Saturday, February 14, 2009

British Cardinal: Recession Marks the End of "Selfish Capitalism"; "Capitalism Needs To Be Underpinned With Regulation and a Moral Purpose". Really?

Hmm... There's a reason why separation of church and state exists.

Politicians should stay out religious business, and religious leaders should not discuss politics.

From Times Online:

Pride, avarice, lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth: sometimes it feels as if Britain is in the grip of the seven deadly sins. There are arrogant politicians, greedy bankers, lecherous television presenters, furious trade unionists, obese children, competitive shoppers and an underclass of people who do not work. To the doom-mongers, British society is not broken, it is shattered.

According to the Archbishop of Westminster, the economic downturn could be the very thing that brings us to our senses. “It's the end of a certain kind of selfish capitalism,” Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said. “This particular recession is a moment - a kairos - when we have to reflect as a country on what are the things that nourish the values, the virtues, we want to have ... Capitalism needs to be underpinned with regulation and a moral purpose.”

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Was The American Economy 500 Dow Points and Only Hours Away From Total Economic Armageddon? Financial Terrorism?

UPDATE: Felix Salmon at Portfolio.com debunks this as myth.

***

This is really, really scary and freaky and just plain weird.

This happened last September, this interview was conducted three weeks ago, and it hit the blogs and Rush Limbaugh only a few days ago?

I'm pretty confused. This is a big, BIG deal!

Via Atlas Shrugged:

When President Hussein was campaigning and the "economic crisis" hit, he did not think it pressing enough to leave the campaign trail, but now we should push through a trillion dollars in legislation without oversight because a few weeks later the King deems it urgent?






Capitalism Gone Wild reported:
Rep. Paul Kanjorski of Pennsylvania explains what former Treasury Secretary Paulson and Fed Chairman Bernanke told congress during the September 2008 closed door session. During the first third of the video an enraged caller is ranting to Rep. Kanjorski about how wasteful the first $700 billion bailout was. The best part is 2 minutes and 15 seconds into the tape where Rep. Kanjorski reveals what Paulson and Bernanke told congress that shocked them into supporting the first $700 billion bailout.

On Thursday Sept 15, 2008 at roughly 11 AM The Federal Reserve noticed a tremendous draw down of money market accounts in the USA to the tune of $550 Billion dollars in a matter of an hour or two. Money was being removed electronically.

The Treasury tried to help, opened their window and pumped in $150 Billion but quickly realized they could not stem the tide. We were having an electronic run on the banks. So they decided to closed down the accounts.Had they not closed down the accounts they estimated that by 2 PM that afternoon. Within 3 hours. $5.5 Trillion would have been withdrawn and the entire economy of the United States would have collapsed, and within 24 hours the world economy would have collapsed.

Kanjorski also explains why Paulson spent the bailout money differently than he originally proposed.

Some other gems from the recording:It would have been the end of our economic and political system.

We would have had to spend 3 to 4 Trillion dollars to buy up all the toxic assets. But we didn't have that much we only had 700 Billion.

Without a banking system you don't have an economy.We are no better off now than we were three months ago.

Someone threw us in the middle of the Atlantic ocean without a life raft. We are trying to determine which is the closest shore and whether there is any chance in the world to swim that far. We don't know.



***

Pamela at Atlas also adds:



In the video, Kanjorski says this occurred on Thursday, September 15, 2008. September 15th was a MONDAY. THURSDAY was .......SEPTEMBER 11, 2008

This was a Financial Terrorist Attack on the seventh anniversary of 9/11. Aren't the American people entitled to know who was behind the run on the banks?

Why was this kept from the American people before the most important election in US history? And why did Obama treat it as an unimportant incident - accusing McCain of grandstanding when McCain left the campaign trail and flew to Washington? Remember what President Hussein said? "They'll call me if they need me."


Rush Limbaugh apparently commented earlier in the week on this:

The question is who was doing this? Who was withdrawing all this money? And the next question is why? That's where my mind starts exploding, and this is dangerous to have these explosions going this way. Could it have been George Soros? Could it have been a consortium of countries -- Russia, China, Venezuela -- countries that are eager to have Barack Obama elected because they know that will make it easier for them to continue their own foreign policies in the world?


***

We found this NY Post article from September 21st, 2008.

The market was 500 trades away from Armageddon on Thursday, traders inside two large custodial banks tell The Post.

Had the Treasury and Fed not quickly stepped into the fray that morning with a quick $105 billion injection of liquidity, the Dow could have collapsed to the 8,300-level - a 22 percent decline! - while the clang of the opening bell was still echoing around the cavernous exchange floor.

According to traders, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, money market funds were inundated with $500 billion in sell orders prior to the opening. The total money-market capitalization was roughly $4 trillion that morning. The panicked selling was directly linked to the seizing up of the credit markets - including a $52 billion constriction in commercial paper - and the rumors of additional money market funds "breaking the buck," or dropping below $1 net asset value.

The Fed's dramatic $105 billion liquidity injection on Thursday (pre-market) was just enough to keep key institutional accounts from following through on the sell orders and starting a stampede of cash that could have brought large tracts of the US economy to a halt.


***

The Post goes on to point out that the $700 Billion TARP bailout was intended for exactly this purpose. The "stabilization" of the "troubled-assets" was not simply to allow the banks to lend credit to businesses and individuals. It was was to avoid a total economic collapse due to a completely bankrupt banking system.

This whole story is dubious and fishy. More to follow.

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What Would A Reagan/Obama Debate Sound Like?

This is well-worth the 8 minutes. Well done!

From Texas Rainmaker:

Timeless wisdom versus hopenchangy socialism.


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Obama's Approval Rating Drops As Stimulus Bill Passes

From Rasmussen Reports:

The bounce Obama received from his televised press conference on Monday night has faded quickly. The number who Strongly Approve of the President’s performance had been just under 40% for eight straight days before the prime-time show, bounced up over the 40% mark for three days, and has now returned to the baseline.

Additionally, the number who Strongly Disapprove of the President’s performance reached a new high today.

Not surprisingly, most Americans trust themselves (49%) than Obama (39%) when it comes to the economic issues affecting the nation.

Americans do view Obama much more competent than Congress. 67% of Americans trust themselves more than Congress!

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Obama Will Sign CRAPulus "Stimulus" Spending Bill Tuesday In Denver, More and More Hypocrisy From The President

President Obama will sign the CRAPulus Generational Theft Act of 2009 into law during a planned campaign, er, Presidential trip to Denver.


Note, he will sign the bill less than four days after it was approved by Congress.

Sunlight Before Signing:
Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them. As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.


From Fox News:

President Obama will sign the newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus bill Tuesday in Denver, a Democratic official told FOX News.

Obama, savoring his first major victory in Congress, said Saturday that newly passed $787 billion economic stimulus legislation marks a "major milestone on our road to recovery."

Change you can crap on.


