Booyah News 2011 ®

The Archives Italy's Turn Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi has resigned from his position today. This comes after failing to garner his parties support. Italy is the current problem child of Europe. Italian sovereign debt interest rates recently passed 7% indicating severe doubt about it's ability to service it's debt. This comes after Greece's debt trouble and the recent resignation of it's prime minister George Papandreou. From foxnews.com 11/12/2011 Anniversary Blues Today was the third anniversary of President Obama's victorious 2008 election campaign. The election of America's first black president was a historic occassion filled with the promise of hope and change. The results aren't what most people expected. The latest labor report showed that the economy added 80,000 jobs in October. This isn't even enough to keep up with the population growth. Since Obama's election less people are employed as a percentage of the labor force even as the labor force has shrunk to historically low levels. At the same time the national debt is on pace to eclipse 15 trillion dollars. From bloomberg.com and abcnews.com 11/4/2011 War Report The President recently announced the nearly complete withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The withdrawal was slated to occur at the end of 2011 by the status of forces agreement signed by the Bush administration. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan there is a mini-withdrawal from the surge plan implemented by Obama. In Kabul today thirteen US troops were killed when a Taliban suicide bomber rammed a van into an armored NATO bus. From ap.org 10/29/2011 Bloviating Biden Vice President Joe Biden is almost always wrong on the facts and on the tactics used to sell bad policy. Recently Joe Biden was warning people that there will be more rapes and murders if Congress doesn't pass the President's jobs bill. Soon after that he was speaking with kindergarden-age youngsters fretting over the consequences of a high student/teacher ratio. The children were thoroughly unimpressed, if not mildely frightened. From biggovernment.com 10/22/2011 Paul's Plan Presidential candidate and self-proclaimed champion of liberty Ron Paul has released his plan to reduce spending, balance the budget, and introduce currency competition to challange the Federal Reserve monopoly on money. It is a bold plan that cuts entire departments, ends foreign aid and military engagements, and results in a $1 trillion budget-cut in the first year alone. The plan is ligitimate and bold, but not without long-term consequences. From ronpaul.com 10/17/2011 Remote War President Obama has ratched up the utilization of drones in conducting the war on terror. In a first, US soldiers have been incorrectly targeted by the drone operators. Two soldiers died as a result of the friendly fire accident. From latimes.com 10/14/2011 Reid's Rules Harry Reid, insufferable Democrat from Nevada and majority leader of the Senate, enacted the so-called nuclear option by prohibiting Senate filibusters. This move violates decades, if not centuries, of Senate rules precedence, and is a move designed to concentrate power for the majority and limit redress from the minority. This resulted in the narrow passage of Chinese currency legislation which will inflame tensions with our largest foreign creditor. Perhaps the Senate should focus on our currency and the debasement that is occuring under a socialized monetary system through the Federal Reserve. From thehill.com 10/6/2011 Green Folly A political scandal is brewing after the recent failure of solar energy company Solyndra. The company received over $500,000,000.00 in government funded loan guarantees whose liability is now borne by the tax-payers. This was provided through the infamous stimulus bill passed early in Obama's presidency. There is evidence that this malinvestment was committed hastily and in spite of due diligence revealing serious concerns. Now the adminstration is rushing to commit new subsidies to the industry in fears that the program will be terminated. Today the Energy Department authorized more than $1,000,000,000.00 in additional tax-payer funded investments. From wlsam.com and bloomberg.com 9/28/2011 Autocrat Dreams Democrat Governor of North Carolina Bev Perdue today suggested that we put Congressional election on hold temporarily so government can solve the economic crisis. Astonishingly, it does not occur to her that perhaps government is a primary driver of the economic turmoils we face. From newsobserver.com 9/27/2011 Obama Jobs The president's new stimulus plan is estimated to cost nearly $200,000 per job according to an analysis by Harvard. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner suggests that's not a good way of calculating the impact. From ABCNews.com 9/26/2011 Putin Redux Aspiring dictator Valdimir Putin is positioning himself for a return to presidency in Russia. The current president Dmitry Medvedev has agreed to step aside and has endorsed Putin as his successor. Reports indicate that Medvedev has fired the country's finance minister for his outspoken opposition to the political coup. From FT.com 9/26/2011 Hispanic Vote President Obama has decided to selectively enforce immigration laws. He will now prioritize deportations of illegal aliens focusing on criminals first. These autocratic and arbitrary actions are a staple of the Obama presidency. The real reason for this action is because the President's poll numbers among Hispanics are flagging. Iowa Test Vote The Ames straw poll was held yesterday. This is an early non-binding contest held in Ames, Iowa that creates winners and losers. Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul finished in the top spots. Bachmann had 4,823 and Paul finished with 4,671 votes. Tim Pawlenty was a distant third with 2,293 votes. Tim Pawlenty has officially ended his campaign for President in 2012. Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his run in South Carolina on the same day as the straw poll. He received the most write-in votes as he was not officially on the ballot in Ames. Debt Deal Congress and the President compromised on a debt deal recently. It entailed raising the debt ceiling by the largest nominal amount ever in order to get President Obama through his re-election campaign. It's also included meager if illusory spending cuts, a new committee to recommend other debt reduction measures, and a trigger to make automatic cuts without Congressional approval of said committees recommendations. The only apparent victory for fiscal sanity was a lack of tax increases, or revenue enhancers, something they call taxes these days. This deal was no solution, and the long-term outlook is bleak. Divided Government The negotiation over the need to raise the debt ceiling and fix the nations finances is at it's climax. For the record, the Republican-led House of Representatives has already passed one long-term budget plan that cuts over $6,000,000,000,000 over the next decade. They've also passed the Cut, Cap and Balance compromise to raise the debt ceiling and thereby avert faux disaster. Right now Republican Speaker John Boehner is trying to pass a short-term debt limit increase that would require another debt raise in less than a year. His conservative freshmen colleagues do not like this plan because they feel it's insufficient in it's cuts. But it is the Democrat President and the Democrat-led Senate that has failed to produce any plan, much less pass one. Summer Bummer The summer heat is wicked all accross the country. Heat indexes are reaching 110 degrees or more throughout the mideast and northwestern United States. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a recent medical study linked the summer heat to anger, crime, and suicide. Black Blight As the recession drags on there are reports of the severe impact this has had on the black community. According to one report black household wealth has dropped 83 percent compared to 24 percent for white households. In April this year only 56.9 percent of black men were employed versus 68.1 percent of white men. What this report fails to acknowledge is that the most severe economic conditions for blacks occur in places where Democrat politicians and policies have dominated for decades. Democrat policies are demonstrably ruinous for minority communities because blacks and others disadvantage groups become increasingly more reliant on the benevolence of others for their security and prosperity. This intervention skews the innate incentive of individuals to settle for mediocrity rather than to pursue happiness. If you vote for politicians that promise to provide for your security you'll be perennially more dependent and progressively poorer as a result. If you vote for politicians that promise these thing as your absolution of guilt you're probably a racist who believes that black people or other minorities can not provide best for themselves. Narco Terrorists Juarez, Mexico, a city south of El Paso, Texas, is a known epicenter for the Mexican/American drug trade. Recently a spray-painted message threatening US drug enforcement agents was found there: "Gringos (D.E.A.), We know where you are and we know who you are and where you go. We are going to chop off your fucking heads." These messages and brutal acts of violence are common in the increasing fierce drug trade, but they are not usually directed at US agents. This comes after suspected cartel members killed US Immigrations and Custom Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata and injured agent Victor Avila on a Mexican highway early this year. Iran Nukes Up Iran announced today that it will be starting up their nuclear plant in August. They have also revealed an underground bunker storing ballistic missiles. These developments follow Iranian President Mahmoud Amadinejad's remarks that Iran is not affraid to produce a nuclear weapon. Miserable America The Misery Index has reached the highest level in almost 30 years. The index computes the relative levels of inflation and unemployment. That was also the beginning of the Reagan revolution that yielded more or less two decades of prospoertiy and job growth. There is hope in the field of 2012 Republican presidential candidates, but right now we are literally and figuratively broke thanks to Barack Obama's policies. Economy Sags The United States added 38,000 jobs in May according the payroll firm ADP. That figure is a pittance. First time claims for unemployment remain persistently high at 422,000. The official government labor statistics show that the unemployment rate has risen to over 9%. Meanwhile, Moody's investor service and credit rating company is threatening to put US treasuries on a negative outlook. Germany Capitulates Germany has announced plan to be nuclear-free by 2022. This comes after the nuclear disaster in Japan and reactionary fears from regressive leaders around the world. There has been no word from Iran if they are giving up their nuclear ambitions. Meddling Man President Obama delivered his speech on Middle East policy by calling for Israel to contract to their 1967-borders so as to accomodate a Palestinian state. Israeli President Benyamin Netanyahu says no thank you. Figurehead Dead Osama bin Laden has been tracked, targeted, and finally terminated. Instead of the caves of Afghanistan he was found in an upscale retirement community in Abbottabad, Pakistan. His compound was within several hundred yards of the Pakistai military academy. He was shot in the head and chest from an elite US Navy Seal team. The body was reportedly buried at sea within hours of his dispatch. The White House now must decide whether or not to release photographs. In And Out The list of potential Republican presidential candidates is evolving. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour is out, and Texas Congressman Ron Paul is in again. Donald Trump is still making noise. The usual suspects (Mitt Romney, Mitch Daniels, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin et al) are biding their time. What about Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan - the man with the plan? The Heat Cincinnati Red's pitcher Aroldis Chapman is back again. He broke his own record from last year by throwing a 106-mile an hour fast ball. Misery Index The suicide rate has risen in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control. The rate is said to be correlated with the economic malaise over the last few years. Shutdown Showdown A federal government shutdown was averted yesterday after a last-minute deal was struck between congressional leadership and the president. Everyone involved is claiming a political victory for preventing the shutdown, but the real loser, and the perennial loser, is the taxpayer. The agreement to avoid the shutdown included $38,000,000,000 in supposed cuts to the remaining fiscal 2011 budget. This is nothing but a drop in the bucket of the one-trillion plus deficit this year. Fukushima Burns Tokyo Electric Power has a radioactive meltdown disaster on it's hands. A crack has developed in the nuclear fuel pit that is leaking radiation into the Pacific Ocean. Since the powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami of March 11 knocked out the cooling systems the situation at the reactors of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant have steadily deteriorated. Tomahawk Attack The US has launched over 100 cruise missiles at strategic targets in and around Libya. Muammar Gaddafi is still alive and in power. One US plane went down due to mechanical failures. The pilots were rescued, but 6 Libyan civilians were shot by US rescue forces. There is no intention to put soldiers on the ground inside Libya, but there is a murky and leaderless apathy that pervades the international coalition. This is the vacuum caused by American abdication. Rebel Yell Libyan opposition is facing defeat to the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. They asked for help from the international community, and the international community stalled. They haven't provided the no-fly zone desperately needed by the under-armed rebels. This is a humanitarian and moral failure brought upon by United Nations ineptitude. Affirmative Failure The US Department of Justice has forced the Daytona police department to lower the acceptable test scores for new recruits so as to qualify more black police officers. The new threshold allows candidates to score a minimum of 58% and 63% on two seperate tests. This is not a unique case. This is affirmative action, and it is disconcerting on many levels. They are promoting a low-quality police force to increase the employment opportunities of a particular ethnic group. This is institutional racism and against the interests of the public for whom the police serve. More Guantanamo The Obama Administration has decided that indefinite detentions and military tribunals are indeed best practices first implemented under George W. Bush. This comes over two years after President Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility. Reality has smacked liberal ideology in the face. More Jobs Government labor statistics show that in February the unemployment rate fell to 8.9%. According to Gallup the unemployment rate is 10.3%. Payrolls increased by 192,000 jobs according to the Labor Department. This is a positive sign, but not nearly enough to achieve full-employment in the near term. In fact, the labor participation rate is the lowest in a generation meaning that unemployment figures, particularly from government, underestimate the true rate of unemployment. Mad Muammar Libyan tyrant Muammar Gaddafi continues to lose control of his country. Anti-regime forces are surrounding the capital in Tripoli. President Barack Obama has demanded that Gaddafi concede and step-down. The mad dictator continues to defy his people and the international community. Counter Strike After the murder of an ICE agent in Mexico last week the DEA is responding with a salvo against US drug trafficking suspects. The operation in Arizona alone netted 31 arrests so far. Oil Spike Today the price of oil has traded over $100 per barrel as a result of the widespread unrest in the oil-rich middle-east. Libya, a major exporter, has been under siege by popular revolt, and the desperate dictator Muammar Gaddafi reportedly has ordered his few remaining allies to sabotage oil infrastructure. These geopolitical conditions add to the pressure on oil prices as a result of the US Federal Reserve's dollar devaluation. Labor Monopoly The public employee unions and political sympathizers of the mid western states are demonstrating against democracy. The Democrat representatives of Wisconin have stymied the democratic process by willfuly abdicating their responsibilities as elected legislators. The new Republican governor and legislative body are trying to pass emergency legislation to amend their dire fiscal crisis created by unsustainable public union compensation and benefits. The Wisconsin state government can not conduct a vote on the measure without a quorum, and this can not be attained without at least one of the Democrats missing in action. This fight is a result of the present fiscal crisis caused by the culmination of a half-century of the collective bargaining of public employee monopolies. Their monopoly power has allowed them generous compensation and super-stable employment conditions that have reached a tipping point. This is also the tip of the iceberg. There are several states that will be compelled to undergo similar measures, and this will necessarily, but rightfully, hurt. UN Submission The Obama Administration has signaled a willingness to break from it's steadfast support of Israel by agreeing with the Arab governments to publicly rebuke Israeli settlement activity in the United Nations Security Counsel. There is a consistent history of anti-semitic rhetoric in the UN Security Counsel, and the US has primarily not participated and even boycotted the gathering. This is another instance of US foreign policy weakness under the leadership of Barack Obama, and a stunning betrayal of our only true ally in the Middle East. Fiat Fools The International Monetary Fund, a US-funded globalist financial entity, has called for a replacement of the American dollar as global reserve currency. The institution believes that a new fiat currency innocuously called SDR's will be a more stable solution to the recently volatile greenback. This bodes ill for America's self-interest, but is brought upon by America, for her fiscal malfeasance. Poor Projections The House Budget Committe was questioning Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf about the impact of Obamacare on employment. He conceded that the legislation will result in approximately 800,000 fewer jobs by 2021. Jobs Ungot According to the United States government employers added 36,000 jobs in January. This brings the official government unemployment rate to 9.0%. According to Gallup polling the actual unemployment rate is 9.9% with and under-employment rate of 19.2%. In related news labor force participation has reached a 26-year low of 64.2%. This figure is the percentage of people employed of the total civilian noninstitutional populaton. What the government unemployment rate doesn't include are the unemployed who have given up looking for work. So it is helpful to have a diverse source of data to truly understand the dismal unemployment rate under the economic stewardship of President Barack Obama. Wiki Keeps Leaking New reports released by WikiLeaks indicate that the United States is (or was) still searching for other conspirators in the 9/11 attacks. Chicago Way Rahm Emanuell has been cleared to run in the Chicago mayoral election in a reversal from a lower courts ruling. Two things are certain: Rahm wins, and Chicago loses. Rahm Denied The former Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama, Rahm Emanuell, has been denied eligibility to run for Mayor of Chicago. The Chicago appelate court reasoned that because he was not a resident of the city for one-year preceding the election he shall be removed from the ballot. Chump Change In anticipation of a state visit to the United States, Chinese premier Hu Jintao has questioned the future of the dollar. He called the United States monetary dominance since World War II a product of the past. He may be right if the Federal Reserve and Congress continue their irresponsible profligacy. Conversation Change The cynical golden political strategy when you're losing is to defer from reality. In substance addiction, it's called denial; and the political power among the most addictive substances. Naturally, if one is not winning the national dialogue then one should endeavor to change the popular narrative. One tactic in particular is to libel your political opposition and polarize their constituency. The lame stream media is mounting a fierce and slanderous attack on Sarah Palin and other prominent conservatives. Debt Ceiling The United States national debt has surpassed $14,000,000,000,000 for the first time according to US Treasury reports on December 31, 2010. It is now little more than $200,000,000,000 from reaching the statutory debt limit. I ♥ NYC No Label New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is under fire for his percieved poor administration of the cleanup after the blizzard of 2010. Areas of New York were blanketed with several feet of snow after the large Christmas storm passed through the burroughs. Phone Home Downtrodden Democrat Dame Nancy Pelosi is requesting rebranding assistance from prolific director and liberal Steven Spielberg. Fiscal Imbalance The federal government accumulated an additional $6,738 in liabilites per person in fiscal year 2010. All Americans will pay for the this fiscal profligacy; some through higher taxes; and everyone by currency deflation. Shrinking Demographics Many saw the election of Barack Obama as a leftward sea change in American politics. It turns out it was only a hiccup-turned-stimulant in the conservative revolution. The shrinking blue states are indicative of the predictable self-destruction wrought by liberal policies. DADT Dead Congress has passed the law repealing the militaries don't ask don't tell policy. It's likely the only thing President Obama and the Democrat-controlled Congress has done that may improve their approval rating. Social Justice The military policy known as Don't Ask Don't Tell, barring gays from serving openly in the military, is headed to the Senate for a vote this weekend. It looks likely to pass as the Junior Senator from Massachusetts, Scott Brown, has indicated his support. The Senate is also expected to vote on the DREAM Act which, if passed, will grant conditional amnesty to children of illegal immigrants Not Kosher The 2000-page omnibus spending bill presented to Congress by Senate Democrats costs over $1,100,000,000,000 amounting to approximately $500,000,000 per page. It's comprised of six-thousand four-hundred and eighty-eight earmarks which equals twelve earmarks per congressman. Nearly defeated Senate majority lead Harry Ried declares earkmarks are a congressional duty. One congressman from Missouri, Emanual Cleaver, proposed a massive $48,000,000,000 wealth redistribution scheme. Americans know it's all pork. 6,488 In a speech today Arizona Senator and earkmark avenger John McCain highlighted the recklessness of Senate Democrat's appropriations bill. The interesting constitutional issue here is that all spending must originate in the House of Representatives. This should be opposed on procedural grounds. The expiring Democrat majority is having it's final legislative pork bonanza. No Principles The Senate passed the Obama-McConnell tax cut extension compromise with other short-term economic icing. One of Senate yea votes was Minnesota Senator and former androgynous self-help guru Al Franken issues his mea culpa. Now it's on to the House where it meets an uncertain fate. Budget Blowout Democrats in the Senate produced a nearly 2,000-page $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill to fund the government through fiscal 2011. Some