responsible for the slanderous accusation that somehow the Tea Party and Sarah Palin and the right were responsible for the massacre have been excused for hurling their grievously unjust charge. FOR, YOU SEE, THEY WERE ONLY CALLING FOR A “NEW TONE,” FOR “CIVILITY,” AND WHO COULD BE AGAINST THOSE?

http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/257283/yup-jonah-goldberg


I remember a cartoon. In it a mother was hitting her son while she said, “Don’t (whack), Hit (whack), your sister (whack). It seems a condemnation of others while calling for more civility parallels the cartoon.

2010 Crude Oil: 50 Billion Barrels Discovered, 30 Billion Barrels Used

With the price of oil hovering above $70 a barrel for over a year -- and around $90 a barrel for several weeks -- oil exploration companies can get to work discovering rich new oil fields. In 2010, more new oil was discovered than was consumed -- and we can expect that trend to continue as long as oil stays high -- above fundamentals.

http://www.thegwpf.org/energy-news/2234-2010-crude-oil-50-billion-barrels-discovered-30-billion-barrels-used.html


So much for peak oil. Makes you wonder why the price of crude is rising so much? Speculators perhaps?