CRAPulus (krap-yuh-luhs)
noun, verb CRAPulized, CRAPuloused
1. Generational Theft Act of 2009
2. Congressional Radical Anti-American Pork
3. Congress Ruins America With Pork
4. Congress Raped America People
5. Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
a. nonsense; drivel.
b. falsehood, exaggeration, propaganda, or the like.
6. refuse; rubbish; junk; litter: Will you clean up that crapulus!
Verbs
1.crapulus around, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
a. to behave in a foolish or silly manner.
b.to avoid work.
2. crapulus on, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.
a. to treat badly, esp. by humiliating, insulting, or slighting.
b. to cause misery, misfortune, or discomfort.
3. crapulus up, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. to botch, ruin, or cheapen; make a mess of.

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Sen. Roland Burris Changes His Story On Blagojevich; Illinois State House Seeks Perjury Investigation


Indeed, Blago has, in fact, rubbed his proverbial "taint" on Washington!


Why am I not surprised? Yes, Rod Blagojevich is a tad flaky and, frankly, nuts. But Roland Burris did not act in a completely sane manner by accepting the Senate nod either.


Piece by piece, this entire cluster f*ck will reveal its true colors. Others are involved. Other "high-level officials" from Illinois (ahem) know more than they have said so far.


I'm pretty sure no honest politician has worked in Illinois for years.


The Chicago Sun-Times was the first to report:



Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's brother solicited U.S. Sen. Roland Burris for up to $10,000 in campaign cash before Blagojevich named Burris to the coveted post -- something Burris initially failed to disclose under oath before an Illinois House impeachment panel, records and interviews show.

Burris (D-Ill.) acknowledges being hit up for the money in a new affidavit he has sent to the head of the House committee that recommended Blagojevich be removed from office.

The affidavit is dated Feb. 5 -- three weeks after Burris was sworn in to replace President Obama in the Senate.

Burris -- who did not give money to the Blagojevich campaign fund in response to the previously undisclosed solicitation -- provided a copy of the sworn statement to the Chicago Sun-Times Friday in response to questions about his contacts with the Blagojevich camp about fund-raising.

Burris acknowledged having three conversations with Robert Blagojevich, who headed the Friends of Blagojevich campaign fund -- and one of those was likely recorded by the FBI.

Members of the Illinois State House want to launch a perjury investigation.


SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois House Republicans say they want U.S. Sen. Roland Burris investigated for perjury.

State Rep. Jim Durkin told The Associated Press he and GOP leader Tom Cross will ask for an outside investigation into whether Burris perjured himself before a House committee investigating former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's impeachment.

Fox News has more.

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Sen. Chris Dodd: Financial Savior? Dodd Has A Book Deal, Claims He Saved The American Economy

Remember, Chris Dodd added a last minute banking industry executive pay cap into the CRAPulus Spending Bill this week.

According to Publisher’s Weekly, Dodd’s book titled, Thirteen Days: How the Financial Crisis Changed the Politics of Washington, "will provide an intimate look at how, over the course of 13 days last September, a financial crisis led to panic and meltdown," and "will describe how he and others acted swiftly to try to save the American economy."

Um, last time I checked, the economy was worse than it was last September.

Not to mention the hypocrisy of blaming George Bush and Henry Paulson for the "failed" TARP program. How can Dodd and liberals criticize Bush for the failure of TARP, and then take credit for its success?

Time proves the hypocrisy here:

“This is, of course, the same Chris Dodd who was Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee beginning in 2007, when the banks began their meltdown. He was the one who received the most campaign cash of any senator from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two companies that he defended against increased regulation that might have actually tempered some of the disaster that has followed. He was the one who spent a huge chunk of 2007 not in the Senate, but on the campaign trail, carrying out a lackluster presidential effort funded largely by the banking and insurance industries.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Dodd raised $8.3 million for his presidentical [SIC] campaign; $4.3 million came from the securities and investments industry. His top contributor was Citibank. His fourth largest contributor was the now-collapsed firm, AIG, a major purveyor of the complex derivitives that helped cause the crisis. He was also the one who in 2007 went before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to praise the "history of solid regulation" in the U.S. capital markets. "Win or lose, [people] invest with a high degree of confidence that American balance sheets are accurate, that investment products like securities and derivatives are properly valued, and that the markets are well-policed against those who would commit negligent, deceptive, or fraudulent acts," he said.


National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh questioned Senator Dodd’s decision today stating:

"You have to wonder who advised Senator Dodd that striking a book deal on a crisis that he was at least partially responsible for was a good idea. A more apt title would be ‘13 Weeks: The Senate Banking Committee Chairman’s Time in Iowa While the Housing Market Collapsed.’ Senator Dodd should turn his complete attention to providing the economic relief that his constituents need, and forget about lining his pockets with a tell-all book about the financial crisis that has affected the lives of millions of Americans."


To Sum Up:

Chris Dodd is writing a book on how he single-handedly saved the world. He takes credit for the exact same thing in which Liberals chastise George Bush. The success he claims is a hallucinatory vision of reality.

And Dodd will profit personally from something which screwed the rest of us.

Sure, makes perfect sense for a hypocritical Liberal idiot.

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Help the NRSC Fight Back Against "Rahm's Empire" Politicizing The Census!


Keep blogging, keep contacting your representatives, hold your government accountable and never give up!

Conservatism Will Rise Again!



Visit Thespendocrats.com

From the National Republican Senate Committee:

President Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is hijacking the Census Bureau to redistrict the 2010 Census to the Democrat's advantage.


Last week, the White House announced an unprecedented plan to move authority over the upcoming Census from the Commerce Department to the White House. The Census is supposed to be a nonpartisan process, but the administration is using Chicago-style politics to unjustly give Democrats an advantage in future elections.


It's in everyone's interest to have the Census process - which is the basis for drawing up Congressional districts - remain non-political.



Please stand with Senate Republicans and voice your concern over Rahm Emanuel's plan to use the Census as a political tool. You can make yourself heard by forwarding this email to your friends and encouraging them to join the NRSC and make a donation of $25 or more. We need a show of strength right now to show the Democrat's that we won't let them take over the Census for their personal gain.




Please stand with us and tell the Democrat's you won't watch passively as they sell your Democracy away to the highest bidder.


Sincerely,
Rob Jesmer
Executive Director, NRSC

There's only one word to describe the Democrat's actions to move authority over the Census to the White House - arrogance. The fact is they won't listen to us until we can apply grassroots pressure. Please stand up for common sense and help us fund opposition to this massive plan to grow government by making a secure online gift of $25 or more. Thanks again

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Change: Crazy Liberal Moonbats Want "Domestic Terrorists" Republicans "Prosecuted", "Jailed", "Eliminated", and Killed "Painfully";


OHHH!!!! I get it!


THIS must be what Obama meant by change and the end of partisan politics! Eliminate the voice of opposition (aka: the voice of reason).




...voiced by those like Mike Malloy who called Republicans "domestic terrorists" and wants to prosecute them.


So what was the reaction to Malloy's intolerance by his fellow leftwingers?