of the spending included funds to implement Obamacare and hire IRS agents to enforce the new mandate and other tax regulations contained therein. During a press conference Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was laughed at when he claimed that members of Congress would read the bill. Rate Cut The Obama-McConnell compromise on expiring Bush tax rates is pushing investor service firm Moody's to warn that it may lower the United States credit rating. This is because the compromise not only extends the current tax rates on everyone, but ads a 30% one-year payroll tax cut and spending on thirteen more months of unemployment benefits. Rotten Eggs The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act continues to fail hard. The National Science Foundation gave $141,002 to Montana State Univeristy in the form of a stimulus grant. The money was spent on a six-week student trip to Hangzhou, China to study dinosaur eggs and other fossils. Lame Democrats House Democrats held a non-binding vote rejecting the tax legislation now known as the Obama-McConnell Bush-Tax-Cut Policy Compromise. Those nasty lame duck liberals find fair(er) tax policy to be an insufferable concession of their mid-term drubbing. Buying Forgiveness President Obama signed legislation, known as the Pigform Settlement, to settle a lawsuit previously settled nearly eleven years ago. This settlement makes an additional $4,600,000,000 in damages to African-American and Native American farmers who alledge discrimination by the Federal Department of Agriculture. There have been no firing within the Department, and the settlement initial history is rife with fraudulent solicitation. Quantitative Inflation Commodity prices continue to rise as the Fed has recently announced plans to increase the money supply. Crude oil is now over $90 per barrel, and gold is continuing to set record highs. Buying gold is not a regular occurence for most people, but a regular trip to the gas station reminds one of the costs of quantitative easing. Hillary 2012 Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that this is her last public position. This is designed to quell rumor and speculation that she may challenge current president Barack Obama for the Democrat nomination in 2012. Loose Lips Wikileaks has released thousands of stolen communication between the United States Department of State diplomats and agents. This has proved extremely embarrassing to the United States as many of the communications are derogatory and denigrating to our foreign allies and diplomatic counterparts. However, a few postive things have started to develop. First and foremost it is becoming increasingly clear the many middle-eastern allies are just as hawkish or more than the West with respect to Iran's nuclear ambitions. Second and third, it looks like both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange may be the ultimate sacrifices as a result of their hubris and folly. Rewarding Failure Congressional Democrats have re-selected their party leaders after stunning and embarrasing midterm election losses. Soon to be former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid will lead their parties in the next Congress. One would expect a party that was so clearly punished for their actions to concede, regroup, and realign their party. These arrogant fools have decided to stay the course. However, they can not be blamed. Rewarding failure and punishing success is the hallmark of liberalism. This can only be viewed as good news for those hoping for further gains in the next election. Bad Apples New York Congressman Charles Rangel, representing Harlem for over 40 years, has been convicted by the House Ethics Panel on 11 of 13 ethics violations. His punishment will be decided shortly, and could include expulsion. Meanwhile, government employees are found to owe over three billion dollars in unpaid taxes Christie Rising New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has elevated his national profile and increased the speculation surrounding his presidential prospects. He helped raise nearly $9,000,000.00 for Republican candidates during the 2010 midterm campaigns. In just over a year he went from lackluster upset victor in the New Jersey governor race to being the most effective and articulate spokseman for fiscal conservatism through his ferocious battle with the state's teachers union. Goodness Gridlock President Obama warns that America can not afford gridlock over the next two years. Quite the contrary. After two years of ramming through bad legislation gridlock is exactly what the country needs. It has been observed that the economy fares best when the government is divided, and that is because when the government can not act the private sector can relax. Some are even speculating there will be another government shutdown. One can only hope. Insult And Injury After the devastating electoral losses for Democrats they now will enjoy the ethics trials of two of their most corrupt members. Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters will face trial for their various ethical transgressions conveniently scheduled after the 2010 midterm elections. Restoring Sanity Today young ideologically liberal followers of comedians will express their disdain for rational protest to over-reaching government. They claim it is a Rally to Restore Sanity. One must ask what is sanity. Insanity is making the same decisions and expecting different results. Throughout the course of human history government have expanded their reach into the lives of private citizens and institutions hoping to attain equality and fairness. This has never worked, and always been a net negative experience. So insanity is the action of political elite to attempt the same policies with the expectation that they will achieve different results. So one must ask themselves what type of sanity do we wish to restore. Democrat Economy Applications for jobless benefits rose to 462,000 in the latest report released today. Home forclosures surged above 100,000 for the first time in September. Meanwhile, record government spending and deficits continue, inflation rises, and the dollar drops. Soros Says Notorious progressive and Democrat financier George Soros laments that he can't stop the Republican surge this November. While being interviewed at the Bretton Woods Committee, a global governance group, Soros declined to get involved in electoral politics this cycle because he doesnt believe in standing in the way of an avalanche. Vice Biden Vice President Joe Biden is known for committing gaffes and general idiocy, but yesterday he went a bit far, even where political rhetoric is concerned, when he threatened to strangle any Republican who complained about the federal budget. He quickly conceded it was a figure of speech, but his irresponsible and uncivil language is another sign of Democrat's bleak mid-term election prospects. Terror Europe The United States has warned Americans and westerners about the increasing threat of islamic terrorism aimed at high-profile targets in Europe. It is suspected that the execution of these plans are potentially imminent, and likely to resemble the violent attacks in Mumbai a couple years ago. Kung Pao Today China announced steep tariffs on United States chicken imports. This move was based on an investigation that showed low-priced American imports were hurting the domestic market. The tariffs will range from about 50% to over 100%, and are scheduled to last for 5 years. Recently the United States has been pushing China to revalue their currency, and earlier in the year President Obama announced import tariffs on Chinese tires. A tit for a tat all the way to a full-scale trade war. Not Funny Comedian and mock conservative Stephen Colbert was invited to testify to Congress about his experience in researching undocumented farm labor. He was in character in his remarks, and made a complete mockery of the issue. Democrats have clearly displayed their ineptitude in addressing important issues. Fed Speaks The Federal Reserve today announced continued commitment to keep interest rates at record low levels and hinted that it may engage in additional monetary easing. Monetary easing is when the Federal Reserve prints new dollar bills to purchase United State government debt thereby reducing long term interest rates. This has an indirect stimulative effect by reducing the costs of borrowing and incentivizing consumers to borrow. It also has an inflationary effect by reducing the value of the dollar. In comensurate fashion, gold hit new record levels after the announcement. Dirty Politics Republican candidate for Governor in New York sent something different than the usual mailer to prospective voters. Carl Paladino, who is running against the heavily favored Andrew Cuomo, sent out 200,000 garbage-scented mailers highlighting the rampant corruption throughout the Democrat establishment currently in control of Albany. Immigration Abdication The Administration led by Barack Obama is changing policy towards illegal immigration enforcement. In a direct affront towards mainstream American sentiment the director of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has ordered the dismissal of deportation cases involving non-serious criminals and other directives that soften enforcement of immigration violations. Misery Rises The unemployment rate ticked up to 9.6% yesterday. The private sector added 67,000 jobs, while total nonfarm payrolls decreased by 54,000. The economy lost a total of 283,000 jobs during the Obama Administration's Recovery Summer. Yet President Obama continues to assert that we are moving in the right direction. Perhaps that's why his approval rating continues to hit new lows. November Comes In the most recent Gallup generic ballot poll Republicans show an unprecedented 10-point lead. As the mid-term elections approach, it is becoming clear that the Democrats are in for an ass-whooping. Iran Nukes Up The Islamic Republic of Iran has officialy become a nuclear nation in starting their first reactor today. The rogue leadership has succeeded in building and fueling the Bushehr nuclear power plant with the aid of Russia. The weak and deferrential leadership of President Obama has not produced any positive results for the security of America or its' allies. Summer Of Relapse Recent economic data point to a slowing recovery. Unemployment is up despite the unemployment rate remaining at 9.5%. During the month of July 25,800,000 people remained under- or unemployed. Recent unemployment claims rose to 484,000; the highest level since February. Furthermore, economists are predicting the real GDP growth in the second quarter will be revised down from a meager 2.4% to a depressing 1.3%. It's not quite the Summer of Recovery that Vice President Joe Biden proclaimed back in June. Stimulating Spain First Lady Michelle Obama has recieved heavy criticism for her recent opulent vacation to Spain. One critic has branded her a modern-day Marie Antoinette. For a party that decries the outsourcing of jobs it would appear hyper-hypocritical for the First Lady to spend lavish sums stimulating the Spanish tourism sector. Especially when the latest unemployment report shows that this is the Recovery Summer that wasn't. Trampled Rights The United States Constitution explicitly forbids any court besides the Supreme Court from having original jurisdiction over cases involving States. Thus the decision to block elements of SB1070 by Federal Judge Susan Bolton is irrelevant because it is not within her jurisdiction, and therefore Attorney General Eric Holder is inept for having filed the legal challenge in an unconstitutional venue. It is astounding the degree to which basic language in the Constitution is so utterly disregarded. Furthermore, the Constitution provides that the States have the right to engage in war against an invading country, without the consent of the Congress. Mongrel People President Barack Obama, making a daytime appearance on The View, was trying to shore up his support among soccer moms. Instead, he referred to himself and other black Americans as mongrel people: "I mean we're all kinds of mixed up..." Realizing the offensive nature of his remarks, he conceded that white people are mongrels, too: "...we just know more about it." The more he talks the more he exposes himself for racist community agitator. Liberal Illogical Congress passed emergency unemployment insurance extension this week. This restores unemployment benefites to the long-term unemployed. Republicans stood against the extension because the Democrats refused to pay for it resulting in an additional $34,000,000,000 added to the deficit. Democrats accused Republicans of being hypocrites because they did not pay for the Bush tax cuts. This is not logical. Tax cuts do not need to be paid for because reducing tax revenue is not government spending. Government spending is that which must be paid for by raising or levying taxes. If deficits result from tax cuts then it is spending that must be adjusted to accomdate the current budget. Speaking of budgets, the fiscal condition of the country is so bad that Democrats refused to pass one this year. Narco-Terrorists Violenze south of the border has entered a new phase. Drug gangs in Juarez, Mexico drove a car bomb into a federal police convoy. The sophistication of the device that detonated the vehicle has been described as similar to those used by Palestinian terrorist group Hezbollah. Obama Vs. America President Barack Obama's Justice Department has file a lawsuit against Arizona over the state recently passed immigration enforcement law - SB 1070. The law is set to take effect July 29th, and Attorney General Eric Holder is pursuing action to delay or overturn the law. This past weekend President Obama met with the National Governors Association, and many Democrat governors expressed concern over the timing and substance of lawsuit in their quest for re-election this November. Poll after poll show most American's support Arizona's immigration enforcement law, and Obama is continuing to govern against the will of the people. Countrywide VIP Congressional leaders forged a compromise on financial reform legislation in the early morning hours yesterday. It is expected the be voted on and sent to President Obama by July 4. This is another 2000-page monstrosity in which the corrupt Senator from Conneticut, Chris Dodd, admits "No one will know until this is actually in place how it works." This sounds eerliy reminiscent of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that "We need to pass the bill (Obamcare) so we can find out what's in it." Whatever lurks in this bill, like Obamacare, will cause more problems than it will solve. The Shakedown President Barack Obama has effectively breached his authority by establishing a compulsory liability fund from the giant oil corporation British Petroleum. The deposit shall be distributed to victims of the gulf oil spill at the direction of an independent party. Obselescent Congressman Bart Stupak asserts that the money can be spent on such things as the fiscal nightmare created by his character-aborted sacrifice for Obamacare. Texas Congressman Joe Barton rightfully calls this a shakedown. It is true that the $20,000,000,000 fund is subject to political whim. It is also true that British Petroleum would and will face years of litigation if it does not adequately compensate the true victims of this catastrophe. President Obama is simply using this crisis to create public sympathy for a new direct or indirect carbon tax that would cripple our economy under the false hope of energy independence and global cooling. Sullied Captain During an early morning interview President Obama showcased his faux rage while expressing his frutstration about the gulf oil spill. He is trying to find out whose ass to kick. He is also trying to save his Presidency by taking advice from liberal stooge and HBO talk show host Bill Maher. Real Racist Bill Maher, host of Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO, recently expressed his true feelings about electing a black president. He was talking about President Obama's lackluster performance addressing the gulf oil spill, and wished he'd act like a real black President. A real black President carries concealed hand guns, and shoots business executives who don't comply with his wishes. Apparently the prevailing stereotype among liberal talk show hosts is that black people are street thugs and gangsters. Bubba Did It The Obama administration has released an official explanation regarding the scandal surrounding the job offer to Joe Sestak not to run against Arlen Specter in the Pennsylvania Democrat primary. Here's their story: Rahm Emanuel enlisted former President Bill Clinton to persuade Congressman Sestak not to run against incumbent Senator Specter in return for an unpaid administration advisory position. The empty rhetoric of hope and change has been exposed as a farce. Conflict Korea After several weeks of investigation South Korea has concluded that one of it's navy vessels was intentionally targeted and attacked by a torpedo from North Korea in March. North Korea has threatened a full-scale war if they are punished for this hostile act. Boycott You Back Arizona has responded to the Los Angeles city council resolution to boycott Arizona. Arizona Corporation Commission member Gary Pierce's offered to renegotiate power agreements between Arizona and Los Angeles. Arizona supplies 25% of the energy consumed by Los Angeles, and Gary Pierce was not happy with Los Angeles city council efforts to inflict economic pain on the state through their boycott resolution. Chavez Taketh Socialist Venezualan President Hugo Chavez continues his quest to own and control individual companies and entire industries throughout his nation. This weekend he announced the takeover of several metal companies because "we couldn't reach an amicable and reasonable settlement with the owners." Meanwhile, the bolivar, Venezuela's fiat currency, is sinking fast. Their economy is being crushed under the profligate and overt bolivarian revolution and the resulting 30% inflation rate. Domestic Threats A recently naturalized American citizen from Pakistan has been arrested on charges of attempted car-bombing in New York City. The Obama administration hasn't proferred whether this is radical Islamic terrorism or ultra-Liberal terrorism. Faisal Shahzad was outwardly critical of President Bush's foreign policy, and apparently he was really upset about Obama's drone attacks in his homeland. He even trained in the lawless regions within Pakistan for several months recently. President Obama and the Department of Homeland Security barely caught this guy as his plane was taking off for Dubai. Offshore Catastrophe An offshore drilling platform in the gulf coast collapsed and sank after an explosion last week. It is now gushing oil into the waters a few miles off shore. This is turning into a human, environmental, and economic disaster. However, you don't have to worry. President Obama is sending in a swat team. Honesty Policy Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner admitted today that he has never had a real job. It's a similar condition for many of the members of President Obama's administration. Meanwhile, Geithner is meeting with G20 leaders to create global regulations for the finance sector. Goldmining The Democrats mission right now is to reform and regulate Wall Street. The primary organizing tactic one uses to inspire urgency and motivate action is to isolate, polarize, and discredit the target of one's contempt. Coincidentally, the SEC recently filed civil fraud charges against Goldman Sachs claiming they defrauded investors during the housing bubble. It's no coincidence. Tea Party: 2010 Today is the day many Americans complete hours filling out endless and intrusive tax forms. For 53% of Americans they find out their tab to subsidize the reckless spending and waste of our Federal and State Governments. For the rest of us - nearly 47% - realize we pay no income taxes at all. This is the reason for the popular revolt against the over-reaching government actions of the Obama administration and the congressional leadership of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The country is yearning for a new direction away from the excessive spending, corrupt bailouts, and ever-expanding entitlements forced upon an unwilling populace. Yet our flippant and arrogant President thinks: "...you would think they [tea party activists] would be saying thank you." Polish Catastrophe The President and other prominent leaders of Poland died in a plane crash in Russia today. The pilot is being blamed for the crash. He was trying to land after several attempts and reportedly struck trees on approach and the plane broke apart resulting in the death of all aboard. Not Fit Democrat Congressman from Georgia, Hank Johnson, worries that the over-population of Guam will result in the island tipping over and capsizing. That must have been an April Fools joke, because it's more absurd than the idea that humanity is responsible for catastrophic climate change. Terroristas Attack Two female suicide bombers attacked the metro system in Russia's capital Moscow. Comrade Castro The passage of Obamacare has a certain emotional draw, but it makes absolutely no sense. It fails to address the supply of health care service providers. In reality, it disourages young people to become doctors by creating more bureaucracy. It will ultimately lead to rationed, and more expensive health care. It also creates a new entitlement that we simply can't afford. Individual liberty is sacrificed for a metophorical equality fully realized as compulsory mediocrity. That may be why Fidel Castro praised this monstrosity. ACORN Undone After many months of intense scrutiny and severe funding issues amidst an internal corruption scandal the national organization known as ACORN has made preparations to disband. Slaughtered The House of Representatives is considering a parliamentary legislative maneuver to "deem and pass" the Senate's version of healthcare reform without a recorded vote. This has become known as the slaughter rule after House Rules Chairman Louise Slaughter. This might be necessary to enact the bill because nearly everyone realizes that a "yea" vote is likely the end of their Congressional career. The Democrat leadership is so desperate to pass something that they are considering forcing through trillion-dollar healthcare reform without actually voting on it. Loan Sharks Two IRS agents hand-delivered a letter demanding payment of a 4 cent debt from the 2006 tax year to a local businessman in Sacramento, California. The outstanding debt incurred interest and penatiles of over $200 accrued over 3 years of delinquency. Wise Words On the liberal healthcare coup: "Unless the Democrats fundamentally change their approach, they will produce not just a march of folly but also run the risk of unmitigated disaster in November." - Democrat Pollsters Patrick H. Caddell and Douglas E. Schoen Out Of Touch House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is rivaling Harry Reid for the most despicable and offensive Congressional leaders of all time. Today she told an audience that "We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it". She is referring to Obamacare, and seems to think that after a year filled with hundreds of speeches, debates, and townhalls the American people just don't understand what they're offering us. Digging Deeper The Congressional Budget Office announced that President Obama's budget will yeild $9,700,000,000,000.00 in additional debt over the next decade. The cripping effects of this fiscal malfeasance will continue to weigh on our economy for years to come. The Big Bang President Obama plans to use every means necessary to get massive health care legislation enacted on all Americans - including the majority who disapprove. The liberal radicals controlling the White House and Congress are planning to use budget reconcilliation rules to pass this $1,000,000,000,000.00 middle class entitlement. The temporary majority ought to be concernced about political viability when forcing unwanted and costly social reforms on a maligned and disillusioned electorate. Tea Time Daniel Hannan, a leading conservative voice in British Parliament, announces the inaugural British Tea Party event on Saturday. The economic ravages of the governtment-induced great recession combined with the illogical and counter-productive actions by the same governance are burgeouning tax-and-spend resistance globally. US Iced In OT Team Canada beats Team USA 3-2 during sudden death overtime in the Olympic hockey gold-medal finals. If it weren't for a last-minute score by Team USA it would have ended in regulation. We were treated to an encore performance capping off an exceptional triumph for Team USA capturing a world record 37 medals. Team Canada was 3rd in total taking home 26 medals; 14 of which were gold. Germany was 2nd winning a total of 30 medals. Heir Apparent Vice President Joe Biden is indeed a blathering fool. During the Health Care Summit held earlier this week he was caught on mic, off-camera telling lawmakers that: "It's easy being Vice President. You don't have to do anything." Earlier during the negotiations he was trying to stand-up to Republican's onslaught, and President Obama had to cut him off because his brain-to-mouth coordination was so poor. Greenspan Speaks Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan (1987-2006) predicts a moribund economy going forward. He sees a recovery in asset prices without increases in job creation. He also fears "perceived inflation" may increase long-term debts costs that would be a burden to any recovery. Meanwhile, consumer confidence is as low as it's been since Ronald Reagan inherited Jimmy Carter's disaster. The Real Obamacare President Obama finally laid out his own health care plan. It appears to be more of the same big-government trillion-dollar intrusive and destructive legislation that resulted in the electoral rout of Democrats during his first year as their leader. Reconciliation Politics President Obama and his Congressional gang are planning to forcefully implement health care reform via a simple majority rather than normal Senate legislative rules requiring 60 votes. Meanwhile, the President is pushing for energy legislation punishing carbon dioxide emitters (all mammels, volcanoes, etc.) over other false premises. Licentious Cat Tiger Woods held a media presser to offer his mea culpa to the world. His marriage is lost; now he's trying to save his sponsorships. Fessing Up Disgraced climate scientist Phil Jones confessed to several attempts to mislead the public as to the accuracy of anthropogenic climate change theory. The data supporting the hockey stick graph has gone missing as he admits his recording keeping is "not as good as it should be." He's also conceded that there has been no global warming for 15 years, and that warming and cooling cycles have occurred before - absent man's actions. Euro Dissolution Their are strongs indication that the Euro (the mostly-euro-wide-centralized currency of the European Union) will collapse. French banking chief Albert Edwards stated in blunt terms the prospects for the euro-zone. Biden Cred Vice President Joe Biden declares that Iraq will be one of the great successes of the Obama administration. *Both Biden and Obama opposed the surge. Thanks, Bush! Mad Mullah Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad ordered nuclear scientists to enhance the enrichment of uranium to weapons grade. This comes four days prior to his promised showcase of power to the West. Certain Threat US intelligence officials testified to the Senate Intelligence Committee that an attempted terrorist attack within the country is "certain" over the next 3-6 months. President Obama can't afford to spend more time devoted to his domestic agenda. He needs to focus on being Commander In Chief. Homecoming Way back late last year sometime Attorney General Eric Holder announced plans to try high-profile 9/11 conspirator terrorists in New York City. As detailed at that time on these pages, this was nothing but a show trial that would carry high risks and high costs for those associated. The revolt has been steadily building since. This week Obama ordered the Justice Department to consider alternate locations for the trials. It is rumored that they may even be headed back home to Guantanamo Bay. Behind The Curve President Obama forges ahead with his destructive economic policy iniatives in the face of the Massachusetts Tea Party referendum on his agenda. Meanwhile, moderate Democrats (and even some not-so-moderate Democrats) are waking up to the poltical realities and are abandoning ship. Mr. Obama ought to right his ship before he sinks the Democrat party in 2010. Democrats Demoralized After a clear referendum of liberal politics, Democrats face long odds on achieving many of their pet projects. Now some are conceding defeat on Senate-proposed healthcare legislation. Others acknowledge that Cap-and-trade legislation is not likely to pass in 2010. Big labor card-check legislation is almost guaranteed not to pass. The list goes on. The liberalism bubble has burst...for now. Massachusetts Upset The special election to fill the Massachusetts Senate seat has become very interesting. Massachusetts is notoriously liberal having elected the Liberal Lion, Ted Kennedy, to the Senate for over 40 consecutive years. The Democrat dominance in Massachusetts is now being threatened. Republican candidate Scott Brown is surging in the polls as the state-wide election becomes a barometer for national politics. This is a critical election because this seat can make or break healthcare reform. If Scott Brown wins then the Democrats will be left with 59 votes in the Senate; one less than a supermajority of 60 votes required for the passage of legislation. Now President Obama and his Congressional gang are scrambling. Obama is racing to Massachusetts to stump for Democratic candidate Martha Coakley, White House gangsters are buying-off Unions by exempting them from the 'cadillac tax", and the Senate is once again threatening the reconcilliation option requiring only a simple majority. It's so bad that Massachusetts Congressman and Banking Queen, Barney Frank, says that "If Scott Brown wins, it'll kill the health bill." Endangered Democrats 1. (NV) Harry Reid 2. (AR) Blanche Lincoln 3. (NE) Ben Nelson 4. (PA) Arlen Specter 5. (CO) Michael Bennet 6. (IN) Evan Bayh 7. (CT) *Christopher Dodd 8. (ND) *Byron Dorgan *Already conceded Chicago Way President Obama is having a tough time sticking to his word. The Democrat leaders of Congress have decided to hold private negotiations despite the 8x pledge by Obama to have open, C-SPAN televised debate on healthcare reform. This obfuscation and deceit illuminates the corruption within this terrible bill. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that Treasury Secretary and tax-cheat Tim Geithner instructed bailed-out AIG to withhold details of their payments to banks. With hundreds of billions of dollars in taypayer money, AIG paid off other Big Banks 100% on-the-dollar on bad CDS contracts. Political Tremors Two Democrat Senators, the infamous Chris Dodd and the demographically-challenged Byron Dorgan, prematurely read their concession speech for the 2010 election. Bubble Police Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke argued for more financial regulation, and hinted at higher interest rates to combat economic speculation and excessive risk-taking. This foreshadows the next dip in the economy, but doesn't address the next bubble: government. Sovereign debt is exploding around the world, and in particular the US, and when that bubble bursts there'll be hell to pay. GSE Fat Cats Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were the two primary institutions responsible for the mortgage debacle of 2008. The two organizations, both Government Sponsored Entities, fed the mortgage market with liquidity borrowed under the auspices of US Government backing. Both entities share a long history of politicized government largesse. While all politicians share the blame for their inception, corruption, and eventual economic destruction; it was the Banking Queen, Massachusetts Senator Barney Frank, who should be under investigation for his role. Conversely, it was President George W. Bush who tried to regulate their naughty behavior. Now, after the mortgage bubble they were responsible for inflating, and after hundreds of billions of dollars in tax-payer losses and bailouts, the executives of these firms are receiving generous year-end bonuses. And since these entities are now under conservatorship aka nationalized, and are not the private entities that Obama and his gang prefer to denigrate, the Presidents' Pay Czar has no say over their pay. Lumps Of Coal President Barack Obamas' approval rating is reaching new lows. Rasmussen Reports polling shows more people disapprove - 56% - than approve - 44% - of his job performance with a -21% approval index. These numbers are simply terrible. The polling results are a direct reflection of his ineffective and pork-laden stimulus plan, corrupt and partisan healthcare reform, stunningly inept and dangerous foreign policy experiment, and generally poor leadership. Now some Democrats are jumping ship. Blatant Bribery Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson has joined a long list of corrupt politicians bilking taxpayers for their support over deleterious healthcare reform. What started as a principled opposition to abortion funding ended in an estimated $45,000,000 payoff to the Senators' state. He should be ashamed of himself, not for his ethical lapse, but because Senator Mary Landrieu of Lousiana wins the Gold Medal for corruption with her $300,000,000 healthcare reform support bribe. Logical Fallacy President Obama insisted the federal government will go bankrupt without health care reform. This is false. The federal government will go bankrupt as a result of reckless discretionary spending and unsustainable entitlements. Health care reform, as envisioned by Obama and his liberal gang, will exacerbate the governments fiscal crisis, and expedite its' bankruptcy. Coincidentally, the national debt is now in excess of the Congressionally mandated limit of $12,104,000,000,000. Cold In Copenhagen The Mecca of global warming alarmists is so chilly that journalists are complaining of freezing tempartures whilst waiting in que. Perhaps they should have stayed home and read the 100 reasons why climate change is not man-made. Channeling Bush President Obama accepted his peace prize in Norway this week. In his speech, he seemed to be deferring to his predecessor in declaring the evil does exist in the world. This, of course, was to excuse his decision to escalate the war in Afghanistan while receive a phony peace prize. Channeling Bush might be a good strategy given that 44% of Americans would now rather have our former President back. 47% Gallups latest polling indicates President Obamas' approval rating is reaching new lows. So low, in fact, that he is setting a record for the lowest approval since Gallup started polling. In other numbers; the cost-benefit analysis of the American Economic Recovery and Reinvestment Act shows that it took nearly $250,000 for every job "saved or created". Obama is now proposing more government spending to fix the economy. Cover-Up The global warming alarmist headquarters has revealed they've destroyed the original raw data. Only "value-added" data remains. Therefore it is impossible to validate their apocalyptic projections. The Hoax As evidence of a warming globe diminishes the mand-made global warming hoax is gaining credibility. Hackers have exposed e-mails between leading climate scientists that imply collusion to obscure the facts and propagate their agenda. Photo Op The narcissism of Barack Obama is blatant and despicable. Arriving to a gathering of soldiers in South Korea the President told them they'd make a "pretty good photo op". His concern for his image is greater than his committment to his performance. Misinformation ABC News has exposed several horrendous reporting errors on stimulus jobs created or saved. It was discovered that there were stimulus jobs attributed to congressional districts that don't even exist. The failure of the $787B stimulus plan was predictable, but the obfuscation of data adds insult to injury. $1,133.20/Ounce Gold marches higher. The dollar stumbles lower. Rapid inflation is the preamble to a nations decline. Low Morale The US Army reports that morale is down for troops in Afghanistan, and suicides may reach a record high this year. It's no surprise with the ineffectual and dithering leadership of their Commaned in Chief. Gov'ts Ration When governments monopolize private industry it invariably leads to rationing. Communist Cuba has announced draconian energy cuts to prevent blackouts. Government-run enterprises constitute 90% of the Cuban economy. House Passes 220-215 1 - Republican aye 39 - Democrat nay 40 - Jobs saved 0 - Read the bill 215 - Conservatives 220 - Liberals 1990 - Pages $1.2T - Spending $400B - Medicare cuts 5.4% - New taxes 1 - Pending disaster Pelosicare The ultra liberal House healthcare bill is set for a vote tomorrow. Or maybe Sunday. Or maybe sometime next week. If a sweeping 2,000-page, $1,000,000,000,000, go-to-jail if you don't comply, abortion-funding healthcare bill can't even get partisan support it probably indicates that it's a very, very bad idea. Transparency The House of Representatives Healthcare bill was unveiled today by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It runs over 1900 pages, and is estimated to cost about $900B dollars over 10 years. (That's nearly $500M per page!) The annoucement of this public-option monstrosity was closed to the public. Ditherer In Chief October is the deadliest month for US soldiers in Afghansitan. Meanwhile, Obama bests Bush in golfing frequency, and carefully abdicates himself from his responsibilies as Commander in Chief. Corruption, Inc. After a year of pressure, Rep. Darrel Issa has finally won the battle in the House Oversight Committee to open an investigation into the "Friends of Angelo" scandal. This was a program concocted by failed mortgage lender Countrwide to give special treatment to government officials. Government culpability in the mortgage mess and corrupt politicians will be exposed. iNationalized The White House and Congress has decided to nationalize Apple. This was done in response to record quarterly profits, and to ensure that all Americans have equal access to iPhones. The Federal Government has siezed all assets of the company and taken over operations. All Americans will now be entitled to subsidized iPhones, Macs, and unlimited iTunes downloads. Out-Foxed The Obama Administration continues to try to marginalize and polarize Fox News and the general media. This is radical tactic developed by Saul Alinsky used to usurp power and control ideas. Today they tried to exlude Fox News from a media pool on a Pay Czar interview. Foxs' competitors rejected their effort. Kudos. Breaking Support Obamas' latest approval index compiled by Rasmussen Reports is testing it's lows. If one were to analyze the chart like a security one would project a rather bearish trajectory. Fading Fast According to a new CNN poll, over half the country disagrees with Obama on the issues. All of his number are falling, but for the first time 51% of poll respondents indicate they disagree with the President on issues important to them. Once he loses the electorate on the issues his personal ratings will be sure to follow. Free Golf Carts The absurdity of government intervention into our economy continues. Now one can acquire golf carts for free as a result of local and national government tax credits for electric vehicles. Buyers Remorse In a new poll only 43% of respondents would vote to re-elect Obama. The descent to reality was indeed swift. Racist Republicans The Alinsky political tactic utilized by Democrats is to divide groups of people by race and economic status in order to exploit their insecurity. The attack on Obama critics as racists has had the opposite effect by emboldening Republicans of color. 2010 may be the year of the Black Republicans. Pelosi Tax This week House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has evoked breathtaking new taxes as a means to pay for Federal largesse. She contends that everything is on the table, from a value-added tax, to a windfall profit tax on health insurers. Imagine if there were no one left to produce for Pelosi and gang to consume. Appeasing China President Obama opted not to meet with the Dalai Lama while he is visiting Washington this week. This has been the tradition among American Presidents since 1991. The decision is seen as a move to appease China in a effort toward greater cooperation on global issues. And it's another example of Obama throwing our allies (and our principles) under the bus. Rio 2016 Chicago was eliminated in the first round of voting for the 2016 summer Olympics. Obama failed in his role as Chief Lobbyist for the 2016 Chicago Olympics bid. His stewardship of the economy, foreign policy, and health care appear to be headed toward the same result. Double Dip The Federal Reserves' 0% interest rate policy is unsustainable. As some form of economic recovery appears underway the Fed will need to act quickly to battle an onslaught of inflation. The result will be the next recession. Viva La France It isn't often where one would admire the strength and certitude of a foreign leader from Europe. But at the recent UN General Assembly, French President Nicolas Sarkozy exemplified great leadership in addressing global challenges while Obama recited amateur poetry. Tax The Rich It's a populous proposition to tax the rich. It's also a failed strategy. The dillema is that the rich are mobile. When a government creates disincentives for the rich to produce more wealth they'll move elsewhere, and take the economy with them. Obama Zombies The stunning compliance of entertainers and celebrities toward the statist agenda of Barack Obama is, well, not so stunning. These Obama Zombies feed on the big government benevolent propoganda spewed by their leader. Through their consumption and canabilism they create a negative feedback loop producing more zombies. Papa Chu Baracks' Energy Secretary says that Americans act like "teenage kids" when it comes to energy. Now he has embarked on a national tour to indoctrinate our children on with a climate-change guilt trip. Sun Spots The typical narcissism of the masses leads to a logical conclusion that human activity is responsible for global warming and the pending environmental catastrophe. But the pre-autumn snow leads a reasonable individual to a different conclusion, and the culprit appears to be the sun. Tort Reform Victory Following the example of Texas and other states, Oklahoma has passed their version of tort reform. It is estimated to save the state health care system $50-$75M a year. It is also estimated that half the trial lawyers will leave the state. Backwards Foreign Policy As fallout expands from Obamas' decision to scrap missle defense plans the leadership in allies like Poland and the Czech Republic questions the US commitment to the region. Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin praises Obama as brave. Race, Violence, And Bo-Tox Tears The Democrats should focus on defending the merits of their agenda rather than attempting to discredit critics by equating genuine popular dissent with racism. Instead, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi doubles-down with warnings of political violence. Cap-And-Tax Pending The latest report by the Obama administration regarding pending climate legislation claims that it could cost families up to $1,761 per year. Could it cost more? Probably. Will it save the Earth? Doubtful. Jawless Girl Defies The Odds A girl born without a lower jaw and severe respiratory issues has persevered to become an almost-normal teenager. Do you think she would have received the necessary medical care under socialized medicine? Under ideas advocated by Obama advisers one would suspect not. Moreover, this story illustrates that our health care system is the best in the world, and proponents of Obamacare are simply looking for another handout. Poll Shows Opposition To Obamacare Rasmussen Reports: 52% Oppose 41% Strongly Oppose - 45% Favor 23% Strongly Favor Bush's Fault Kanye West interupts VMA award-winner to expose his crass despicability. A drunken West stormed the stage as the 19-year old country singer Taylor Swift accepted her award. He took her microphone and ranted about how Beyonce should have won. Even Obama thinks Kanye is a jackass. Egypt In Crisis The protesters that started it all in 2011 have returned for a Christmas special. No. Not the occupiers of Wall Street, or any other street, city or town in America. It's the Tahrir Square protesters of Egypt. The first new elections have reportedly been a wide success for the Islamist-aligned parties. Apparently their successful ouster of US and Israeli-aligned autocrat Mubarak did not satisfy their demands for real revolution. The Egyptian security forces are now violently confronting them again. Meanwhile, financial donations to the useful idiots and malevolent malcontents of Occupy Wall Street have plummeted. From dailymail.co.uk and salon.com 12/18/2011 Forever Foes "Has the war with Iran already begun?" asks National Journal writer Michael Hirsh. Conflicting reports over the weekend show Iran claiming to have taken down a US spy drone. The US intially denied the reports from Iranian state-run media, but has since confirmed that a spy drone is missing. This comes on top of other mysterious incidents including explosions, assassinations, cyber warfare, and other forms of covert activities. Iran appears to be pushing back evidence by the coordinated protest and occupation of the British Embassy in Tehran. It is not a question of whether or not we are at war with Iran. It is a question of if we have the will and the strategy to win. Islamic totalitarianism is another reincarnation of the scourge of tyranny replete throughout human history, and must be confronted and defeated resolutely in the interests of individual freedom the world over. From nationaljournal.com and telegraph.co.uk 12/5/2011 Kyoto No Canada is considering exiting the Kyoto Protocol it signed in 1998 along with 191 other nations. This was an international treaty to reduce carbon emmissions. The United States was lambasted internationally for not submitting it's economic sovereignty to an international order. Canada was one of the first signatories, and would be the first to abandon the global cooling scheme. Canada is seeking to avoid paying nearly $6.7 billion in carbon offsets after the economic windfall of domestic carbon energy production of recent years. From bloomberg.com 11/28/2011 Bye-Bye, Barney Massachusetts Democrat Congressman Barney Frank has announced he will not seek re-election in 2012. He in part blames the re-drawing of his district due to the 2010 census. This would force him into a tough re-election campaign after his unusually difficult 2010 re-election bid. He is now 71 years-old and has spent over three decades in Congress. He was the first openly gay congressman, and survived a scandal in which his lover operated a homosexual prostitution business out of his house. He was also the loudest proponent and cheerleader of the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the preeminent culprits in the government-sponsored mortgage debacle. Barney Frank, like no other candidate, embodies the arrogant folly of big government liberalism. This could presage the over-due retirement of the entire progressive liberal wing of the Democrat party spawned from the counter-culture generation of the 1960's. From biggoverntment.com 11/28/2011 Climate-Gate Redux In addition to the damning emeals hacked and published two years ago, communications from leading climate scientists have been released to the public. These correspondence provide further evidence of ethical lapses and deliberate attempts to