Unfortunately, it was met by strong approval as one can see in this Democratic Underground thread titled, "Mike Malloy: The Republican Party Needs to be Eliminated." The posts on that thread go way beyond the mere castigation of Republicans and enter into the realm of primitive blood lust. Perhaps you will find it disturbing to read some of the psychotic posts but you ignore them at your own peril:


We must for the sake of the Country and the World, bring them down, expose them, vote them out and prosecute them and if necessary jail them. They must go now and asap.


a strategic hamlet program for republicans. they call themselves an insurgency, we need to use counterinsurgent tactics.



Eliminated with extreme prejudice. By any means necessary.



that party needs to die a swift, merciless, painful death.


You can see a more complete compendium of these DUer Thought Police rantings at the DUmmie FUnnies.


So are these opinions about criminalizing political thought merely the fantasies of sanity-challenged DUers who have a well-deserved reputation for crazed rantings? Unfortunately, such attitudes reach up even into the U.S. Senate. The prime example being the call by Senator Patrick Leahy and supported by fellow Senator Sheldon Whitehouse for a so-called "Truth Commission."


Leahy is claiming that his goal is not to prosecute people. Ironically, if there were ever anybody who needs investigating for improprieties, it would be Leahy himself as you can see in his Wikipedia entry:


During his tenure as Vice-Chairman of the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Leahy leaked a number of pieces of classified information, which led to his resignation from the committee. Leaks included information about a Reagan plan to topple the Gaddhafi regime in Libya, and another regarding the Iran-Contra affair. He deemed the Iran-Contra leak "careless" and accepted blame. There is a possibility that a leak of his led to the death of a covert agent in Egypt.


Despite, Leahy's disingenuous claim not to seek prosecutions, many of his fellow leftwingers are upfront about their call for such action. Of course, such prosecutions would conveniently overlook the leaking record of Leahy himself.
Whether it is called Fairness Doctrine or Truth Commission, it is all part and parcel of what the DUers are openly calling for...the suppression and criminalization of political thought. Welcome to Oceana.


***


Watch out for Thoughtpolice in your neighborhood!

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Sen. Chris "The Snake" Dodd Sneaks Executive Pay Cap Into "Stimulus" At Last Minute

Yet another example of Under Cover of Darkness political meandering. Sneaky, Senator, very sneaky.

(Hat Tip: Jammie Wearing Fool)

From LATimes Blog:
Late fix in stimulus bill imposes tighter limits on bank pay

The economic stimulus bill passed by the Senate on Friday includes curbs on executive pay that go well beyond what Wall Street had been expecting. Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, slipped the provisions into the bill late in the process. The entire stimulus package now heads to President Obama for his signature.

From the Washington Post:

The bill limits bonuses for executives at all financial institutions receiving government funds to no more than a third of their annual compensation.

The bonuses must be paid in company stock that can be redeemed only when the government investment has been repaid.

Unlike compensation rules the White House had previously issued for executives of companies getting additional government capital, Dodd made his measure retroactive, the Post said:

The limits in the stimulus bill would apply to top executives and the highest-paid employees at all 359 banks that have already received government aid.

"This is a big deal. This is a problem," said Scott Talbott, chief lobbyist for the nation's largest financial services firms. "It undermines the current incentive structure."


It's also retroactive.

WASHINGTON -- The giant stimulus package that cleared Congress Friday includes a last-minute addition that restricts bonuses for top earners at firms receiving federal cash -- including those that already received it -- more severely than the Obama administration's previous pay limits.

The most stringent pay restriction bars any company receiving funds from paying top earners bonuses equal to more than one-third of their total annual compensation. That could severely crimp pay packages at big banks, where top officials commonly get relatively modest salaries but often huge bonuses.

Chris Dodd and Barney Frank, who are as responsible as anyone for the current economic mess, continue to successfully use class warfare to push their Radical Socialist agenda.





Sadly, these two morons will never accept responsibility for their failures.

As a final slap in the face, this move will reduce tax revenue to the government by as much as $11 Billion!
Turns out there is a problem with limiting the pay of highly compensated bankers: the Wall Street high flyers pay taxes, too.

Imagine this: Capping top bank executives at $400,000 a year, as the Senate version of the $800-plus billion economic stimulus had called for, would have cost the government $11 billion in lost tax revenue by 2019. That's more than $1 billion a year, according to an estimate this week by the Congressional Budget Office.

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Will The Stimulus Stimulate? Economists Say No

Highlights of the Compromise Spendulus Bill. Click to Enlarge

Maybe if Congress had time to read the bill, they might have noticed its shortcomings.



WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity, according to a range of respected economists.
"I think (doing) nothing would have been better," said Ed Yardeni, an investment analyst who's usually an optimist, in an interview with McClatchy. He argued that the plan fails to provide the right incentives to spur spending.
"It's unfocused. That is my problem. It is a lot of money for a lot of nickel-and- dime programs. I would have rather had a lot of money for (promoting purchase of) housing and autos . . . . Most of this plan is really, I think, aimed at stabilizing the situation and helping people get through the recession, rather than getting us out of the recession. They are actually providing less short-term stimulus by cutting back, from what I understand, some of the tax credits."
House and Senate negotiators this week narrowed the differences between their competing stimulus plans. In so doing, they scrapped a large tax credit for buying automobiles that would've caused positive ripple effects across the manufacturing sector. They settled instead on letting purchasers of new vehicles deduct from their federal taxes the state and local sales taxes on the cars they bought.
The exception to this is for buyers of plug-in hybrids, cars that run off a battery that can be charged at home or in the office. Buyers of these vehicles, available in very limited supply, could get a tax credit of up to $9,100.
A Republican-backed proposal that would've provided a $15,000 tax credit to first-time homebuyers also was scaled back dramatically. Instead, the compromise provides first-time homebuyers a tax credit of up to $8,000, and it doesn't have to be repaid over the life of the mortgage. Incentives already in place offer buyers a $7,500 credit that must be repaid, so the bill is an improvement, but short of what many economists think is necessary.