manipulate or omit key data that led to bunk conclusions and phony assertions about man-made climate change. Coincidentally, a new report by these establishment pseudo-scientists suggest warming was less than feared. From forbes.com, robertd.wordpress.com and AFP via biggoverntment.com 11/25/2011 Crony Congress Peter Schweitzer, editor of BigPeace.com, an Andrew Breitbart project, has published a book about insider trading and corrupt dealings among members of Congress. The book is appropriately titled Throw Them All Out. He details in bipartisan fashion how members of Congress use their inside information and influence to materially benefit themselves. Last weekend mainstream media mainstay 60 Minutes did a story based on the book that featured the self-dealing of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Senator Spencer Bachus. Perhaps the permanent political class are the one-percenters that both the Tea Party and the Occupiers can agree must go. From thedailybeast.com 11/17/2011 Love Lost The Occupy Wall Street protests are starting to rub America wrong. A liberal polling firm reports that the Occupy movement is viewed less favorably over all and in particular when compared to the Tea Party. New York finally decided to clear out Zuccotti Park in a midnight raid. Other cities are taking action against these malcontent squatters. From washingtonexaminer.com and nydailynews.com 11/16/2011 Bottom One-Percent The Occupy Wall Street protests are becoming unhinged. There are reports of murder, rapes, theft, violence, vandalism, drug-use, over-doses, disease, disorder, and general lawlessness. Now Occupy Denver has elected a three year-old border collie as their leader. It is becoming ever clearer that this protest movement does not represent the 99%, but instead represents a rag-tag collection of hippies, anarchists and other ne'er-do-wells. From mrctv.org and biggovernment.com 11/13/2011 High-Tech Lynching Last weekend Politico published an anonymously-sourced article accusing Republican presidential front-runner Herman Cain of being the subject of sexual harrassment allegations while head of the Nation Restaurant Association in the late 1990's. There began the smear campaign reminiscent of the outright attack on Clarence Thomas twenty years ago. After suffering several months of character assassination attempts Clarence Thomas declared his emancipation from the high-tech lynching that was his confirmation hearing. Despite the humiliating public-undressing and slander of an accomplished conservative black man he was confirmed to the United State Supreme Court. The same thing is starting to happen to Mr. Cain, and some Republicans are aiding and abbeting the left. From rushlimbaugh.com 11/5/2011 American Occupiers The Occupy movement comprised of dissillusioned liberals, Marxist radicals, anti-semitic bigots, and blood-sucking collectivist vampires are facing some head winds. First, in the northeast they are experiencing an early winter blast of cold weather including possible record breaking snowfall. There are reports of rampant crime, free-loading, and a general erosion of morale in the orginal occupation site of Zuccoti Park near Wall Street. In Oakland protesters staged a confrontation with police at City Hall which resulted in the high-profile injury of an Iraq-War vet. It has been discovered that the "hero" veteran protester was a zealous war critic, and in fact belonged to and created groups against the wars and against the Marine Corps. In other major Occupation sites around the country there are reports of crime, exploitation, civil disobedience, and general malevolence. Liberal pundits and Democrat politicians are trying to compare this group with the Tea Party. There's no comparison. From winteryknight.wordpress.com 10/29/2011 Autocrat Execution The 40-year reign of Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi is officially over. Reports indicate he was attempting to escape his home town of Sirte and was stopped by NATO drone attacks. He was found hiding in a drainage ditch and was paraded briefly then shot to death. From youtube.com 10/20/2011 Mission Africa The Obama administration is sending 100 US troops to central Africa on a mission to help fight Lord's Resistance Army. Their leader, Joseph Kony, has led a religious rebelion against the Ugandan government since 1987. From huffingtonpost.com 10/14/2011 Nanny State California recently passed a law banning minors from going to tanning salons. It's ironic that California, the sunshine state, even has tanning salons, and it proves that banning commercial tanning for minors will not actually prevent them from tanning. If they were really serious they'd ban sunshine. In related news, the European Union has banned children from inflating balloons. From reuters.com and telegraph.co.uk and gadgetsteria.com 10/10/2011 Impeachable Acts The Obama administration is confronting a confluence of scandals. The first to break was the Department of Justice operation dubbed Fast and Furious. The Department of Justice, all the way up to Attorney General Eric Holder, are accountable for the total failure of a program supposedly intended to track the illicite trade of guns from United States to Mexican drug cartels. The second was the collapse of speculative solar company Solyndra. New emails released show that in addition to financials concerns the Obama administration received political warnings from top political donors that the heavily subsidized solar panel manufacturer was not a viable investment. Now a more fundamental question has been raised by the targeting and execution of American-born Al Quaeda-linked terrorist Anwar Al Aulaki. The irony is that this is the same administration who demogogued George W. Bush over the indefinite incarceration and water-boarding of a few foreign-national terrorists. From cbsnews.com and washingtonpost.com and politico.com 10/3/2011 Final Judgement The healthcare/insurance reform bill now commonly known as Obamacare will finally go to the Supreme Court. President Obama's administration declined to request the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to re-hear the case. The Supreme Court will now have to decide whether or not to hear the case amid the 2012 presidential election. Meanwhile, health insurance costs have risen steeply this year despite (or perhap in spite of) president Obama's healthcare law. From Politico.com and FT.com From Daniel J. Mitchell 9/26/2011 Capitol Quakes A 5.8 magnitude earthquake shook the east coast today. The epicenter was in Mineral, Virginia - 40 miles northwest of Richmond. It could be felt from the Carolina's all the way to Canada. No serious injuries or damage have been reported. House Of Cards Credit ratings firm S&P has followed through on it's threat to downgrade the US credit rating. The nations credit rating was lowered from AAA to AA+. This comes after the biggest debt-ceiling increase in the history of the country, and of the world, for that matter. The recent deal to increase the borrowing ability didn't come with enough spending cuts to give the ratings agency confidence in Washington's ability to manage it's finances. This also comes after a couple weeks of volatile stock markets, and growing worries over the fiscal fate of the Euro-zone. The Malaise The United States economy grew at am annual rate of only 1.3% in the second quarter. This comes after revised first quarter GDP growth of only 0.4%. This is the slowest six-month period since the official end of the recession in 2009. Meanwhile, the nation's debt is growing out of control, and President Obama is calling for higher taxes and more borrowing to finance his failed policies. Norway Massacre Norway was hit by two terrorist attacks today. First, an explosion ripped apart government office buildings including the prime minister's office. Next, a man dressed in a police uniform opened fire on a youth summer camp located on a island off the mainland. The perpetrator turns out to be one 32-year old native Norwegian man with ties to strong anti-Islam beliefs. His target was political leaders who promoted political correctness, multi-culturalism, and plurality. There have been reports that he has killed as many as 93 people. He has admitted responsibility for the attacks, and acknowledge their heinousnous, but believe they were necessary. Norwegian law dictates that the worst punishment for such an atrocity is 21 years in prison. America Hurts According to the federal labor department June unemployment increased to 9.2%. This is the second straight month than the unemployment rate has increased. This is now the time to step back and ask if President Obama's policies have worked. After passing a nearly trillion dollar stimulus bill and several thousands of pages of new health care and financial regulations we now have record deficits and an exploding debt and still have fewer jobs that when Obama took his oath of office. President Obama peddled the idea that each of his signature legislative accomplishments would stimulate the economy and create jobs. So where are they? Greece Burns Anarchy erupts in Athens as the Greek government is forced to reform it's finances or face default. In related news, American-trained French socialist politician Christine Lagarde has been autocratically selected to run the America-financed International Monetary Fund. The most common praise of this selection is that she is the first woman to lead the organization. She's a trained lawyer and the French finance minister. It's now her mission to save the European Union from it's fiscally profligate member-states. Bachmann Rises The 2012 Republican presidential candidates are starting to take shape. Minnessota Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann had a strong performance in the first Republican debate in New Hampshire. She is now polling even for the lead with default early front-runner Mitt Romney in the critical primary state of Iowa. There is persistent yet receding speculation that Sarah Palin may join the fray, and she will be in Iowa tomorrow promoting her new biographical film The Undefeated. Now there is just under 500 days until the actual election. War Power Hungry President Barack Obama has displayed astounding arrogance and audacity in arguing that he is not beholden to the War Power Resolution. This requires formal Congressional authorization for military intervention extending beyond 60 days. President Obama has authorized military action against the regime of Muamar Gadafi in Libya for over 90 days now. His refusal to request further authorization from Congress is a direct affront to the rule of law. His legal arguement even goes against two of his top lawyers. This is so bad that even ultra-liberal Congressman Dennis Kucinich fondly recalls the days when George W. Bush actually followed these laws. Summer Fire The Wallow Fire burns in eastern Arizona. Over 486 square miles have been charred so far. This fire is already the second largest in state history. Twitter Trouble New York progressive Democrat Representative Anthony Weiner (pronounced WEE Ner) has been caught in a pickle. Err, with his pants down. In his undies. Literally. In a photo sent to a young college girl in Seattle. The coincidences and inconsistencies of his official story, or lack there of, is telling. Israel Is Right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully rebuked President Obama in his address to Congress this week. He unappologetically asserted the exceptionalism of Israeli among the tyrannical, despotic, and terrorist-tinged middle east. He linked the exceptionalism of Israeli to the exceptionalism of America inextricably. Is he eligibile to run for President of the United States? Bat Sunset Migrating bats in Austin, Texas go out for the night. Show Us President Obama has decided against release of the Osama bin Laden death photos. The Administration insists that they got their man, but their paternal nature and fear of increased retaliatory inspiration has driven them to withhold our money shot. Supercellular Spinner Nature's wrath hath fury. A monster tornado rips through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Government Gone Wild The national debt is set to hit the statutory limit within a week. It currently stands at over $14,000,000,000,000.00. That's over 14 trillion dollars. It's the largest public debt held by any nation on the planet. It's nearly 100% of GDP, and over $45,000.00 per capita. Meanwhile, the value of the dollar is falling and the credit rating outlook is negative for the first time since WWII. Amidst all this bad press President Obama is sending $25,000,000.00 to Libyan rebels who may or may not be infiltrated by Al Quaeda. Campaign Failsafe President Barack Obama introduced his plan to reduce the deficit. It was a response to Paul Ryan's Republican bill that would purportedly save more than $4,000,000,000,000 over ten years. The Presidents plan would purportedly save $4,000,000,000,000 over 12 years. The Republican plan would transform Medicare and Medicaid into a voucher system whereby qualifying entitlees will receive a fixed amount to subsidize the purchase of private insurance and ending the fee-for-service unlimited expense model that is currently in place. The President's plan doesn't really change much at all. It is full of hope and change and a failsafe mechanism whereby automatic cuts will be implemented if deficit-reduction targets aren't met after the President's re-election campaign. No Laugh Track Charlie Sheen, 9/11 truther, drug addict, prostitute patron, and overall loser, has embarked on a tour to exploit his epic demise. He was fired from his number-one show Two and a Half Men recently because of outrageous statements and drug-fueled orgies resulting in a public relations disaster. His tour, The Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option, has not been a success. White Hops Jacob Tucker wins the 2011 NCAA Slam Dunk competition. He is 5'10" and has a 50" vertical. Crony Capitalism According to reports General Electric will pay no corporate taxes this year despite $5,000,000,000.00 in domestic earnings. In fact, they will be receiving a tax refund due to losses at GE Capital during the financial crisis of 2008. Is it a coincidence that GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt was selected as chairman of President Obama's economic council? Actually, it turns out the real crony politican was the recently censured Charles Rangel. It turns out that he enable some tax policies that helped GE, and GE CEO Immelt returned the favor by donating several million dollars to Harlem schools - Rangel's district. Barack Bombing The US has reportedly launched missiles at Libyan military targets in coalition and coordination with the United Nations (France, Britain, Canada) no-fly zone imposition. The Aftermath Japan has suffered enormous human and economic tolls as result of the March 11 9.0 magnitude earthquake and the tusnami that followed. It is estimated to have already taken the lives of over 10,000 people, and the projected economic costs are in the hundreds of billions of dollars. There are still worrying adverse developments at their stricken nuclear facilities. Some pundits are warning of a pending "Chernoby-like" disaster while others are urging cautious reasonable restraint in such dire prognostications. The latest update is that workers have abandoned one reactor because of dangerous radiation levels. Godzilla Spoke Japan was rocked by an 8.9 magnitude earthquake earlier today. The earthquake resulted in a tsunami that wrecked the shores of Japan and even reached the west coast of the United States. It is estimated to have killed thousands and destroyed billions of dollars of infrastructure. However, the great concern right now is the nuclear plants. Currently two are over-heating as a result of power outages that disabled cooling processes. Union Dues The Wisconsin state government passed legislation stripping away public-sector union collective bargaining privileges. This was accomplished by seperating the budget legislation from the collective bargaining legislation and eliminating the need for a quorum. This is a huge victory for private-sector workers and tax-payers across the nation. The unions and their sympathizers are beside themselves. Video Kills Radio James O'Keefe III is at it again taking down the institutional left. His group, Project Veritas, has released another under-cover video investigation exposing distasteful truths. This time the target was NPR. In the video, NPR executives are recorded describing conservatives as racists, and at one point the executive declares that they would be better off without public funding. This new scandal dovetails nicely with Republican efforts to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Race To 2012 Fromer Massachussetts Governor Mitt Romney, a probable front-runner for the Republican nomination for President in 2012, is getting started in New Hampshire by declaring that we need a new president. He is certainly right, but he is not the one. His signature health care reform in Massachussetts, Romneycare, is the grandfather of Obamacare. He'll need hope and amnesia to shake that monkey off his back. Libya Rages The battle for Libya continues with rebels surrounding the capital and defeating forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. Off The Books The Obama Administration has reportedly hosted meeting with lobbyist off White House property so as to avoid reporting the visits. New Press Secretary Jay Carney concedes that the Obama administration meets with lobbyists regularly, but upholds that they have eliminated the revolving door practice. This is when former administration staff go to work for private business with a distinct advantage: the levers of power. Mocking Thom Radiohead released a new album recently. It's called The King of Limbs. They released the first video for Lotus Flower featuring singer Thom Yorke exhibiting some fine dance moves. As one would expect from such a spectacle a site has been established to collect and promote dubs of dancing Thom against other popular tracks. Middle East Earthquake After a popular citizen's revolt toppled the regime in Egypt last week people across the Middle East have started to revolt against their respective tyrants and corrupt autocrats. Uprising have sprung up in Iran, Libya, Yemen, and Bahrain. These people are mad as hell. Revolution Egypt News broker earlier today that Egypt's corrupt autocratic President Hosni Mubarak finally resigned amid 18 days of sometimes violent but mosty peaceful protests. The future of Egypt is uncertain, but the people are elated. Bye Bye Mubarak from Ramy Rizkallah on Vimeo. Beholden Brethren King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has instructed President Barack Obama on international political matters. The Saudi Royalty has reportedly told the United States not to force Egyptian autocrat Hosni Mubarak out of office. They have even threatened to prop up his government by supplanting the $1,500,000,000 in aid that the US currently devotes annually to Egypt. Obamacare's Death Panel United States District Judge from Florida, Roger Vinson, has ruled that the individual mandate (the law requiring all indiviuals to purchase health insurance for no other reason than their being alive) is unconstitutional. In his judgement he declared the whole of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the official title of Obamacare) to be null and void because the legislation did not include a severability clause. The judge reasoned that because the individual mandate was intrinsic to the bill's intents and purposes the total nullification was necessary. The White House official response is to decry this judgement as judicial activism, but the truth is that this judgment is judical prudence in response to over-reaching legislative activism. This is now the second federal judge to rule the individual mandate unconstitutional, but Judge Vinson is the first to rule the entire law kaput. There is no doubt that this is headed to the Supreme Court where it's ultimate fate will be decided. Egypt Ablaze Chaos is unfolding across Egypt and other countries as citizens protest their oppressive government. Terror In Russia A suicide bomber struck Russia's biggest airport today. The attack at Moscow's Domodedovo airport killed at least 35 people and injured over 150. Trouble In Paradise The worst person in the world, Keith Olbermann, has resigned from his role as lead ultra-smug liberal talking head on MSNBC. There is much speculation as to why the sudden and unanticipated departure, but one thing is certain: the world is a slightly happier place. Triangulation With unemployment still at politically unacceptable levels, President Barack Obama has begun to reshape his administration. The insufferabley smug Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has announced his resignation. William Daley, an experienced Chicago/Washington pol has been selected to replace Chicago/Washington pol Rahm Emanuel. The latest unemployment figures and the general malaise in America is creating a political crisis for Democrats. A recent report shows a large-scale caucasian and general exodus among Americans from the Democrat party. Snow Blown Unionized New York City sanitary employees are being accussed of a deliberate work slow-down in responding to the great blizzard of 2010. Apparently they are upset at or preempting cuts in staff resulting from the state's dire budget situation. They have been video-taped sleeping, drinking, and likewise general lolligagging while the streets sat impassable. White Desert Several areas of the Phoenix metro area (part of Sonoran desert) reported white flakes falling from the sky today. It turns out, it wasn't snow; it was graupel. Checks Unbalanced The Obama administration is proceeding with controversial diktat through a variety of means. The Federal Communications Commission has recently asserted it's rights and responsibility to enforce so-called net neutrality laws on internet demand and supply. The Department of Health and Human Services has issued death panel incentives to doctors despite Congress withdrawing the language from Obamacare. And the President has made two more recess appointments to his cabinet. This arbitrary and autocratic regulation is an example of the importance of checks and balances between the triumvirate body of government. Frozen Forecast The eastern coast of the United States and much of the northeastern hemisphere is experiencing record snowfall and cold weather. South Carolina and Atlanta have had their first white Christmas in over 120 years. Even Moscow's main airport was closed overnight due to snowfall. Climate Change Chief Al Gore's wrath hath fury. Dead Duck Democrats President Barack Obama gloated about his lame duck legislative accomplishments referring to the period as a season of progress. It's really a slap in the face to the American's who just elected new representatives by the greatest mid-term reversal margin in generations. The lame duck legislative sessions must be banished. The simplest solution to ending this illegitimate activity is by furloughing politicians. Who Lied Politifact.com, the political fact-checking website, has announced its' second annual Lie of the Year award for 2010. The winner was Frank Luntz's assertion that Obamacare would be a "government takeover" of healthcare. In response to Politifact, Booyah News is announcing the second annual You Lie! award for 2010. The honor goes to President Obama for proclaiming if you like your healthcare you can keep it. Since Obamacare was signed into law, hundreds of organizations (for-profit, non-profit) have received Obamacare regulation waivers so they could continue to provide health insurance to their employees. The Compromise The Obama-McConnell bipartisan compromise over Bush-era tax cuts was signed into law by President Obama after passing through the House yesterday. This will extend all Bush-era tax cuts, even for the greatest producers; and will include an extension of unemployment benefits; a one-year, 30% payroll tax-cut; and will reinstate the estate tax at a