Another reason that some analysts frown on the stimulus is the social spending it includes on things such as the Head Start program for disadvantaged children and aid to NASA for climate-change research. Both may be worthy efforts, but they aren't aimed at delivering short-term boosts to economic activity.
"All this is 25 years of government expansion jammed into one bill and sold as stimulus," said Brian Riedl, the director of budget analysis for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative policy research group.
The view wasn't much more supportive on the other side of the political spectrum. In a brief on the stimulus compromise, William Galston, a senior fellow at the center-left Brookings Institution and a former Clinton White House adviser, warned Thursday that a bank-rescue plan being finalized will make the $789 billion look like "pocket change."
"While the stimulus bill is a necessary condition for economic stabilization and recovery, it is hardly sufficient," Galston wrote. "As the lesson of Japan in the 1990s shows, fiscal stimulus without financial rescue yields stagnation — at best."
" . . . Serious observers believe that recovery cannot begin until we acknowledge that losses in the financial system amount to some trillions of dollars, rendering many institutions insolvent. The temptation will be to muddle along, hoping that these institutions can gradually regain strength without putting massive amounts of taxpayers' money at risk. If we go down that road, we are likely to end up with zombie banks whose balance sheets are riddled with near-worthless investments — banks that cannot lend to credit-worthy customers and who cannot trust one another," Galston wrote.
"Something is better than nothing, and bigger was better than smaller in terms of the stimulus needed," said Chris Varvares, president of prominent forecaster Macroeconomic Advisers in St. Louis. "The economy needs a fiscal jolt."
Even some proponents of a stimulus are disappointed, however. Harvard University economist Martin Feldstein, a former adviser to President Ronald Reagan, was an early supporter. He said that government is now the only engine left to spark economic activity, but he said that the compromise falls short of what's needed.
"If the choice is between the current bill and an improved bill, I would say wait and improve the bill," Feldstein told CNBC on Wednesday after the compromise was announced. "I am disappointed with the structure of this bill."
Like Yardeni and other analysts, Feldstein wanted more incentives for consumers to make big purchases that have ripple effects across the economy. When a car is purchased, it helps not only the carmaker, but its suppliers, the trucking companies and railroads that transport cars, the states that issue license plates and so on.
Still, could this stimulus get the U.S. economy back on its feet?
By itself, probably not. The stimulus plan, however, is supposed to work in tandem with new efforts by the Treasury and the Federal Reserve to rid banks of distressed assets that are poisoning their balance sheets, and with other federal efforts to halt mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. Much will depend on the details of both federal attack plans, which the Obama administration promises are coming soon.
There's also the problem of time. Much of the stimulus is to be spread over a two-year period or longer — and 2009 looks increasingly bleak.
A Wall Street Journal survey of 52 mainstream economic forecasters published Thursday found that while most forecasters still think there could be slow growth by the second half of the year, that won't offset steeper-than-projected declines in the first half of 2009.
That means this is essentially a lost year for the economy. Most scenarios envision the economy picking back up again next year.
The president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in a speech in Detroit Thursday, tried to put a brave face on the tough year ahead. Thomas Donohue acknowledged that big business didn't get in the stimulus bill some of the tax-relief measures it most wanted, but promised the Chamber's support.
"The bottom line is that at the end of the day, we're going to support the legislation. Why? Because with the markets functioning so poorly, the government is the only game in town capable of jump-starting the economy," Donohue said.
***
The President continues to label the CRAPulus as not "perfect", but he will sign it anyway.
We doubt he has read the bill either.
So it goes...

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Obama To Lift Sanctions Against Iran

Has The President officially lost his minds?

Remember, Iran is a "tiny country" that doesn't pose any serious threat... or they pose a "grave threat"... not sure which, Obama said both.





We also know that he has finally admitted Iran might be seeking nuclear weapons.


In his news conference this week, President Obama went so far as to describe Iran's "development of a nuclear weapon" before correcting himself to refer to its "pursuit" of weapons capability.

Obama's nominee to serve as CIA director, Leon E. Panetta, left little doubt about his view last week when he testified on Capitol Hill. "From all the information I've seen," Panetta said, "I think there is no question that they are seeking that capability."


So despite all this, Obama is going to lift sanctions?!?! WTF!?!?!

(Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit)

This latest news comes from the February 18, 2009 edition of Geostrategy Direct (subscribers only):
DOSSIER: Ehud Barak
'Change' the mullahs can believe in: Obama to drop sanctions on Iran

[Ehud] Barak has already signaled what the new government can expect, officials here said. The United States has abandoned its policy of sanctioning companies that aid Iran's nuclear and missile program, they said.


The officials said the new Obama administration of has decided to end sanctions against Iranian government agencies or companies that aid Teheran's missile and nuclear program. The officials said Israel has been informed of the new U.S. policy.


"We were told that sanctions do not help the new U.S. policy of dialogue with Iran," an official said. Barak confirmed the new U.S. policy. In an address to the Herzliya Conference on Feb. 3, Barak said Washington did not say whether it would resume sanctions against Iran.


"We must arrive at a strategic understanding with the United States over Iran's military nuclear program and ensure that even if at this time they opt for the diplomatic option, it will only last a short time before harsh and necessary sanctions are imposed," Barak said.


Obama decided to end sanctions against Iran after determining that the U.S. measures had failed to block Teheran's missile or nuclear weapons program, officials said. Under the administration of former President George Bush, the United States accelerated sanctions on Iran in 2008.


In his address, the Israeli defense minister indicated that Obama had forged an entirely new approach toward Iran. He said the Israeli government has sought a briefing from the new U.S. administration. A U.S. defense source said the White House would no longer enforce sanctions imposed by the Bush administration. The source said the decision has already been relayed to Iran.


"The administration has abandoned sanctions entirely," the U.S. source said. "It is a completely new ballgame."


Similarly, Obama has decided on a new U.S. ambassador to Syria and is expected to lift sanctions against a nation charged with aiding Al Qaida in Iraq and secretly building a nuclear reactor with North Korean assistance.


Diplomatic sources said Obama, in consultation with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, has asked Frederic Hof to become the first U.S. ambassador to Damascus since 2005. The sources said Hof, a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Middle East Policy Council, agreed to take the post. The sources said the Obama administration was expected to suspend U.S. sanctions on Syria's military and energy programs.


They said Hof would be authorized to facilitate an expansion of U.S. relations with Syria, which deteriorated under President George Bush. In 2005, the United States withdrew its ambassador to Damascus in wake of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Syria was blamed for the car bombing in Beirut in which Hariri and many of his bodyguards were killed.


The sources said Obama sent emissaries to Syria in September 2008 and pledged that if elected he would reconcile with the regime of President Bashar Assad. After his election victory, they said, Obama sent another message that promised to appoint an ambassador within the first weeks of his administration.

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Afghan President Karzai hopes Obama will "settle down," show "better judgment"

I'm just curious, it seems that President Obama has pissed off the entire world so far.

Anyone getting the feeling he is in over his head and, well, proving he is completely unqualified?


From LA Times Blog via LGF:

President Barack Obama is moving up in the world in terms of picking fights. Or walking into them.

First came a disagreement over the impact of the administration's economic stimulus package in East Peoria, Ill., with Jim Owens, the man who runs Caterpiller. The Ticket reported that one here this morning.

Now, it seems the new U.S. president has a problem with another president, Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, which Obama has long maintained is the actual central front in the ongoing global war on terror. Despite opinion poll numbers showing weak public support among Americans, Obama's expected to make a decision here soon on how many additional U.S. combat troops to send into that fractious land.

The good folks over at CNN, merely in the interest of spreading information, you understand, have sent us a quick excerpt from this Sunday's "GPS" program with Fareed Zakaria. Fareed's got a lengthy, exclusive taped interview with Karzai to air there at 10 a.m. Pacific.

Here's one unsettling exchange with the Afghan chief of state sounding a tad displeased with his newbie presidential counterpart:

Zakaria: "Mr. President, how will you deal with the Obama administration because you did get on well with Bush. President Obama says that 'Karzai has a bunker mentality.' He has said that the Afghan government seems detached from what is happening in the rest of the country. Richard Holbrooke has made similar criticisms. Do you feel that these people -- President Obama, Special Representative Holbrooke -- do not understand what is happening in Afghanistan?"

Karzai: "I saw that statement and I was surprised to see that statement.

"About seven months ago, the U.S. embassy signed a multi-million dollar contract with our ministry of health -- over $100 million I believe -- because the ministry of health, according to the U.S. embassy, has done such a great service all over the country and is present all over the country. Our rural development program has reached 75% of Afghan's 40,000 villages.

"We had schools in the country where we've never had schools in our history.

We have roads in the country paved where we've never had roads in our history. The engagement with the Afghan population is so wide and so widely spread that we've never had in our history. And the U.S. government officials in Afghanistan know that.

"So I was surprised to hear that statement. Perhaps it's because the administration has not yet put itself together. Perhaps they have not been given the information yet. And I hope as they settle down, as they learn more, we will see better judgment."



Settle down, Beavis



***
I'm exhausted and it's only been 25 days!

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Another Democrat, Another Lobbyist, Another Campaign Finance Scandal; Is Joe "Cut and Run" Murtha Involved?

The Washington Post reports:
Marvin Hoffman is listed in campaign finance records as one of the many lobbyists with the powerful PMA Group donating money to lawmakers. But Hoffman is a soon-to-retire information technology manager in Marina del Rey, Calif., who has never heard of the Arlington lobbying firm or the Indiana congressman to whom he supposedly gave $2,000.

"It's alarming that someone is stealing my identity somewhere," Hoffman, 75, said in an interview. "I've never heard of this company."

Another contributor listed as a PMA lobbyist is, in fact, a sales manager for an inflatable boat manufacturer in New Jersey. John Hendricksen said he did make campaign donations but never worked at PMA and does not know how he ended up listed in records that way.

These errors, along with other unusual donations linked to the firm, come as the Justice Department examines allegations that PMA may have violated campaign finance laws. The offices of PMA, which ranked last year as the 10th-largest Washington lobbying firm by earnings, were raided in November by FBI agents and Defense Department investigators.

Federal investigators are focused on allegations that PMA founder Paul Magliocchetti, a former appropriations staffer close to Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.), may have reimbursed some of his staff to cover contributions made in their names to Murtha and other lawmakers, according to two sources familiar with the investigation. PMA has long had a reputation for securing earmarks from congressional appropriators, particularly for defense contractors, and it has donated generously to influential members of Congress. Magliocchetti personally gave $98,000 in campaign donations last year, according to campaign records.

Federal election laws limit the amount of money individuals may contribute to candidates, but lobbying firms often show their clout by collecting and bundling contributions. It is illegal for employers to reimburse donors for their contributions.

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Geithner Plan, Market Tumbles; Spening Crapulus "Stimulus" Bill, Market Tanks; Lowest Since November

When do we get to start calling it the Obama Recession?



Remember earlier this week when Timothy Geithner unveiled his $2 Trillion economic overhaul of the banks and credit insitutions?


And the market responded to the news by tanking, down nearly 400 points.


Well, today, in light of the CRAPulus Generational Theft Act of 2009:



Stocks ended lower Friday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to its lowest close since last November and leaving it with a weekly decline of 5.2 percent.

The Dow fell 82.35, or 1.04 percent, to 7,850.41. It was the lowest close since Nov. 20, when the blue-chip index settled at a five-and-a-half month low of 7,552.29.


So here's what we know:




The Stock Market hates the CRAPulus.


Every Republican and 7 Democrats in the House of Representatives hates the CRAPulus.


Every Senate Republican, except 3, hate the CRAPulus.


And none of the voters in Congress had time to read what they were voting on.


What do you think of "change" now, you fools.

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Obama Continues Record Setting Pace of Lies, Broken Promises and Plain Old Bullsh*t You Can Believe In




Consider all of this in the context of Congress pushing the CRAPulus Spending Bill through before anyone even read the damn thing, and writing much of it under cover of darkness, and consider that Washington Lobbyists had access to the final draft of the bill BEFORE CONGRESS!




"I am in this race to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days of setting the agenda in Washington are over. I have done more than any other candidate in this race to take on lobbyists — and won. They have not funded my campaign, they will not run my White House, and they will not drown out the voices of the American people when I am president."
-- Barack Obama, Speech in Des Moines, IA




End the Practice of Writing Legislation Behind Closed Doors:

As president, Barack Obama will restore the American people's trust in their government by making government more open and transparent. Obama will work to reform congressional rules to require all legislative sessions, including committee mark-ups and conference committees, to be conducted in public. By making these practices public, the American people will be able to hold their leaders accountable for wasteful spending and lawmakers won't be able to slip favors for lobbyists into bills at the last minute.




Sunlight Before Signing:

Too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them. As president, Obama will not sign any non-emergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House website for five days.

Shine Light on Earmarks and Pork Barrel Spending:

Obama's Transparency and Integrity in Earmarks Act will shed light on all earmarks by disclosing the name of the legislator who asked for each earmark, along with a written justification, 72 hours before they can be approved by the full Senate.



Line-by-Line Review of Spending:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will conduct an exhaustive line-by-line review of the federal budget, work to eliminate government programs that are not performing, and demand that new initiatives be selected on the basis of their merits -- not through a political process that rewards lobbyists and campaign donors.

Slash Earmarks:

Earmarks grew from $7.8 billion in 1994 to $29 billion in 2006. Barack Obama is committed to returning earmarks to less than $7.8 billion a year, the level they were at before 1994.


What a freaking joke. Seriously.

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Friday, February 13, 2009

Another Fascist Liberal Congressman Wants Censorship (Fairness) Doctrine Reinstated

Is there any Democrat who still believes in free speech?

Via News Busters:

Today on CNN Radio New York Democratic Representative Maurice Hinchey re-asserted his long held desire to reinstate the Censorship Doctrine.

From the CNN website:

"I think the Fairness Doctrine should be reinstated," Hinchey told CNNRadio. Hinchey says he could make it part of a bill he plans to introduce later this year overhauling radio and t-v ownership laws.


Bill Clinton Joins The Censorship (Fairness) Doctrine Support Group; Wants "More Balance" on Radio

Sen. Tom Harkin: ‘there you go, we gotta get the Fairness Doctrine back in law again.’

Fairness (Censorship) Doctrine Continues To Take Shape; Senators Have Had "Discussions" of the "Fairness Standard"

Press Secretary Gibbs Attacks Fox News For *Gasp* Asking A Question; More Censorship Of "Free Press"

Obama and Censorship; Fairness Doctrine Taking Shape, President Wants to Silence Talk Radio In Order To Enact Radical Socialism

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Poster Women For Welfare Entitements Henrietta Hughes says she's not milking the system

From WINK News, CBS Affiliate in Florida:

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA - A woman making national headlines after a tearful moment with President Obama has a new home.

Thursday morning, Chene Thompson handed Henrietta Hughes the keys to her home in Hendry County. Thompson is the wife of State Representative Nick Thompson (R-District 73). Hughes and her son will live at the home rent free.

However, a local organization is coming forward saying Hughes isn't being honest about how much help she's had in the past.

The director of We Care Outreach Ministry, Tanya Johnson, says just last month she offered Henrietta Hughes permanent housing and a place to stay free for three months, but Hughes refused.

"We would have allowed her to stay for the first 90 days, no income. You know free," said Tanya Johnson.We Care Outreach Ministry is a faith based organization in Fort Myers.