lower-than-otherwise level. It turns out that the only people happy about this are the politicians whose careers are in jeopardy. While those with principles, right or left, despise the legislation. Alas, compromise only benefits the compromisers; not those who have to live with it. Fail Hard Senate majority leader Harry Reid has withdrawn the $1,100,000,000,000 omnibus spending bill. Entitlement Syndrome Greece has been forced to make severe cuts in their social programs as a result of their pre-bankruptcy bailout. It would have been a lot worse without the bailout, and certainly should have been; but the entitled class doesn't take any degree of austerity well. The Bigs There's the original big; George Orwell's Big Brother. Courtesy of the Drudge Report we now have Big Sis Janet Nopalitano; former Arizona Governor and current head of Homeland Security. Today Michelle Obama was auditioning for the latest big incarnation. In her continuing war against bigness she declared that she can't just leave it up to the parents. Whoa now, Big Mama! Damage Control President Barack Obama called in former President Bill Clinton for advice in handling his political crisis. The current president is coming under tremendous fire from his base, the hard-core liberal-statist left, for his recent compromise with Republicans over the extension of the Bush Tax Cuts. After the meeting between Obama and Clinton they addressed the White House Press Corps. While Bill Clinton was answering questions President Obama took the opportunity to excuse himself because he was late for a party. He left the The Era of Big Government is Over former President Bill Clinton to handle his business. Winter Weather Brought to you by global warming. Ideological Gridlock South Carolina Republican Senator Jim DeMint, known for his very strong conservative principles and for his surprise re-election against unlikely Democrat challenger Alvin Greene, has come out against the Obama-McConnell Bush-Tax-Cut Policy Compromise. This exposes deep philosophical divisions between both the left and the right against the politically expedient policy of President Obama. Liberal Elite When asked by a reporter if he felt he was not being treated as an average American, recently censured Congressman Charles Rangel responds that he does not deal in "average American citizens". Thanks For Nothing Vice President Joe "Recovery Summer" Biden is disappointed. The official United States unemployment rate has inched up to 9.8% from 9.6%. Non-farm payrolls increased by 39,000 in November. This is far below economists expectations, and not enough to signal anything resembling a recovery. The real unemployment rate is even worse when you consider those under-employed or those not actively seeking employment. And the lame-duck Democrats want to allow taxes to rise in January. They insist that so called rich should pay even higher tax rates proportionate to their productivity when they already contribute in staggering disproportion to the operating costs and wealth redistribution schemes of the federal government. When half of Americans pay no federal income taxes it might be more logical to ask them to contribute a percentage, or perhaps; we should cut the inherently wasteful discretionary spending and ponziesque distribution schemes rampant throughout the largest too-big-to-fail economic entity in the world: the Unites States Federal Government. Simply look to the financial wreck that is Europe to see our possible and increasingly likely fate. We are already experiencing European employment conditions. We may need to add the Donkey to the endangered species list if Democrat malfeasance continues. Thanks For Giving Thank you to those who give and sometimes lose their lives for us. Big Sister There is a building storm about new enhanced security protocols being used by the Transportation and Security Administration at airports. The TSA has adopted new full-body x-ray machines that essentially take nude snapshots of passengers in the hopes of finding explosive panties. A traveler may refuse this, but is then subject to extensive pat-downs that have been desribed as groping, invasive, and offensive. Political correctness is forcing the TSA agents to search randomly instead of profiling for likely terrorists e.g. middle-eastern muslims. They've stooped to such blatant stupidity by searching octegenarian nuns and small children (see below). One man has become a popular sensation for recording his ordeal where he told the TSA agent: "You touch my junk, and I'll have you arrested." Now the TSA is declaring that all passengers refusing either inspections methods will be prohibited from flying, and will be held at the airport for further questioning by the TSA and local law enforcement. You may also be subject to an $11,000.00 fine. Money For Nothing Part 2 On average federal employees are handsomely rewarded for their productive efforts. It was recently reported that some White House staffers received significant raises last year. Some received raises of as much as 67%. See the chart below for the average compensation for Federal, State/Local, and Private employees. Money For Nothing The Federal Reserve recently announced plans to inject another $600B to 1 trillion dollars into the financial markets through quantitative easing. This is a proposed measure of stimulus that's aim is to reduce long term borrowing costs to spur economic activity. The folly of this plan is that there is not an inadequate supply of funds in the markets, but a lack of demand among business and entrepenuers. This is a result of an over-active federal government. Thus the best form of stimulus is to discontinue new interventions and rollback onerous regulations passed in the last two years, and to thereby create a stable economic environment for businesses and entrepenuers to take risks that in turn create jobs. Therefore the wrong way forward is to continue the path we have tried: Keynesian economics comprised of vast government spending and an over-active federal reserve heigtening the risks of severe inflation. Sarah Palin rightfully calls on Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke to cease and desist. Midterm Regrets Although the Republican party enjoyed huge victories across the country two elections in particular stand out as significant disappointments. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who by the way does not and has never had a negro dialect, was re-elected in Nevada. This in spite of being the most despicable person on Earth. Soon to be former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, also known as the Banking Queen, won re-election in Massachusetts. Harry Reid should have lost just for being so unlikable, and it is speculated he may have engaged in a bit of election fraud, and most certainly coercion. Barney Frank, the king of the mortgage meltdown as benefactor of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac faced the toughest challenge of his political career from a Harvard educated former Marine Sean Bielat. He won anyway because Massachussets is insufferably liberal. The Massachusetts and Nevada electorate have earned themselves a Booyah Boycott. Democrat Voters 2010 There is one week remaing in the 2010 mid-term elections, and we have located the only voters casting ballots for Democrats. Obamacare Blues Amid more negative reports about the adverse effects of the Democrat's health care overhaul a federal judge in Florida is allowing a lawsuit sponsored by 20 states against the law to proceed. The U.S. District Court Judge, Roger Vinson, characterized the administration's arguement in defense of the law as "Alice in Wonderland". Now the bad news. Just today reports showed that the President's administration has authorized health insurers to charge a premium for sick children on child-only health insurance policies. Also, the largest insurer in Washington state, Regence Blue Shield, has notified it's customers that rates are about to sky rocket due in part to the Democrat's health care bill. Generic Polling Recent polling shows Democrats are very likely to lose control of the House of Representatives and quite possible lose control of the Senate come November. The generic ballot, a widely use polling tool, asks respondents to indicate for which party they would cast a vote without a specific candidate. Rasmussen Reports, widely considered to be right-leaning (but also very accurate), as recently as Monday showed the Republican Party with a 3-point advantage. This was the first time all year that the advantage was below 5 points; possibly a worrying trend, but more likely an abberation. Interestingly, poll respondents not affiliated with either major party support Republicans by an 18-point margin. More striking are the results of Gallup, a firm widely considered to be accurate and unbiased. Among registered voters the advantage is 3-points for Republican; but among likely voters, which are similar to Rasmussen metrics, the advantage is 13 points. Further, under the likely-voter, lower-turnout metric the Republican advantage is 18 points. The Presidency of Barack Obama is looking more likely to wreak historic destruction to the Democrat party in this mid-term election. 105 Miles Per Hour Cincinnati Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman threw the fastest pitch ever recorded last night. Among the 25 pitches thrown in his relief effort all were fastballs at least 100 miles per hour. The Fiddler During the presidential campaign Barack Obama was revered for his oratorical gift. After nearly the first half of his presidency it has become known that his oratorical skills are often quite poor, and he is often quite inarticulate. In a recent speech he remarked that Mexicans were in America long before America was even an idea. That's simply impossible because Mexico did not declare independence until several decades after America. Although many people understood what he meant, his attitude and arrogance demand more from the President of United States. What's more troubling is his obsession with achieving his domestic aims at the expense of his foreign obligations as commander in chief. The tyrannical and despotic leader of Iran is threating war without boundaries, and the President is still pleading with Amadinejad to sit down and talk. Delaware Upset Tea Party favorite Christine O'Donnell won the Senate primary against veteran Rino Mike Castle in Delaware. Mike Castle was selected to run by the Republican establishment because he had won statewide contests many times. This may be because he fit the liberal demographic mold of the First state and voted like a true Democrat. The anti-establishment theme continues this election season. September 11, 2010 Nine years ago today Islamic radicals flew planes into the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and with the help of heroic passengers, into a field in Pennsylvania. And the war of ideologies rages on. Blind Eyes The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency expressed great concern over Iran's nuclear weapon ambition. The concern was established in an 11-page report that detailed how Iran restricted inspections of their facilities. Iran recently fueled their first reactor at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, and their progress toward peaceful generation of power and research or nefarious weapons programs has not been impeded by diplomacy. The supposed leader of such efforts, President Barack Obama, has been thoroughly consumed with domestic affairs. Today the President marked Labor Day by calling for more impotent government spending programs to address the unemployment crisis. He complained that his domestic critics treat him like a dog, but it appears that he has confused his domestic critics for his foreign enemies. It is Iran that is treating President Obama like a dog by biting his extended diplomatic hand. The Leader New Jersey Governor Chris Christie showcases how politicians can and should speak truthfully and bluntly about the true nature of the problems that face our country. Earth Wind And Fire Stunning footage of fire tornados in Brazil. $13,310,379,000,000.00 The total public debt of the United States reach $13.3 trillion dollars as of August 19, 2010. That figure represent nearly $44,000.00 per citizen. Meanwhile, the oval office is being cleaned whilst the first family vacations in Maine. Desperate Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is fighting hard to keep his seat in Congress. He is being challenged by surprise Republican primary victor and Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle. This week he wondered aloud why anyone of Hispanic heritage was a Republican. He needs the Hispanic vote to have any chance of winning in November. After all, his political accomplishments are so universally unpopular that exploiting race is his only hope. Boy Scouts Boo Recently President Obama chose to gab with the girls on the daytime talkshow The View rather than address the 100th anniversary celebraton of the Boy Scouts of America. Instead he sent them a video to congratulate their achievement. The Obamacare Maze United States Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas and Representative Kevin Brady of Texas have put together a helpful chart to help grasp the complex web of beauracracy created by the Democrats partisan clusterfuck health care reform. The American Bubble The Non-Partisan Congressional Budget Office has issued a warning concerning the rapid rise of United States sovereign debt. The federal debt is now higher than at any point relative to gross domestic product since World War II. Demographic trends such as an aging population and the rising cost of medical care could exacerbate a likely if not probable crisis in which investors lose confidence in the United States to meet it's debt obligations. If this crisis materializes it would lead to a sharp increase in borrowing costs or rapid inflation. Since the housing bubble was effectively absorbed by the federal government it would be reasonable to anticipate that effects of this crisis would be exponential. Democrat Ethics New York Democrat Congressman Charles Rangel is officially charged with ethics violations, and will face trial for his willful transgressions. Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rangel was in charge of writing tax laws for the rest of us. Yet he couldn't seem to figure out his own tax liability, and was oblivious to the corporate sponsorship of his travels. The 80-year-old Congressman spent half his life in Congress. His actions expose the corruption and hypocrisy of Democrats (in particular) and career politicians in power. Oil Burns It appears that British Petroleum has successfully capped the Deepwater Horizon oil leak. If so, this will end three months of oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, and mark the begining of the end of this environmental and economic disaster. Meanwhile, 2,000 firefighters in China battled a fire after oil pipelines exploded over the weekend. What's In The Bill As the massive healthcare bill is executed and administered upon the American people the details begin to emerge. This week three alarming developments came to light: 1.) Despite an executive order Obamacare will use public funds to pay for abortions; 2.) By 2014 the stimulus-mandated electronic health records database is requiring all Americans to submit their obesity rating; and 3.) The high-risk insurance pools designed to cover the uninsured until insurance companies are forced to in 2014 will only cover a limited number of people with premiums as high as $1,577 per month. Nancy Pelosi was right; we had to pass the bill to find out what's in it. Double Standard The premise of the United States Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona's SB1070 immigration enforcement legislation is that it infringes upon the responsibility of the federal government to enforce immigration. It argues that states should not be allowed to enact their own immigration enforcement laws, and the laws should be uniform and exclusively administered by the federal government. So why won't the Eric Holder Justice Department go after sanctuary cities? Real Financial Reform One thing is missing from the 2000 pages of financial reform passed by congress recently. There is absolutely nothing contained within the bill to address the monsters that are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These two once Government Sponsored Entities, and now wards of the state, are the foundation of the mortgage crisis that upended our banking system and the economy at large. These organizations are responsible for the mortgage bubble because they facilited the subsidized borrowing that fueled the rapid expansion of home prices. They borrowed money from domestic and international investors with the implicit backing of the federal government (see taxpayers) that gave them favorable (see monopoly) rates that were passed on to qualified and not-so qualified home buyers. They represent the largest bailout of the financial bailout in terms of actual dollars, and could eventually lead to trillions of dollars in losses. It is these entities that distort free markets and create bubbles that eventually burst and wreak havoc on the economy. Alas, they will remain if this financial reform bill is passed. Public Relations Crisis President Obama spent the weekend golfing, while Former BP CEO Tony Hayward went yachting. Meanwhile, the gulf oil disaster is still unfolding. President Bush stopped playing golf out of respect for the sacrifice of our soldiers in the wars of Iraq and Afghansitan. President Obama has already surpassed the former President in golf outings. It's no wonder his approval rating keeps slipping. When Congressmen Attack Bob Etheridge, Democrat Congressman from North Carolina, doesn't appreciate being linked to President Obama's agenda. Or rather, he doesn't like two young college students with video cameras asking him if he supports the President's agenda. Painted Red The public debt of the United States is expected to reach $13,600,000,000,000 this year and climb to $19,600,000,000,000 by 2015. In that year public debt will exceed gross domestic product. Ultra liberal Congressman Barney Frank wants more authority: Back To Black The United States economy created 431,000 job in May. Hooray? Nay. Of those job created 411,000 were temporary (and fraudulent) census jobs. The private sector created only 41,000 jobs. This employment report is dismal. After creating 158,000 jobs in March, and 218,000 jobs in April, May's number took a steep dive. The unemployment report dropped to 9.7% from 9.9% only because 322,000 Americans stopped looking for work. The American private sector which produces wealth and prosperity will not recover until the public sector stops it's deleterious assault. Falling Down President Obama's approval rating has sunk to 42% according to the most recent Rasmussen Reports daily tracking poll. Another poll shows that 63%, the largest measure yet, favor repealing the President's healthcare bill. There isn't much going right for the President these days. He is now taking the blame from all sides of the political spectrum for the ineffective federal response to the continuing oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the pressure is increasing on his administration to be more forthcoming regarding the alleged job offer to a Senate candidate Joe Sestak in return for not running against Arlen Specter in the Pennsylavia Democrat primary. He won the primary against Specter and continues to confirm that a job was offered to him, but he has not elaborated further. California Congressman Darrell Issa is demanding answers, and has acknowledged that this is an impeachable offense. Today President Obama joined Senate Republicans during their luncheon to plead for bipartisanship. Immediately after the event Mr. Obama announced that he was sending 1200 troops to the southern border with Mexico. Maybe he's figuring it out. The Mirage Global warming alarmists have caused unnecessary alarm among the public about the bogus threat of anthropogenic carbon emissions. The real crisis we are facing is the impending disaster of anthropogenic economic intervention; or the redistributive, anti-productive nature of big government imposition. The debt crisis in Greece, and many other Euro-zone countries, is foreshadowing the conditions looming for the United States. The government bubble is upon us; beware the consequences when it bursts. Climate Change Flip-Flop A leading climate scientist is now warning that we are entering a period of global cooling. Al Gore is crying. Holiday Inn Attorney General Eric Holder showcased his ignorance and abdication as chief law enforcer at a recent Congressional inquiry. The Attorney General had recently criticized the immigration bill recently passed in Arizona. When asked about his position or constitutional analysis of Arizona Senate Bill 1070 he admitted he had not yet read the bill. He was also asked to address the nature of the threat of Radical Islam against the country. The Attorney General deflected the question with stunning naivete. Suns Versus Lakers The Suns and Lakers will meet to determine the Western Conference Champion after both teams swept their second-round opponents. The Bailout's Bailout The initial bailout of Greece proved futile. Over the weekend the EU, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund concocted a trillion-dollar pan-European bailout program to quell the anxiety seen in the financial markets last week. After the Dow Industrial Index dropped nearly 1000 points in a matter of minutes last Thursday it was apparent that something was amiss. The markets suffered big losses last week, and recovered over half the losses on Monday following the announcement of the new bailout scheme. However, it may be all for naught. The Euro is weakening and gold is matching it's record highs. The truth is that the western world simply does not have the money to continue bailing out the profligate ways of the welfare states. Meanwhile, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is preparing massive budget cuts to address the state's $18,600,000,000 budget deficit. Bailout Blues Greece has descended into chaos and anarchy after an austerity-strings-attached $150,000,000,000 European Union and International Monetary Fund (American) bailout. Roiling The Left Arizona is leading the charge against the politics of political correctness. The House and Sentate of Arizona has passed a bill banning ethnic studies classes in government-subsidized public or charter schools. This would apply to classes that features the following: -Promote the overthrow of the U.S. Government -Promote resentment toward a race or class of people -Are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group -Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of treating pupils as individuals Arizona ought continue leading the charge against the institutionalization of intolerant and deleterious policitcal correctness made possible by the Euro-American liberal guilt complex. Arizona Enforcement Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed SB 1070 into law. This is the new immigration enforcement bill that has become so contorversial nationally. According to Rasmussen Reports 70% of registered voters in Arizona support it. This bill has nothing to do with racism as detractors of any conservative values would have you believe. It has come to this because the federal government has not adequately addressed the illegal immigration problem. There are approximately half a million illegal immigrants in the state. Some illegal immigrants are productive and peaceful, and contribute to our society positively. But others are violent, illicit, and deleterious. Yet all have come here in direct defiance of the law. The macro-economic problem with illegal immigration is that on average they are under-educated or ill-prepared to live in America. Therefore, they don't speak the language, they engage in illegitimate or illegal employment, and they consume a disproportionate amount of social services and resources thus becoming