Johnson says she also gave Henrietta and her son Corey, money, food and offered Corey job training courses, but it was refused."We have extended a lot of her services to her," Johnson said.

But Henrietta Hughes says these services weren't free and the apartment in East Fort Myers came with a price tag.

Hughes says Tanya Johnson wanted $400 a month immediately.

The disability check Hughes gets is a little more than $800 a month.

Hughes owes money on a loan, has her car insurance payment, a monthly storage bill and says she couldn't afford the rent."Where was I going to get $400 a month to give her if I got these expenses," Hughes told WINK News.

WINK News Reporter Nick Spinetto went back to talk to Tanya Johnson and she stands by her story.

Henrietta Hughes says she's never taken advantage of the system and doesn't choose to be homeless. Like other programs she's tried to get help from,she says We Care couldn't meet her needs.

State Representative Nick Thompson and his wife Chene are standing by the Henrietta and her son, Corey. They spoke out against the allegations Henrietta is milking the system, even when confronted with the fact WINK News found out the Hughes' sold property, back in 2005. This is after Henrietta and her son lost thier home in 2003 and started living in their car. Henrietta and her son sold the land for $47,000 dollars. But Chene Thompson says that was all the money they had for several years and it's gone.

"They have nothing today. They need help today. They didn't need help in 2005. They need help today. So whether they had $47,000 or $147,000 in 2005, it doesn't matter. They don't have any money today," she said.

The Thompson's say they are sad Henrietta has to defend herself against these allegations and they will continue to help her. They also hope it doesn't deter other people from helping.


See Related

Henrietta Hughes, The Woman Who Cried To Obama To Get Her A House This Week In Florida, Has A Long History Of Financial Problems, Playing The Welfare

Was Homeless Black Lady At Obama Press Conference In Florida For Real? We Think It Was Staged

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Government-Run Health Care Provisions Remain in “Stimulus” Bill

Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-GA) issued the following statement after the final text of the mislabeled stimulus package was unveiled late last night.

Despite repeated calls from Republicans to eliminate provisions intended to implement a national health board tasked to determine a single standard of care, Democrats are moving forward with its creation.

“For all its faults, perhaps the most shameful provision in the non-stimulus bill is the creation of a national health care rationing board,” said Chairman Price.


“Congressional Democrats are using the cover of an economic crisis to advance an agenda that will destroy the doctor-patient relationship and set us on a course for government-administered health care. A Congress that operates in such a devious manner on such an important issue should not be entrusted with the health of American families. The American people have no interest in handing personal medical decisions over to the federal government, and we will continue to fight this bureaucratic and dangerous scheme.”


Note: The Democrats’ so-called “stimulus” package establishes a Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER). This new health board lays the groundwork for a permanent government rationing board prescribing care in place of doctors and patients.


Draft report language accompanying the House version of the Appropriations health portion of the bill: “By knowing what works best and presenting this information more broadly to patients and healthcare professionals, those items, procedures, and interventions that are most effective to prevent, control, and treat health conditions will be utilized, while those that are found to be less effective and in some cases, more expensive, will no longer be prescribed.”


See Related.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor Confirms Beginning of Nationalized Healthcare in Stimulus Bill

It's True: Even The Medical Community Is Worred About Socialized Medicine Buried In Spending "Stimulus" Bill

National Coordinator of Health Information Technology Slipped Into CRAP Stimulus; Tom Daschle's Fingerprints, Another Step Towards Socialized Medicine

Stealth Care: Sneaky Democrats Slip National Healthcare/Socialized Medicine Into Stimulus Bill

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Congress Gets Just 10 Hours To Read 1,073 Page No-Stimulus Great American CRAP Act.

The CRAPulus Generational Theft Act was made available to Congress at 11 PM last night.

Here is Georgia Representative Tom Price with the 1,073 page non-stimulus fleecing of America document.







Rep. Price shows that some provisions are hand-written.



Members of Congress would have to read the monstrosity at a rate of 626 words per minute, with no sleep, no bathroom breaks, and no interruptions to read the entire contents of the CRAPulus.



Obviously, no one did.



CNS reports that Democrat Sen. Frank Lautenberg has admitted just that: “No, I don’t think anyone will have the chance to [read the entire bill].”



Does any of this make any sense anymore?



CRAPulus (krap-yuh-luhs)

noun, verb CRAPulized, CRAPuloused

1. Generational Theft Act of 2009

2. Congressional Radical Anti-American Pork

3. Congress Ruins America With Pork

4. Congress Raped America People

5. Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

a. nonsense; drivel.

b. falsehood, exaggeration, propaganda, or the like.

6. refuse; rubbish; junk; litter: Will you clean up that crapulus!

Verbs

1.crapulus around, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

a. to behave in a foolish or silly manner.

b.to avoid work.

2. crapulus on, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar.

a. to treat badly, esp. by humiliating, insulting, or slighting.

b. to cause misery, misfortune, or discomfort.

3. crapulus up, Slang: Sometimes Vulgar. to botch, ruin, or cheapen; make a mess of.

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Obama Sets Record US Debt; Thank You

From Powerline:



Click to enlarge.

A picture is worth a thousand words. The debt currently being run up by the Obama administration exceeds anything in our peacetime history by a very wide margin. The consequences, I'm afraid, are not going to be pretty.


Our President is once again full of crap on the CRAPulus

"We've gotta spend some money now to pull us out of this recession. But as soon as we're out of this recession we've gotta get serious about living within our means instead of leaving debt for our children and grandchildren and our great-grandchildren. That's not the responsible way. That's not how folks here in Peoria operate in their own lives and they should expect the government is equally responsible." -- President Obama




I'm not even fighting this anymore. Democrats and President Obama own this. Let them deal with the consequences.
And they will be severe.

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Thursday, February 12, 2009

Leon "The Peon" Panetta Unanimously Confirmed As CIA Chief; It's The End Of The World As We Know It

Panetta is one letter short of ...

...pancetta [pan-chet-uh]
–noun

Italian pork belly cured with salt, pepper, and other spices and air-dried up to four months, tightly rolled in a cylinder.

'My position has consistently been that I believe the agency is best served by having an intelligence professional in charge at this time,' said Senator Dianne Feinstein who, as chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, would be in charge of Mr. Panetta's confirmation."

I don't know who's hypocrisy is worse. Sen. Feinstein or Sen. Specter.

Remember, Sen. Specter was so anti-Eric Holder that he actually made us believe he might vote against the pro-terror Holder. And then he folded, like he did with the CRAPulus package. RINO defined. (For the record, I think we can all agree that we would rather have a Liberal Democrat to take Specter's Senate seat. At least a Liberal would have to decency to support his/her party 's principles instead of selling out over a Super Bowl Party at the White House.)

And yes, all 41 Republican Senators who voted for Panetta are fools.

But, in their defense, they are a little pre-occupied with the BS CRAPulus Generational Theft Act of 2009.



From CNN:


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate on Thursday night confirmed Leon Panetta as CIA director by unanimous consent.