an enormous economic burden. The impact of this legislation is nothing new, either. Local police were engaged in the same enforcement activity authorized by this bill until President Obama rescinded it amid political pressure. Prices Rise The Labor Department reported that wholesale food and energy prices increased by 2.4% and 2.1% respectively. That's the largest amount since 1984, and an annual inflation rate of over 20%. Now imagine the consequences of trillion-dollar budget deficits and expanding entitlements for the foreseable future. The greenback, even the new hundred-dollar bill, is fiat currency. Earth Speaks Flights have been cancelled across Europe and US Military operations have been forced to double flight times for injured soldiers as result of the eruption of Iclandic volcano Eyjafjallaj�kull. Hat In Hand President Barack Obama greets Chinese President Hu Jintao with a bow. Let The Race For 2012 Begin The President and his Administration has received harsh criticism from Conservatives as result of his willingness to sacrifice a piece of American sovereignty to appease a foe of yesteryear. President Obama has signed a renewed Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, aka START, with Russia. The aim of this treaty is to advance the retirement of nuclear missles by nearly a third. The consequences of the treaty will result in less autonomy for the US, and a mandated weakening of our defense systems to mimic the structural deficiency of the Russian's. This act is no more than a continuation of President Obama's Appeasement Doctrine. He is willing to kowtow to our cold war enemy and other dictators and autocrats around the world while simultaneously alienating and agravating our true friends across the globe. Responding to harsh criticism by Sarah Palin, Obama snidely remarked that she was no nuclear arms expert. She hammered him yesterday while headlining the Southern Republican leadership Conference. Bart Won't Run Congressman Bart Stupak has announced his retirement at the end of his term this year. He won't run for re-election because he wants to spend more time with his family. The truth is that he would get crushed in a re-election campaign, and he'd rather spare himself the embarassment. However, he will forever be the symbol of a lack of principles and a crooked soul. The result of Bart's compromise is the inflication of Obamacare on an unwilling nation. Commander In Chief Will General David Patraeus be our next President? The media is talking about it, but he has denied speculation. Statist Ineptitude Non-farm payrolls rose by 162,000 jobs in the month of March. This is the biggest net creation of jobs in about two years. Unfortunately, the unemployment rate remains at 9.7%. This obfuscated figure, as poor as it is, is not accurate. After trillions of dollars of spending commitments the economy is barely treading water at the low-water mark. Keep in mind that the figures included the temporary jobs created by the decennium government census. Similarly, the IRS is planning to hire 16,000 more agents to enforce Obamacare on the averse American electorate. And even more disconcerting is that government-sector average per capita conpensation far exceeds the average compensation of the American private-sector. Meanwhile, over 20% of Americans are drowning in the abyss of statism - those of whom are un- or under-employed. Liberal Rage A Democrat donor has allegedley made anti-semitic death threats to Congressman Eric Cantor and his family. The Democrat National Committee will donate the raging liberal's donation to charity. In related news, Harry Reid supporters threaten Andrew Breitbart for hanging out with them. Geriatric Honesty Senior Democrat Congressman John Dingell admits it will take a while to implement the necessary bureaucracy to control the people. Hubris Today President Obama celebrated successful destruction of the economy and the our health care system by signing the trillion dollar Senate sausage-bill with 22 pens and distributing them to his fellow Congressional gangsters. The Day The Democrats Sank Our Ship The Senate healthcare legislation passed 219 to 212 in the Farce of Representatives. Trillion dollar economic and healthcare train wreck without even one party's complete support. Meanwhile, American treasuries are indicating a loss of triple-A credit status. That Sinking Feeling The disapproval rate for President Obama has exceeded his approval rate for the first time in Gallups polling - now equal to George Bush's when he left office. 48% of poll respondents disapprove of his performance. Similarly, Congress is close to an all time low with 16% approval and 80% disapproving. You'd think that kind of feedback would force them to change their tact, but it appears to have no impact. President Obama has delayed his Asian tour in order to help ram through their reckless healthcare bill this weekend. The actions by this Administration and Congress is a direct affront to the American people. They will pay dearly for their blatant abuse of power and disregard for the rule of law. Let's hope they're stopped before making us pay for their arrogance. The Preacher The healthcare reform debate is coming to a conclusion. The New York Times is practicing unrestrained idolatry in the fight for a liberal agenda. Best Music Video of 2010 Bart's Compromise Michigan Democrat Representative Bart Stupak is hoping to reconcile federal abortion-funding policy in the Senate healthcare plan. The most striking statistic about abortion is that it heavily favors black people. It's a bit ironic that the first black President is so callously oblivious to the modern scourge of the African American community. Bart Stupak knows better. He ought excercise the public's option and abort the bill. Graft, Contempt, Democrats The Democrat party is tattered. Corruption after scandal after contempt and graft the Grand Ole Democrats are reeling. The literaly and figuratively visually challenged David Paterson is the latest victim of the self-inflicted Democrat descendency. Two Turn Tables And... OTP Mock rappers mock President Obama as a one-term president. Paygo, Sometimes Congress exposed it's hypocrisy this week when attempting to extend unemployment benefits and other disincentives toward productivity enhancing behaviors. Kentucky Senator Jim Bunning (former Hall of Fame pitcher) stood firm in obstructing majority support for these measures. He was demonized in the media and accused of malice towards the unemployed and vulnerable. He was simply standing up for recently passed legislation imposing "paygo" principles on Congressional spending. His objection was that there were no equally weighted cuts or revenue increases to cover the cost of the $10,000,000,000.00 legislation. He offered several ways to reconcile this contradiction, and at the last minute, his demands were met. Meanwhile, New York congressman Charles Rangel is expected to resign his chairmanship of the House Ways and Means Committee over several instances of ethical lapses. The Queen Of Korea Kim Yu-Na delivers a flawless, record-breaking performance to win the gold medal in the Women's Free Skate competition. Busted! House Way and Means Committee Chairman - the taxman - Charles Rangel is found to be in violation of Congressional ethics rules. US Upset The US Olympic hockey team is proceeding to the semi-finals after defeating Switzerland 2-0. Beats The Joker Vancouver 2010: Medal Count <p><a href="http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-medals/" title="Vancouver 2010 Medals">View the vancouver2010.com medals' table</a></p> American Dominance American Olympic athletes are routing the world through the 7th day of competition. They are leading Germany by seven medals for a total of 20, and are on pace the break their previous record medal haul. The Hangover Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of President Obama's Stimulus plan. Many people will argue whether or not it has been effective. The truth can be found in the objective analysis of economic data. Today new data was released that further discredits proponents of the stimulus plan. New unemployment claims for January rose by 31,000 to 473,000. Economists were expecting the figure to be around 430,000. Walmart announced sales figures for the most recent quarter, and for the first time ever reported a sales decline. Additionally, and even more perilous, the Producer Price Index rose by 1.4%. This figure represents an annualized inflation rate of over 16%. The Federal Reserve has responded by raising the emergency discount rate to .75%. This is the rate charge directly to banks, and will not directly impact consumers, but is the start of further monetary tightening that will further exacerbate economic expansion and job growth. Furthermore, fears are growing that China is losing interest in purchasing treasury bills. This will make government largess harder to finance, and will raise borrowing costs for everyone. Bad First Impressions Senator Evan Bayh from Indiana announced today that he would withdraw from re-election candidacy amid a "narrow ideolog(ical)" legislative agenda. He is referring to the liberal Democrat leadership that has sunk the Democrats ship in the first year of the Obama presidency. As noted previously on these pages: It was the gargantuan, partisan, and ineffectual American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that has reaped political paralysis in Congress. This legislation showcased the corrupt, Keynesian, and Big Government direction of Washington leadership, and it left a bad taste in the mouths of most Americans. Senator Bayh's departure from the U.S. Congress further exposes the predicament that Liberalism now finds itself. American Victory Two Americans celebrate bronze and gold at the women's freestyle skiing finals. Spend, Then Tax President Obama is open to tax increases to pay for his federal largess. All while the economic double-dip is upon us. Despite the Congressional efforts toward a "jobs" bill the latest unemployment projections are weak. The employment and investment market will resume stability when the finite leftward leadership in Washington accept that their oblique redistribution of wealth and anti-industrial demogoguery is the precise cause of such poor economic conditions. Global Warming Recalled Palin At The Tea Party Sarah Palin addresses the first inaugural Tea Party Convention in Nashville, Tennessee: Contingency Operations Iran has continued to defy demands by the West to halt their nuclear program, and now the US is preparing and strategically locating anti-ballistic missle defense systems in the region. This will be Obama'a chance to test his mettle against an ideological and tyrannical force of evil. The Mad Mullahs of Iran have threatened to display their power on February 11. China Red-Faced Hugo Chavez Socialism State Of The Union President Obama made it clear that the state of the union is very poor. In doing so he continued to blame George W. Bush for the condition of our union, and he neglected to concede his own failed initiatives i.e. the Stimulus. The President even had the audacity to claim that 2 million jobs were "saved or created" as a result of this stimulus. The figure was determined after a new adjustment to their jobs "saved and created" already-phony accounting methodology. Even if it were an accurate figure, it means each job "saved or created" cost US nearly $150,000! He also pledged to continue to fight for healthcare reform, cap-and-trade, and he even proposed giving radically subsidized student loans to students who pursue careers in public service. He also reprimanded the Supreme Court (from which 6 members were seated directly in front of him) for its' recent decision to repeal some unconstitutional campaign finance laws. Essentially, he made it clear that he will double-down on his destructive agenda in the face of popular revolt. The President recently said he'd rather be a good one-term president rather than a mediocre two-term president. Last night he defianty stated "I dont quit." If he continues on his path he will likely be a failed one-term president. Obama should seriously consider quitting some of his most ideological and destructive initiatives for the sake of our country - and the Democrat party. Mr. Bloom On Global Warming Intra-Administration Contradiction No one can calculate the number of jobs saved or created by the Stimulus Bill passed almost a year ago. Three different officials in President Obama's administration gave conflicting accounts of this projected figure. The projections ranged from "thousands and thousands" to "2 million". Both figures are corrupt because there is no such account for jobs saved just as there is no account for jobs lost because of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Haiti Employment On Ice According to government figures the US economy lost 85,000 jobs in December keeping the unemployment rate at 10%. This Reuters dispatch offers an interesting caveat: "The jobless rate held steady at 10 percent, the Labor Department said on Friday, but it would have marched higher if a surprisingly large number of discouraged jobseekers had not left the labor force." Where does one go when they leave the labor force? The truth is that the real unemployment rate is much worse than 10%, and is likely much closer to the official underemployment rate of 17.3%. And the odds of a robust economic recovery are diminishing rapidly. The headwinds of dystopia: inflation, taxes, and interest rates; are all going up. The Weather Three's Company The Secret Service revealed today that a third uninvited guest crashed the White House state dinner in November. The night gained a lot of attention when the Salahi's posted pics with Vice President Joe Biden on their Facebook page. Now it turns out they weren't the only ones who penetrated what should be the most secure house on Earth. How is the Obama Administration going to secure the country if they can't secure his own dinner party? Among his many national security missteps, his idealistic vision to rid the world of nuclear weapons is facing resistance. 2010 Cometh, 2009 Goeth The previous year was very traumatic for most Americans. It was the short-lived experiment with the abstract concepts of hope and change. In 2009 Americans learned what those empty words meant. Liberalism and Keynesianism were the dominant political ideals of 2009, and their application proved dangerous, destructive, and in some cases disasterous. The new President and his administration started with a bang: the $787,000,000,000 Stimulus Plan. This costly legislation, passed with only Democrat votes, proved impotent towards private-sector job creation, and effective in sustaining unions, public employees, and other Demomcratic constituents. Unemployement rose from 7.6% in January to over 10% in the fourth quarter. After attempting and ultimately failing to fix the economy the Democrats moved on to their two most important domestic agendas: Energy and Health Care. The public and political debate was overwhelmingly directed toward the attempt to remake the American health care system. From death panels and public options, to individual mandates and political bribes; the process was a clusterfuck, and the resulting legislation passed by the Senate is representative of this menagerie of political obfuscation and corruption. Fortunately, this year proved disasterous for new energy legislation. Congress was off to a good start by signing a trillion dollar Cap-and-Trade bill back in late spring. As more data was released raising doubts about the validity of theoretical man-made climate change it was the hacked emails between leading climate scientists that finally broke the global warming alarmists back. Climategate showed the unideologically bound public that the process was corrupt, the efficacy of the theory was unsound, and the practical impact of the proposed "solution" was simply not worth the cost. Through this tumultous year America has reaffirmed its' priniciples; hope and change was proven a hoax. The promise of a new year, an American rebirth, is good reason to be optimistic for 2010. 2009 You Lie! Award Goes To... Politifact.com, the political fact-checking website, has announced its' first ever Lie of the Year award for 2009. The winner was Sarah Palin's assertion that liberal health care reform would create "death panels". Her statement was certainly not literally true, but instead it was a figurative examination of the substance. Most political rhetoric is metaphorical in nature, and thus can not be consumed literally. Moreover, the consequences of the statement was wholly benefical to the debate over health care reform. The bold assertion enhanced discussion on enormously consequential legislation, and without the evocative metaphor, a much more destructive version of reform may have already been signed into law - as President Obama had hoped. So it may have been a rhetorical flourish, and not literally accurate, but it had substantial positive consequences for the healthcare debate. In response to Politifact, Booyahnews is announcing the first annual You Lie! award for 2009. The honor goes to President Barack H. Obama for his statment that the gargantuan $787,000,000,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act would keep unemployment from exceeding 8%. He warned that without action it may reach as high as 9%. Now, after hundreds of billions of borrowed dollars have been spent, the unemployment rate stands at 10%! Millions of jobs have been lost, and the national debt burden is out of control. The consequences of Obama's whopper have been far more destructive than anything Sarah Palin has posted on her facebook page. He Died And Went To Pandora... Chaos In Congress The health care debate took a turn for the worse with the recent compromise to remove the Medicare buy-in public option. Senate liberals are now opting out of health care reform that does not mandate socialized medicine. President Obama's unelected replacement, Roland Burris, will not support a bill that does not include a public option or something like it. Former Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate Howard Dean has issued a call to kill the bill. All while former Democrat Senator Joseph Lieberman is warming up to health care reform after firmly objecting to government-run healthcare. It appears that the effort to reform healthcare will collapse under the weight of ultra-statist ideology. And thankfully so. The status quo remains the best of all options. The Green Movement The truth about going green is that those who promote the bogus science are actually going for the green. Researchers of all ilk need funding to conduct their research, and since some science is not commercially viable it must be made so. Climate researchers have manufactured a global crisis in order to extort billions of dollars of other's wealth to support their profession. Through the process the truth is distorted in order to fit their hypothesis, and eventually the scheme grows into an enormous hoax similar in consequence to a ponzi scheme. Furthermore, poor and developing countries and their people, those of whom would purportedly have the most to lose under the dire predictions, have figured out that they need to go for the green, too. Frustrated by the pace and substance of the negotiations, representatives for these climate victims walked out of discussions in Copenhagen. Apparently they have yet to receive a sufficient conformance bribe. Population Control China has astutely identified the root cause of anthopologic climate change: over-population. The truth is that there is no technological panacea to constrict the emission of carbon dioxide while supporting the ever-growing global population. Therefore the only true solution is to have less consumption. This can only be achieved by reducing the total population, and regressing population growth. So if one accepts the premise of man-made global warming and the forecast of catastrophic consequences, then the logical solution is to eviscerate the worlds population. Recognition of the truth and consequences of proposed solutions to climate change might assist the statist world's sheep to reassess their religion. Trace Gas Danger The Environmental Protection Agency has issued an "endangerment finding" on the emission of greenhouse gases. This sets the stage for the bureaucracy to enact sweeping regulations to restrict such gases so as to protect Americans from apocalyptic global warming forecasts. But the fearmongerer's models are broken, and their data is missing. They have displayed a righteous contempt for scientific ethics at the expense of the truth about climate change. The truth about carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is that they are ubiquitiously produced and consumed by everything living. If these are a danger to humanity, then humanity is a danger unto itself. Week In Review The Presidents strategy is the appeasement and compromise of all competing interests on the domestic and foreign political agenda. It's no wonder that his approval is flagging. This week he announced the repeat of the Iraq surge strategy in Afghanistan (Thanks, Bush!), but at the same time he telegraphed to the enemy that they have 18 months to wait us out. Obama is also pressing ahead with the Copenhagen climate summit to proceed with the reorganization of the global economy over the false pretense of man-made global warming. This despite the release of thousands of emails from the leading climate research center that shows a deliberate consiparcy to "hide the decline" in global temperatures. This, of course, is incompatible with the man-made computer models, and thus the theory is flatly debunked. Obama also held a job summit this week to discuss the utter failure of the simulus plan, and how he might spend more money and create new regulations to supposedly kick-start job creation. The employement rate did decline last month according to government figures. It is now at 10%, with only 11,000 jobs lost last month. But the truth is that the economy needs to create over 100,000 jobs per month simply to keep employment from falling. The good news isn't really good, it's just less bad. The President likes to claim that his iniatitives have "brought us back from the brink". It was actually TARP that saved the Big Banks, and the overall economy is left with 40% higher unemployment and a massive new tax burden. Obama deserves credit for going against his liberal base to support the Afghanistan conflict, but it's going to take more than feeble acquiescence to win the war on terrorism. Audacity Of Denial The anthropolical climate change theory is now exposed as an elaborate hoax. Emails from leading global warming propogandists have been hacked from the University of East Anglia, and they reveal a corrupted scientific scheme to manipulate the data to suit their agenda. And instead of calling for an investigation, global warmist priests are in denial and insist on extorting trillions of dollars in wealth to contend with a debunked climate crisis. < 50% For the first time in his Presidency, and quicker than most, Barack Obama's approval rating has dipped below 50%. The confluence of two wars, economic crisis, a legislative quagmire, and Sarah Palin are giving New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd a bit of angst: "Dither, dither, speech. Foreign trip, bow, reassure. Seminar, summit. Shoot a jump shot with the guys, throw out the first pitch in mom jeans. Compromise, concede, close the deal. Dither, dither, water down, news conference." Her brutal assessment is telling. Climatologists Baffled Where's the warming? Waking Life President Obama acknowledged that rapidly expanding federal deficits will have a deleterious impact on the economy. He warned that it may cause a double-dip recession. He is right. So what will he do about it? Now that he has recused himself from willful denial he can take the necessary actions to stem the growth of big government. But given his liberally ideological nature the likely outcome will be much, much higher taxes to pay for bigger, and bigger government. This will similarly hobble the economy into a double-, or perhaps triple-, dip. Yes, She Can The hatred for Sarah Palin in the mainstream media is ubiquitous. New York Time's token Republican David Brooks likens her to a joke and CBS host Bob Scheiffer declares her lack of political future. These are simply attempts to slay the ideals of conservativism. Mainstream media prefers accolades like Ivy League groupthink, preemptive Nobel Peace prizes, and Moral Relativism. But it's the contents of one's character that are the foundation of exceptional leadership. Meanwhile, Obama bows. Show Trials Attorney General Eric Holder has decided to try some terrorists in federal court who are currently being held at Guantanomo Bay. This comes as White House counsel Greg Craig has resigned amid his failure to execute the policy to close the Guantanomo Bay detention center within one year of Obama's inauguration. This is yet another member of Obama's gang thrown under the bus for his own poor policy decisions and immature leadership. The truth is that there is no better place than Guantanomo Bay to hold extremely dangerous terrorists. It is not only in the interests of US citizens to keep these murders off our soil, but it is also in the best interest of these extremists given the impeccable conditions in which they are incarcerated. Now Obama's Attorney General wants to put terrorists on trial just blocks from where they attacked the World Trade Center on September 11. This is a very bad decision for two reasons: 1. These are terrorists and not criminals, and therefore should not be afforded constitutional justice; and 2. Bringing these dangerous men to US soil, and New York no less, sets up a very volatile situation that could have a deleterious impact on national security. FHA Goin' Broke The government and all its' manifestations is the prime culprit in the sub-prime mortgage debacle. From the Federal Reserve's manipulation of interests rates to the subsidization of mortgages loans by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac the governments intervention into free markets have absurdly distorted the price of risk and housing. Now another government housing manipulator, the Federal Housing Authority, has announced that its' cash reserves have fallen below Congressionally mandated levels. The FHA is in the business of insuring sub-prime loans to borrower that can't afford market determined rates based on their inferior credit, and simultaneously enables them to purchase a home with a minimal down payment. The reduction in their cash reserves means that they don't have enough cash to cover potential losses. In the last year, their cash reserves have fallen from 3% to .53%. They now have $3.6B to cover loan guarantees of nearly $680,000,000,000. Cruelest Tax Gold hit a new record today. As governments around the world continue to print money the value of currency is eroding. The result is increasing commodity prices, and this is called inflation. The deflation of currency (and inflation of goods and services) is the hidden tax that everyone pays as a result of fiscally imprudent government; and it is regressive, in that it is most harmful to the poor. It is not the fault of business or free markets when the price of everything seems to get more and more expensive every year. Commodity price volatility is a result of bad government policy in three respects: 1. regulation or taxation that limit supply; 2. regulation or taxation that increase demand; or 3. spending money that doesn't exist. Government is exceptional in all of these areas of economic ruin, and that is the best arguement against Big Government. 