Leon Panetta, 70, will become the oldest person to head the CIA.

Panetta, 70, will become the oldest person to head the spy agency.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, which passed Panetta's nomination on to the full Senate on Wednesday, said at that time that Panetta would mark a "new beginning" for the CIA.

"He has the integrity, the drive and the judgment to ensure that the CIA fulfills its mission of producing information critical to our national security without sacrificing our national values," the California Democrat said.

Sen. Kit Bond, the ranking Republican on the committee, said he supported Panetta after receiving assurances from him that he will "use all appropriate and lawful means" to keep the nation safe.

Remember, Mr. Panetta has Zero Experience vis-a-vis Intelligence:

Obama Picks Former Bill Clinton Chief of Staff for CIA Chief, Panetta "No Experience in Intelligence World"

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Democrats Break Unanimously-Approved 48 Hour Review Rule, Allow One Night to Read 1,434-page “Stimulus” Before Vote

UPDATE: As of 10:25 PM EST, members of Congress had yet to receive a copy of the bill. This is an outrage!

UPDATE: Washington Lobbyists received copies, or at least partial transcripts earlier this afternoon! Lobbyists!

This a bold, disgusting, blatant act of out-right hypocrisy and theft of Americans.

They are sneaking this into legistlation before anyone -- including the members of Congress who are supposed to vote on it -- have a chance to read it!

Pelosi and Reid should be kicked out of Congress! Seriously!


Human Events reports:

In a press conference Thursday, the House Republican leadership spoke candidly about being kept out of the House-Senate conference on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid so-called “economic stimulus” bill.

They confirmed they had not yet seen the text of the bill as of 4 p.m.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he was unsure how many Democrats would vote with Republicans again on this bill but that he thought Republicans “may get a few” Democrats to side with them.

The fact that the Demos have now broken their promise to have the public able to see the bill for 48 hours may drive more Dems into the Republican camp.

“[I] don’t know, ‘cause they haven’t seen the bill either,” Boehner said.

“The American people have a right to know what’s in this bill,” Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind) told HUMAN EVENTS after the press conference. “Every member of Congress -- Republicans and Democrats -- voted to post this bill on the internet for 48 hours, 48 hours ago. We’ll see if the Democrats keep their word.”

Actually -- as of 5:15 pm, the Democrats had broken their word. The stimulus bill -- which we still haven’t seen -- will be released late tonight and will be brought up on the House floor at 9 am tomorrow.

The following statement was released by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer at 4:57 p.m.:

"The House is scheduled to meet at 9:00 a.m. tomorrow and is expected to proceed directly to consideration of the American Recovery and Reinvestment conference report. The conference report text will be filed this evening, giving members enough time to review the conference report before voting on it tomorrow afternoon."


Red State reported JUST YESTERDAY!


Yesterday, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA), ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, submitted a motion that would have instructed members of the House/Senate conference finalizing the “stimulus” bill to make the final conference agreement available online “in an electronic, searchable, and downloadable form for at least 48 hours” before the House and Senate took their final votes on the borrow-and-spend monstrosity.

236 Democrats voted in favor of the motion. Not one voted against it.

Despite this, House Democrats are preparing to ignore the motion they voted for in order to pass this spending bill as quickly as possible.

A House contact told me via email:

[The motion to instruct] is not legally binding – motions to instruct are often ignored by Democratic conferees – but that is primarily because they believe they can get away with doing so in the court of public opinion.

The bottom line is that they all voted for it yesterday, and if they opt to ignore it today by refusing to allow a 48-hour online review before a vote, it is because they are betting that their duplicity will not be noticed by their constituents.


Wake Up America! Right Now!

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Michigan Representative Sets New Record For Sitting In The Same Place For 19,421 Days...In Congress

From The LA Times blog:

Today is a really big day. It's Dingell Day.

John Dingell sets an all-time all-American new record for sitting in the House of Representatives.

The 82-year-old Michigan Democrat has been sitting in the same place now for 19,421 days.

Dingell's tenure on Capitol Hill goes back to the first Eisenhower administration.

Dingell's seen 11 moving vans come and go from the White House. Sounds pretty absorbing. Every four years something to see in Washington. Sometimes he has to wait eight years though.

Dingell's father sat in the same seat.

Dingell also set a new House-sitting record Wednesday. Being Capitol Hill, and there not being much else going on in the world, they had a party in advance. Commendations all around. Capitol Hill loves commendations. They're wordy. They're worthless. And free. A perfect political combo meal.

Even the White House commended Dingell. They're working on Day 23 over there. Evidently they don't have much doing either.

Tomorrow Dingell will set an even newer record -- 19,422 days sitting there.
For every single one of those days, Michigan's Dingell has been known as a champion of the American automobile industry. So that's turned out well.
And then, on Saturday, Dingell celebrates yet another House survival record -- 19,423 days.

This is getting pretty exciting. We'd better stop.

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Bill Clinton Joins The Censorship (Fairness) Doctrine Support Group; Wants "More Balance" on Radio

Chuck Schumer. Debbie Stabenow. Tom Harkin. Anna Eshoo. Dick Durbin. Diane Feinstein.

Bill Clinton has now added his two cents.

From Michael Calderone at Politico:

Today, radio host Mario Solis Marich asked former President Bill Clinton if it was time for "some type of enforced media accountability."

"Well, you either ought to have the Fairness Doctrine or we ought to have more balance on the other side," Clinton said, "because essentially there's always been a lot of big money to support the right wing talk shows and let face it, you know, Rush Limbaugh is fairly entertaining even when he is saying things that I think are ridiculous...."

Clinton said that there needs to be either "more balance in the programs or have some opportunity for people to offer countervailing opinions." Clinton added that he didn't support repealing the Fairness Doctrine, an act done under Reagan's FCC.


What is President Clinton saying? Liberal radio sucks and no one listens so there's no money to support them; so let's just censor the right wing!

(Hat Tip: Doug Ross)

Related:

Sen. Tom Harkin: ‘there you go, we gotta get the Fairness Doctrine back in law again.’

Fairness (Censorship) Doctrine Continues To Take Shape; Senators Have Had "Discussions" of the "Fairness Standard"

Press Secretary Gibbs Attacks Fox News For *Gasp* Asking A Question; More Censorship Of "Free Press"

Obama and Censorship; Fairness Doctrine Taking Shape, President Wants to Silence Talk Radio In Order To Enact Radical Socialism

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Oops! President Obama Lies About Stimulus Creating Jobs At Caterpillar; Company CEO Contradicts Obama

Yesterday, President Obama claimed that swift passage of the economic CRAPulus bill would enable companies like Caterpillar to rehire workers who have been recently laid off.

He wouldn't be using the trip and the photo op for more political gain to hypnotize the American people into accepting the Generational Theft CRAPulus Spending Bill, would he?

From my man Jake Tapper at ABC's Political Punch:


EAST PEORIA, ILL. -- President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., "said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off."

Caterpillar announced 22,000 layoffs last month.

But after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite.

Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, "I think realistically no. The truth is we're going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again"

"It is going to take some time before that stimulus bill" means re hiring, he said.


Yeah, it was a political stunt. But I guess he won, because the CRAPulus is going to pass. Unreal.

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Crapulus, Stimulus Update: Total Cost Could Exceed $3.27 Trillion, Not Just $789 Billion; Pelosi Adds Deleted Crap Back Into Bill

If you feel like firing all members of Congress, you can...

...it's only 20 months until Election Day 2010.


For now, we're stuck with these Radical Liberal Moonbats who are raping the American tax payer and mortgaging our future.


From The Foundry at Heritage:


Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) asked the Congressional Budget Office to estimate the impact of permanently extending the 20 most popular provisions of the stimulus bill. What did the CBO find? As you can see from the table below, the true 10 year cost of the stimulus bill $2.527 trillion in in spending with another $744 billion cost in debt servicing. Total bill for the Generational Theft Act: $3.27 trillion.




Michelle Malkin has the recent additions to the CRAPulus that were hashed out behind closed doors with no Republican input. Take note that the Nelson-Collins amendment, which helped get 3 Senators to vote for the bill, was essentially scrapped yesterday. Collins pledge to vote against the bill if it was returned to the Senate with more spending.

- $9 billion for school construction was added back in (originally cut by Nelson-Collins)

$5 billion increase for the state fiscal stabilization fund (originally cut by Nelson-Collins), making it a grand total of $53.6 billion

$2 billion for neighborhood stabilization program, money for groups like ACORN

$1 billion added back for Prevention & Wellness Programs, including STD education

Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research was added back in, leading Americans down the path towards healthcare rationing (63 patient advocacy groups signed a letter voicing their concerns with this provision)

(BUT, NOT INFRASTRUCTURE)·

Money for highways and bridges was cut by $1 billion from the House-passed level

KEY POINTS:
· Tax relief to help middle class families and small businesses was sharply pared back in order to increase government spending. Public opinion over the last 4 weeks has shown that Americans overwhelming believe tax cuts, and not government spending, are a better way to stimulate the economy.

· Approximately $75 billion in true tax relief was CUT from the Nelson-Collins package. So, while the overall size of the package may have gotten slightly smaller, the spending actually increased.

And from House Minority Leader John Boehner's blog:



Democrats’ trillion-dollar spending bill provides $1.10 per day in tax relief to workers, while saddling every American family with $6,500 in added debt.


Following are some very tentative quick facts on the trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending deal slated to be rushed through the House and Senate today or tomorrow by Congressional Democrats, as compiled by the Office of House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH). These are based on best estimates on legislative text and scoring and may be subject to revision.

1. Generational Theft. The final agreement will cost each and every household more than $6,500 in additional debt, paid for by our children and grandchildren.


2. Paltry Tax Relief for Working Families and Small Businesses. The “Making Work Pay” tax credit at the center of the plan amounts to $1.10 a day, not even enough to ride the bus one-way to work. According to the Associated Press, “Officials estimated [the bill’s tax relief provisions] would mean about $13 a week more in people’s paychecks when withholding tables are adjusted in late spring. Critics say that’s unlikely to do much to boost consumption.” (Taylor, Andrew; “Economic stimulus package on track for final votes,” Associated Press, 12 Feb 09). While the specifics remain unknown, it appears likely that tax relief to help small businesses — the primary engine of American job creation — represents even less of a share of the final tax package, and it had been only a tiny percentage of the overall package to begin with.

3. Massive Government Expansion. The final agreement is almost as much as the annual discretionary budget for the entire federal government.


4. A Trillion-Dollar Spending Bill. The $789.5 billion final agreement slated for a House vote either today or tomorrow will exceed more than $1 trillion when adding in the interest of approximately $300 billion between 2009-2019.

5. Unnecessary Spending That Won’t Create Jobs. Apparently included in the final “jobs” bill is money for plug-in vehicles, money for STD prevention, and money for ACORN (via the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and CDBG program). The final agreement also creates new programs and funds existing programs that can be used to fund earmarks and pork-barrel projects.

Further details and analysis to come, as details become available.

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Michelle Obama On Tax Breaks, $400 Is Greater than $600

Yesterday we learned that President Obama's landmark "Making Work Pay" legislation in the CRAPulus bill will give every working adult $400... spread out over time to give each of a whopping $8 more per week.

Last year, we each got a one time check for $600. You don't need to be an economist to realize that $600 in one shot will do more to "jolt" an economy than $8/week.

Yes, I realize the Bush tax cuts were no panacea for the economic woes this country now faces, but let's at least be consistent in our rhetoric, you know?

Michelle Obama didn't think very much of President Bush's Economic Stimulus checks last year. The snobby elitist showed her true colors then, and how out of touch with America the Obamas really are.

The Washington Times reported last July:

Mrs. Obama said in Pontiac, Michigan, Wednesday that if her husband is elected he will offer more than a "quick fix" on the economy.

"You're getting $600 - what can you do with that? Not to be ungrateful or anything, but maybe it pays down a bill, but it doesn't pay down every bill every month," she said. "The short-term quick fix kinda stuff sounds good, and it may even feel good that first month when you get that check, and then you go out and you buy a pair of earrings."

Maybe $600 isn't much to the First Lady, but it's a lot to many people.

$8/week won't do much good for anyone.

***

Obama's Landmark "Making Work Pay" Tax Relief: $8 More Per Week That Is Supposed To Stimulate You And End Recession

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Sen. Judd Gregg Withdraws His Nomination For Commerce Secretary, "Irresolvable Conflicts" With Obama on Stimulus, Census

Drudge reports:

Senator Gregg Statement on His Withdrawal for Consideration of U.S.

Commerce Secretary Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.

“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.

“Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives.

“I greatly admire President Obama and know our country will benefit from his leadership, but at this time I must withdraw my name from consideration for this position.

“As we move forward, I expect there will be many issues and initiatives where I can and will work to assure the success of the President’s proposals. This will certainly be a goal of mine.

“Kathy and I also want to specifically thank Governor Lynch and Bonnie Newman for their friendship and assistance during this period. In addition we wish to thank all the people, especially in New Hampshire, who have been so kind and generous in their supportive comments.

“As a further matter of clarification, nothing about the vetting process played any role in this decision. I will continue to represent the people of New Hampshire in the United States Senate.”

***
Good for you Judd Gregg! You never should have accepted in the first place, but we applaud you for having some conservative values and placing principle over promotion. A lesson that our President can stand to learn.

Update: President Obama was "surprised":

[Judd's withdraw] "comes as something of a surprise, because the truth, you know, Mr. Gregg approached us with interest and seemed enthusiastic.’

Update: Press Room Village Idiot Robert Gibbs, in what is becoming an Obama tradition, threw Gregg under the proverbial bus.

“Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart.”

Census Update: Media Still Silent, It's Still "Politics as Usual" and It's Still Unconstitutional

White House Census Move: "Nothing More Than A Political Land Grab"Says Congressman

Obama Census Decision Unconstitutional; Latino and Black Groups Do Not Trust Judd Gregg

Rahm Emanual Will Oversee 2010 Census, Congressional Redistricting, Eternal Obama Socialism Voting Majority At Stake

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