10.2% The unemployement rate broke 10 percent on today's Labor Department report. This further illustrates the poor policy decisions by our leadership in Washington. Barack Obama promised that his $787,000,000,000 stimulus panacea would keep unemployment below 8%. Ten months on, unemployment is 2.2% higher (and likely to rise further) than the forecast, and 15,700,000 Americans are still without jobs. Although 10.2% unemployment is frightening enough - the first time at these levels in almost 30 years - the real unemployment, those under-employed or those who've stopped looking, is closer to 20%. The President and his Administration have no idea how to manage an economy and promote growth, and it makes one wonder how they're going to "fix" health-care, or even competently perform his duties as Commander In Chief. Americans are now begining to grasp the utter lack of governance, and horrendous policy implications of the Obama Presidency. Path To Prosperity A report from the Congressional Research Service shows that the US possesses the most abundant energy resources compared to any country on Earth. It is absolutely befuddling why we do not exploit our natural resources. Environmental lobbyists, liberals, and global warming alarmists stand in the way of the greatest opportunity for ubiquitous and lasting prosperity in America. These obstructionist create the barriers to wealth generation beyond anything we've ever achieved. Our nations prosperity, energy independence, and ability to innovate new technologies are stymied by misguided and anti-productive policies of the left. RINOs Are Extinct The special election in New York's 23rd congressional district has been elevated to a national debate. Without primaries, the two parties selected their candidates to compete for the seat. Both the Republican and Democrat were essentially the same - liberal. The Republican was one In Name Only. The ideological base of the Republican Party is conservatism, and the base was dissatisfied with their options in this race. Mike Hoffman, who is a conservative Republican, decided to run under the Conservative Party to provide a real alternative in the election. He immediately won endorsments from some major national Republican figures - except for Newt Gingrich. Today the RINO has withdrawn her candidacy. To Err Is Human That man is fallible is indisputable. That man makes the planet warmer is dubious. Man created models to predict the outcome of investments. These models justified the excess leverage and discounted the risks inherent in the mortgage bubble. These models failed. Man also created models to predict the outcome of carbon dioxide emissions on Earth's temperatures. These models predict steady warming with dire consequences. These man-made models are failing. Models created by men are no more than half-baked fortune telling machines. Nature and animal spirits are beyond mans consensual omnipotence. What is common among man-made fortune telling machines is that they are constructed in order to serve their creator's ends. To accept that man is fallible is to reject the servitude of submission to his whims. Unlikely Filibusterer As Democrats plan to force through a public option an erstwhile Democrat is threatening to block their attempt. Joe Lieberman, the Democrat turned Independent and John McCain supporter, sensibly acknowledges that the Democrats are over-reaching. He has threatened to filibuster the bill, but he may not need to as other moderate Democrats are wising up. If not for their wisdom, moderates realize that if they go along with the Liberals of their party they will suffer a crushing defeat in 2010. After all, Americans align themselves with conservative ideology by a 2-1 margin compared to the liberal option. The Thrill Is Gone The latest Rasmussen Report Issues Poll shows that likely voters trust Republicans over Democrats on the top ten issues. The tide has turned swiftly for Democrats. Their rapid and excessive over-reach into the American economy has soured the enthusiasm with which voters put them into office. It appears that the loss of George W. Bush as their punching bag has left them deflated when reduced to running on sound ideas. National Emergency President Obama declared the spread of H1N1 flu virus, otherwise known as Swine Flu, a national emergency. This enables the White House to waive federal regulations and privacy rules to expedite treatment. Some may view this as proactive steps to combat a flu pandemic. Others may view this as further Government encroachment, and a threat to our civil liberties. There is no doubt that the Administration is exploiting this issue to create a sense of panic to push people into accepting Government run healthcare. Soft Tyranny "We're from the Government, and we're here to help." The Obama Pay Czar, Kenneth Feinberg, is working on plans to cut executive pay at bailed-out institutions by as much as 90 percent. It's actually a reasonable and certainly an expected imposition when you consider the ramifications of government intervention. Once one becomes dependent on Government largesse the federal bureaucracies tend to extend their reach into private matters. The Government is not interested in charity with no strings attached. Beholden to their power, Governments must vilify and marginalize the beneficiaries of their charity to disguise their own errors so as abdicate themselves from any responsibility. The real culprit in all of this is the Government. Next time they come offering help politely say: "No, thank you." Doubling Down On Bad Policy Obama plans to expand the government's intervention into the economy by offering more aid to small business. "Obama on Wednesday plans to announce a package of initiatives designed to increase lending, including a request that Congress increase caps for existing Small Business Administration loans, the administration said." Isn't irresponsible lending at subsidized rates what got us into this mess? What Obama fails to realize is that bank loans are down because credit standards have been raised, and those that qualify for loans wouldn't dare in the face of more taxes, regulation, and general uncertainty caused by the government intervening in the private economy. Lincoln On Liberty "We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names - liberty and tyranny." Despots Smell Blood While Barack Obama is consumed with domestic affairs, special interest lobbying, waffling on Afghanistan, and busy apologizing to the world, our real enemies are making alliances and strengthening their hand in the shadow of our weakness. The triumvirate of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela are coalescing to achieve their nuclear ambitions and enhance their global power. The appeasement foreign policy and utopian domestic priorities of our Commander In Chief is setting America up for big challenges in the future. Healthcare Mange-A-Trois An enormous part of the problem in the costs of healthcare is the market dislocation of incentives caused by third-party payment. Doctors want to provide the best care, but they also want to earn the greatest return on their services. Patients want to recieve the best care, but they also want to get the greatest value for their money. The insurance companies want to provide the best service to their customers, but they also want to earn the greatest return for their services. In the third-party payment dynamic insured patients don't pay doctors directly, and they rarely know the full costs of the care they recieve. And for most individuals they receive subsidized insurance through their employer further disassociating costs from services. The inclusion of a fourth-party (the employer) turns the dislocation of incentives from a mange-a-trois into a clusterfuck. The most sensible healthcare reform is to change the way people view health insurance. Like all other forms of insurance, it should be viewed as backstop to catastrophic events. Regular health maintenance and the majority of non-catastrophic events should be negotiated between two parties. Buying-Off Seniors With the lowest support among any demographic group, Barack Obama is supporting a plan to cut $250 checks to senior citizens. The effort is in response to seniors not receiving a COLA on their social security checks because inflation was negative this year. This is an insulting and gratuitous conciliation prize to the seniors that will have the most to lose under health care reform, and it is a slap in the face to the youth who will wind up picking up the tab. Reform Failure The current healthcare reform legislation will be an utter failure if passed. The illusory savings ($81B) achieved by the reform are in the form of wealth transfer ($827B) through insurance subsidies and deceptive accounting. The 10-year prospectus accounts for 10 years of taxes, but only 7 years of benefits, and the reform does not in any way address the costs of providing healthcare. True health care reform would lower costs by: 1. increasing competition through a nationwide (vs. statewide) insurance marketplace; 2. malpractice reform to reduce healthcare provider insurance costs and defensive medicine; 3. reduced regulation to lower mandated coverage that results in higher overall costs; and 4. individual healthy lifestyle incentives to promote true preventitive care. The current reform is simply more regulation and taxation that will reduce healthcare innovation, over-burden our hospitals and doctors, lower the quality of healthcare, and be a drag on our overall economy. Friends Of Angelo The Democratic majority in Congress continue to block an investigation into corruption between Countrywide and Congressmen. Countrywide was the first major failure in the mortgage crisis, and details emerged over a year ago regarding preferential treatment and below-market mortgage terms given to politicians like Chris Dodd and Kent Conrad. Angelo Mozillo, former CEO and founder of Countrywide, is now being investigated for fraud and insider selling as his company crumbled. Who enabled the unsustainable growth of Countrywide, and the broader financial markets disaster? Big Government and the friends of Angelo. Health Care Magic The wizards in Washington have just solved the greatest riddle on Earth. They've fixed health care and reduced the budget deficit. It was an amazing legislative feat combining $829,000,000,000.00 in new spending and yielding $81,000,000,000.00 in deficit savings. "Impossible!", you say? Nay! It's change you can believe in! Inverse Correlation According to the most recent Gallup Poll Obama is clinging to a 50% approval rating. That is about 28% below his approval upon his inauguration. Today the S&P500 index closed at $1,054.72 - just under it's 52-week high. That is a 30% increase from the index price on Obama's inauguration. This represents an interesting inverse correlation between our Presidents approval and the overall stock market performance. The market goes higher as his approval declines. The lower his approval the less likely he is able to enact bad policy, and investors become more optimistic about the future of our economy. Let's all rejoice that Nancy Pelosi and Congres's approval rating is even lower. Obama Lies The President continues to use the same flawed logic in arguing for liberal health care reform. In his weekly radio address he states that his health care reform will be a boon to the economy and small business. Wasn't that supposed to be the effect of the $787B stimulus plan? Now he argues that we need another massive spending bill in the name of health care reform to fix the economy. This rhetoric is baseless in reality. When has new regulation, taxes, and government spending actually put the economy on a path toward sustained growth? He also argues that this will simultaneously reduce deficits. The President surely isn't dumb so one can only conlude that he is lying. US Economy Hurting The US shed another 263k job in September. This brings the official unemployment rate to 9.8%, but the numbers are likely much worse. The real number is closer to 17% if you include the people forced to work part-time or those who have given up looking for work. The job losses in September were much worse than most economists predicted, and far worse than Barack's $787B stimulus panacea promised. Now the White House believes we need more stimulus. What is their idea of stimulus? Paying people not to work. They want to extend subsidies to unemployed people to incentivize unemployment rather than cut taxes and other business disincentives for new investment and hiring. The level of absurdity in our leadership is stunning. Can't Take The Heat "You lie!" President Obama cried in his White House Blog. That may be a stretch, but someone at the White House accussed Fox News of lying. Is it right for the President to target private individuals and companies who oppose him? Does he not have an army of supporters, and a mainstream media in the tank with him? So why does he have to stoop to calling one opposing voice a liar? Because the opposition is telling the truth, and therefore is winning the debate. And the "lies" are superficial rather than substantive. Barack Obama is facing a lot of pressure over bad policies, and instead of realizing the errors in his ways he is picking a fight. Commander In Chief MIA Obama seems to be spreading himself too thin. In his bid to change America he's assumed the role of the Doctor, National Apologist, Banker, Auto Manufacturer, Insurer, Climatologist, and now 2016 Chicago Olympics lobbyist. He seems to be so caught up with his new roles that he has neglected his responsibilities Commander in Chief. Liberal Scare Tactics Paul Krugman, who somehow won a Nobel Prize in Economics, is now the official New York Times bullhorn for climate change hysteria: "...I feel despair over the fate of the planet...we're hurtling toward catastrophe...I'm not engaging in hyperbole...the prognosis for the plant has gotten much, much worse in just the last few years." All while New England is preparing for the coldest winder in a decade. Much like many a liberal, Krugman's solution for a man-ufactured problem is Government. Responsibility Is Required The innate right of individual liberty is something most people can agree upon. In fact, the founding principes of freedom are things that most reasonable people can agree upon. But a free individual must similarly adhere to the complimentary principle of individual responsibility in order for individual liberty to be protected from the sticky claws of Statists. Responsibility and Liberty work in tandem, and an abdication from one will result in the collapse of both. If one cherishes the notion of liberty, one must similarly embrace one's responsibility. Without equal weight of value upon both congruent concepts our free society will be usurped by Statist dictate. UNAmerican The UN General Assembly met this week in New York. It featured diatribes by some of the most famous despots. Obama, Ahmadinejad, Qaddafi, and the loquacious Chavez had their opportunity (and then some) to rant about America. Our dear leader, Barack, threw Israel under the bus, and denigrated our global leadership. Ahmadinejad wasn't heard by all delegations. The Canadian and US delegation walked-out during his speech. Qaddafi rambled for 95 minutes, and at one point insisted on a new inquiry into the assassination of JFK. Venezuelan Socialist Hugo Chavez invited Obama to the "axis-of-evil", and insisted that he now smelled "hope" in the Assembly. It took the moral clarity of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to lambast the UN for its' disgraceful charade. Obama Failures President Obama has encountered a number of failures early on in his reign. His first flop was the stimulus bill. He promised unemployment to top out at 8%. It is now almost 10%, and his vision is for a tough employment market for another year. He is now in the process of ramming through a trillion dollar health care plan and an economy-killing cap-and-trade bill. He also exposed his racism by bullying a white police officer in Boston for doing his job. He's also intervened in state politics by asking one of the nations two black governors, also a Democrat, to step aside. On foreign policy he has failed to gain much traction besides his own concessions to the despots of the world. Early on he visited the Saudis and failed to coerce them on two occassions to normalize relations with Isreal. North Korea kidnapped American Journalists, launched missles, and tested nuclear weapons. And even Western Allies including Europe have refused to assist in his decomissioning of Guantanamo. He can't even appease the terrorists. His successes include a trillion dollar pork-laden stimulus package, a castration of national intelligence infrastructure, and pandering to our enemies while imposing on our allies. The Slippery Slope Of Bailouts After trillions of dollars in bailouts it appears the appetite for more continues. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is the institution that provides deposit insurance to all bank depositors. For decades prior to our financial crisis the insurance was capped on accounts up to $100,000. During the financial crisis this was raised to $250,000 to help instill confidence and prevent wide-scale bank runs. The FDIC receives their funding by charging banks fees on deposits. So far this year 94 banks have failed resulting in an $850,000,000 deficit for the FDIC. Naturally, they are now hinting that they may request supplemental funding from the Treasury. The bailouts continue... Green Is The New Red The Green Movement is the latest attempt to enact an international framework for Marxist Tyranny. The last incarnation of this ideal was the Soviet Union, and application of these control and distributionist principles was painted Red. Soviet Marxism and Environmental Marxism are premised on different real or contrived social problems, but both employ the same command and control tactics as resolutions. The Soviet Union crumbled slowly, steadily, and culminated with the symbolical destruction of the Berlin Wall. From carbon control to birth control, their attempt to regulate our actions and resources are disguised as panacea for climate change, an indoctrinated man-made problem. The truth is that a changing climate is the only constant, and to attribute man's actions as root of this natural phenoma is to indict all of humanity. To assume that man's actions are a destructive force is to conclude man's actions must be contained. The forces behind these "utopian" designs will never die, and the Environmental Movement is the Neo-Marxism that threatens our liberty and prosperity today. Obama Appeases Russia The Obama Administration has decided to end the US missle defense plan in the latest incarnation of his appeasement foreign policy strategy. The move is a significant change from previous plans to construct a missle defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic to counter threats from Iran and North Korea. Russia was fiercely opposed to the plans, and critics say that this will embolden their attempts to project power across Eastern Europe. Obama has defended the plan in part by downgrading the threat posed by Iran, but a new report shows that the despotic regime is moving closer toward building a nuclear bomb. These actions delight our enemies and disturb our allies. Stimulus Flop Back in the early days of Barack's ascendency to President he built the foundation by which all his proposals will be judged. In crisis-mode, he asserted that if we don't pass his stimulus bill it "will turn crisis into a catastrophe and guarantee a longer recession". In the many months since his gargantuan stimulus bill went into effect we've seen a stabalization in GDP and a 50% rise in stocks from their March lows. Although we've lost millions of jobs beyond what Obama promised, he insists that he saved the economy. The problem with him claiming success is that recoveries happen without government intervention. Recessions and recoveries are a natural and recurring phenomena. In fact, studies show government intervention exacerbates the problem. Furthermore, if you analyze the the spending provisions and the corresponding economic activity you'll find that the stimulus didn't work. One-Sided Health Care Reform Will Fail The two primary concerns in the debate for health care reform is increasing access, controlling costs, and maintaining or improving quality. The debate is completely devoid of solutions to the supply of health care. In general, the law of supply and demand will tell you that if you increase demand while supply is held constant the result is higher prices. So what will happen when you add 47-million people to the system while not increasing the supply of providers? The effect of this is an increase in costs or a decline in quality. Before any reform is adopted there needs to be serious consideration about how we will increase the supply of health care so that the system can absord new demand while maintaining quality and lowering costs. The Recession's Over! Yesterday Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the recession is "very likely over", technically speaking. Obama is claiming success as unemployment climbs higher defying his promises of a stimulus panacea. Meanwhile the stock market marches higher - rising over 50% from the March lows - and some economists begin to raise concern over a double-dip. At the same time gold rises as result of the inflationary effects of massive government spending. Race Card Maxed-Out The leftists who can't provided substantive defense of their proposals are reverting to equating opposition with racism. Obama's election was supposed to usher in a post-racial period in America, but it appears to have exacerbated the issue. Joe Wilson, a South Carolina Congressman, is now famous for shouting "You lie!" during the President's recent Congressional address. Now NYT-Slanderer Maureen Dowd has started the wave of accusation that this emotional but substantive protest is simply racism. Appeasement Foreign Policy Emboldens Our Enemies Barack Obama's foreign policy strategy can only be described as appeasement. Obama seeks to reason with our unreasonable enemies, and he ignores or impugns our allies. Meanwhile, Venezuela and Iran are amassing weapons, and developing nuclear technology under the guise of peaceful clean energy. The Pre-WWII experience of Neville Chamberlain is a good example of how this policy fails. But perhaps the real matter is that Obama doesn't have enough time to be Commander in Chief while assuming the role of Insurance Salesman. Barack Starts Trade-War With China In a policy dump on Friday evening Obama decided to impose import tariffs on Chinese-manufactured tires in an effort to satiate the Big Labor special interests to whom he is beholden. This act of trade protectionism is harmful in its' intended and unintended consequences. The direct impact of this policy is to maintain artificially high prices to preserve the competitiveness of domestic manufacturers, but the harmful consequences lie in retaliatory actions by the target of the tariffs, in this case Big China. These policy mistakes are reminiscent of The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act enacted during Great Depression. This situation can quickly descend into a full scale trade war with ruinous consequences. Liberals Create Artifical Crisis To Take Over Health Insurance The Administration push to create a "public option" in health insurance is an incremental approach to a complete take-over of our national health care system. Obama attempts to create villains of insurers and doctors to instill anxiety and make the case for "Obamacare". He decries special interests and distortions while simultaneously acquiescing to and propogating them. He uses failed analogies to support his proposal, and accuses his opponents of not offering real alternatives. ACORN Malevolence Exposed In a series of video exposés ACORN employees in Baltimore, D.C., and New York have been shown helping a posing pimp and prostitute. The ACORN employees offered advice in how to misrepresent illegitimate income on tax forms and attain home loans for brothels. The investigations by conservative activists have resulted in employee firing and increasing scrutiny of federal funding and breaks from affiliated government organizations. Despite these developments ACORNs chief organizer has accused the activists and Fox News of a smear campaign, and has even threatened lawsuits. Sabre Rattle Today the Pentagon conducted a successful test of a new hypersonic flying bomb. The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon travels at speed in excess of Mach 5 and is capable of striking anywhere on earth within one hour. This week the military also received new 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs. This new weapon called the Massive Ordnance Penetrator is almost 10,000 pounds heavier than existing modules. This comes after an IAEA report detailing Iran's progress toward a nuclear weapons program. From latimes.com and AFP via google.com 11/17/2011 Fiat Debt The United States officially passed $15 trillion in gross national debt today. The single largest holder of the debt is the United States Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, according to recent polls 2012 GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul is competitive in both Iowa and New Hampshire. From cnsnews.com 11/16/2011 Deadbeat Democracy The sovereign debt crisis is reaching a tipping point in Europe. Just last week the leaders of Europe and Greece agreed to a bailout deal that was supposed to be the Euro-zone panacea. Today the deal is in doubt after the Greek prime minister announced plans for a popular referrendum on the measure which is deeply unpopular in the most socialist state of Europe. From apnews.myway.com 11/1/2011 Debate Impossible Texas Governor and 2012 Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry has struggled immensely in debates. Last night he was off to a clear and concise start when suddenly he forgot on of the three federal government agencies that he intended to eliminate. After rambling for nearly a minute he conceded to the brain dump. From huffingtonpost.com 11/10/2011 Liberal Arts Student loan debt has reached a record high of over $1,000,000,000,000.00. It increased by 25% last year. It's no wonder given the federal government recent usurpation of student lending. From usatoday.com 10/20/2011 Useful Idiots Since mid-September a gathering of bums, holligans, miscreants, and generally discontent hard-core liberals has Occupied Wall Street and other significant cities across the country. There have been numerous recordings of these individuals showcasing their finest intellectual incoherence. Many Democrat politicians have embraced the mobs, and now even the Nazi and Communist Party of the US have endorsed. From therightscoop.com and thegatewaypundit.com 10/15/2011 New Normal Homeownership has suffered it's biggest drop since the Great Depression according to the 2010 census figures. The rate of homeownership fell to 65.1% as a result of the mortgage and housing bubble burst. This wouldn't be such a depressing figure if it hadn't been from the unrealistic mania of the easy money credit splurge. From ap.org 10/6/2011 Class War The founder of BET Robert Johnson has admonished the president for attacking the wealthy. The president is in full campaign mode, and has been demogoguing millionaires, billionaires, corporate jet owners, and the like. His rhetoric is so effective that he's inspired the numbskull liberals to gather near Wall Street and around other symbols of wealth in various large cities to protest capitalism itself. From realclearpolitics.com and infowars.com 10/3/2011 2012 Poll Swing According to a new Zogby poll, former restaurant executive, mathematician, and regional Federal Reserve Bank Director Herman Cain is leading the current field of Republican candidates for president among primary voters. This come after Mr. Cain's surprise victory in a recent Florida straw poll. Texas Governor Rick Perry has seen his numbers sag after a very poor debate performance. Former Massachussets Governor Mitt Romney remains in the running simply due to his stunning presidential facade. Congressman Ron Paul, the crotchety old non-intervention constitutional-libertarian remains hot among his grassroots followers. From BigGovernment.com 9/26/2011 Mama Grizzly Former Republican governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin is threatening to sue a publisher that knowingly published false information about her and her family. Creepy stalker and smear author Joe McGinniss submited the manuscript for publication, and emails were released showing explicit knowledge that the malicious stories were uncorroborated. From ABCNews.com 9/26/2011 Revolution Libya Libyan rebel forces have entered the capital city Tripoli, and appear to have defeated the Gadaffi regime after a chaotic revolt that began over six months ago. Dictator Muammar Gadaffi has reigned over Libya for over four decades. At this time he is in hiding after the rebels stormed his sprawling compound known as Bab al Aziziya. The controversial intervention by the United States and NATO intially appears to be successful in removing a terrorist and tyrant, but the ultimate result of this revolution and it's implications for United States and Western interests will not be known for some time. Downgrade Monday Stock markets around the world took a beating as a result of the United States credit rating downgrade. The change in ratings was disclosed after the close of the markets last Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Index lost 634 points and the S&P 500 lost 6.66%. Gold, the true international currency and safe-haven asset, hit record highs of over $1,700 per ounce. Red Ink The national debate now exceeds 100% of gross domestic product after the new debt deal was signed into law by President Obama yesterday. This is an ominous milestone, and comes amid an increasingly negative outlook toward the United States creditworthiness. Liberal Delirium Is it not the intrinsic folly of modern liberals and statists to think that they can (or need to) save everyone from everything? We're trying to save life on this planet as we know it today - Minority Leader Pelosi. Unfortunately it's just another way of defending the status quo which by last count was a national debt in excess of $14,000,000,000,000 with record spending and record deficits. This reckless spending on top of massive new laws and regulations must be an immense burden on an economy worse than the Great Depression by some measures. Liberalism and statism fails because it tries too hard to be all things to all people. Lighten up, Nancy. Euro Mess As America debates her fiscal future it is a helpful to witness the financial developments accross the pond. The first country to blink in the Eurozone has been Greece. It's currently on the precipice of default. Both Ireland and Protugal have been the recepients of bailouts, and there have been tremblings from much large countries like Spain and Italy. These countries that are approaching insolvency are tied to the Euro currency and are unable to print their way out of their self-made mess. The recent experient in a Euro-wide fiat currency may be approaching it's end. Ideological Impasse The Minnesota state government has shut down in advance of the fourth of July holiday weekend. The Republican-led legislature and Democrat Governor could not agree on a budget to balance a $5 billion budget deficit. The federal government is in similar legislative straights as it aims to raise the statutory debt ceiling while reported public debt is growing by over $1 trillion dollars per year. The divide boils down to Democrats desire to raise taxes, and the Republicans resolve to cut spending. What Democrats fail the realize is that an increase in tax rates does not necessarily yield higher revenue. What higher rates do accomplish is a proportionate discincentive to produce which result in lesser wealth and income growth that yields less aggregate tax revenue. Conversely, lower relative rates proportionately incentivizes production that yields wealth and income growth which necessarily grows tax revenue. Democrats will argue that their spending is integral to economic growth, but there are so many flaws with that belief. After all, if the government determined economic prosperity through it's spending why wouldn't we let it spend all of our money? First, government spending is notoriously inneffiecient and often wasteful. The government lacks the profit motive and fiscal accountability that private sector entities are beholden. This accountability compels private sector entities to spend efficiently. However, the key flaw in the arguement for greater government spending is the notion that government spending is "free", or does not come at the expense of someone or something else. Every dollar the government spends is either borrowed or taxed correctly implying that it is taken from the private sector, who as we just argued tends to spend it more wisely, thus with a greater probability of creating real wealth and income. Chicago Convict Former Chicago Democrat Governor Rod Blagojevich has been convicted on 17 of 20 charges in his corruption trial. The majority of charges stemmed from back in 2008 when he was busted by the FBI trying to sell or trade former Senator and President-elect Barack Obama's former senate seat. Blagojevich faces up to 300 years in jail. Congressman Down New York politician and rsexually-deviant, creepy-narcissist Anthony Weiner has finally decided to resign his seat in Congress. This end nearly two decades of public service and his aspiration to become mayor of New York city. However, he could have a talk show in the liberal hinterlands of Al Gore's Current TV Lewd Lib New York Congressman Anthony Weiner has finally fessed up. It turns out he is an avid sexter with numerous online ladies. This behavior occured before and after his marriage to long-time Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin. The congressman finally came clean when more photos were released by biggovernment.com. He held an emotional press conference to admit his transgressions and issue a public apology. But despite the enormous sex scandal and humiliation the congressman refuses to resign. Now his politcal ally and Congressional party boss Nancy Pelosi is calling for an ethics investigation. Palin Rises As the contest for the Republican presidential nominee heats up Sarah Palin is starting to make noise. Today she started a tour of the northeast by participating in the Rolling Thunder Memorial day motorcycle ride from the Pentagon to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. She will then embark on a bus tour of the northeast. It was recently announced that a documentary about Sarah Palin ascendency to Alaskan Governor, titled "Undefeated", will be released early this summer. These are strong indications that she is setting up her 2012 presidential bid. Labor Relations Recently the National Labor Relations Board has sued Boeing in order to impede development of their new manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The issue stems from Boeing's inability to come to an agreement with their Washington-based mechanics union. South Carolina is a right-to-work state, and therefore have more favorable labor environment for a manufacturer. The National Labor Relations Board's actions to inhibit a private corporation from determining where to locate it's domestic manufacturing facility is a gross over-reach of power. This is perhaps one of the most striking actions resulting from the Obama Adminstration's deferential attitude to the special interest group of organized labor and it's antipathy toward business. April Jobs According to recently released government figures the US economy added 244,000 job in April. This is far less than one would expect given the depth of the recession the US has slowly been shaking off. However, this is a sign of vitality in that the private sector is growing while the public sector is shrinking. Maybe it's because the public-sector heavy stimulus plan is finally kaput. None the less the official unemployment rate rose to 9% because more people have begun searching for employment. Economy Burdened United States economic growth slowed significantly in the first quarter of 2011. Inflation is heating up while the Federal Reserve sees the end of quantitative easing round two. First-time claims for unemployment is back up to over 400,000. Oil is trading above $100 again, and gold is reaching new nominal price records of over $1,500 an ounce. The stimulus sham enacted under the ultra-statist Obama-Pelosi-Reid government has failed demonstrably. New financial and healthcare legislation has barely started it's encroachment. The private economy is saddled with tremendous perils and uncertainties. Debt Downgrade Credit ratings agency Standard and Poor's downgraded their outlook for the United States government. It made the decision because of mounting debt and deficits with no clear plan to stabalize the fiscal condition. This is the first time the US has seen it's credit rating outlook cut since the bombing of Pearl Harbor over 70 years ago. Obama's War Pakistan has demanded that the United States cease the drone attacks against terrorist and Taliban militants and occassionally US troops on their land. Real Cuts Paul Ryan, Republican Congressman from Wisconsin, has produced a fiscal 2012 budget blue print that will cut trillions of dollars of spending in the next decade. This budget includes significant entitlement reform by which minority leader Nancy Pelosi asserts will starve senior citizens. It will deny funding toward the implementation of Obamacare. Inflation Cometh There are warning signs from everywhere pointing to significant inflation in the near future. Gold is at or near record highs. Gasoline is around four dollars per gallon. Even Walmart CEO Bill Simon is warning of serious inflation ahead. Nuke Fears There are serious concerns in Japan over mounting failures at their nuclear energy production facilities. There are reportedly 3 reactors that are currently experiencing a meltdown after the great earthquake and tsunami that disabled the reactor's cooling functions. It Moves The Obama Administration has appealed the ruling from a district court in Florida striking down Obamacare in it's entirety. The next step in the litigation process is the appellate court, and it is expected to eventually be decided in the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has issued over 1,000 waivers to special interest groups. Producers Vs. Consumers State and local governments continue to cut public sector jobs. In February 30,000 jobs were lost according to the Labor Department. This is the new reality where state and local governments can not continue public sector benevolence because they can not print, borrow, or steal money from the producers. This is a harbinger of things to come for the federal government. Power Grab President Barack Obama has unitlaterally declared the DOMA legislation unconstitutional and has elected not to defend it in court. The Executive branch does not make such decisions. The powers of enacting and judging legislation is left to the Legislative and Judicial branch. The Executive branch has sworn to uphold and defend all laws under federal purview. This is the act of an aspiring despot akin to the despots all over the middle east. It is also a blatantly political maneuvering to distract from the international crisis unfolding in the middle east. Newt Gingrich has raised the specter of impeachment. Liberation Libya Libyan Despot Muammar Gaddafi is reportedly on the run after the popular middle-eastern revolt has turned on him. Other reports indicate that military war planes are firing on Libyan protesters. Dereliction Of Duty Democrat state representatives in Wisconsin have fled to Illinois in order to impede the business of state government. The new Republican Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is proposing to strip state employees of collective bargaining rights thereby neutralizing the deleterious statewide fiscal effects of the labor union monopoly. Tax Men The Internal Revenue Service announced that the Obamacare will require it to spend $359,000,000 on human and non-human capital to supervise the initial implementation of the law. This includes 1,054 new auditors and staff. Immigration Litigation Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has countersued the federal government for not enforcing US immigration laws. This stems from the immigration enforcement measure SB1070 passed last year that was challenged by the Eric Holder Justice Department. If Arizona is disallowed from enforcing national immigration laws then the laws should be enforced by the proper authority: the US Government. Joke's On Us This past Sunday President Barack Obama was interviewed by Bill O'Reilly before the Super Bowl. In the discussion, Mr. Obama proclaimed he has not raised taxes as President. This is categorically false. Selling Out The United States agreed to disclose the United Kingdom's nuclear secrets to Russia in an effort to agree on a new nuclear treaty. The START treaty was recently signed by President Barack Obama after being ratified by the Senate. This new is another case where he is more willing to please our foes at the expense of our friends. Losing Allies The mass protests in Egypt look to be an unstoppable force. The target of the Egyptian citizen's rage is the corrupt and ineffectual regime that is closely allied with the United States. This is strikingly similar to the descension of Iran into an Islamic Republic under the leadership of President Jimmy Carter. President Barack Obama is proving to be just as flaccid in the face of international challenges. Close Ties President Obama is proceeding with his re-election efforts through political centralization. He has recruited General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt to guide his pro-business triangulation. After two years of outright and outrageous liberal legislative activism he will have to perform extroadinary magic to right his ship. Another Flew Over Democrat Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot point-blank in the face at an event in Tucson, Arizona today. She was shot by rogue gunman Jared Lee Loughner. At this point the hospital has indicated that the congresswoman has undergone surgery and is expected to survive. However, six others, including an aide and federal judge, have died. Among his reading list: The Communist Manifesto (Karl Marx), Mein Kampf (Adolf Hitler), We The Living (Ayn Rand), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Ken Kesey). GOP On Offense Now that Republicans have taken over Congress, Darrell Issa, head of the House Committee on Oversight, will assume subpoena power and begin the investigations into the Obama Administration's wheeling$ and dealing$. Meanwhile, Speaker of the House John Boehner is planning an Obamacare repeal vote in January. Euthanasia Mandate The Obamacare Death Panels are back! Through new healthcare regulation enacted by the Obama administration doctors will be paid to provide end of life guidance. The outcome is to incentivize doctors to curtail care when it doesn't meet a prescribed cost-benefit factor. Census Figures The results of 2010 Census have been released. The United States population has grown to 308,745,538 from 281,400,000 in 2000. This represents a 9.7% rate of grow which happens to be the slowest decennial pace since the Great Depression. It shows a mass-migration from blue states to red states, from the northeast toward the south and west. The political repurcussions are significant. Areas with positive population growth gain representation in Congress and in the electoral college while the receeding states proportionately lose this political influence. Dark Horse Former Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, seemingly a Dick Cheney protegé on National Security, is a possible 2012 presidential candidate. He also has a fantastic mustache. Populist Autocracy The Venezuelan parliament has granted socialist dictator Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months. His party holds many of the seats in parliament, and gave him this authoritarian control for 6 months longer than Chavez had requested. Chavez insists he needs these powers to deal emergency conditions caused by severe flooding. This also comes amid gains by opposition parties that seek to curtail Chavez's growing socialist state. Illiterate Legislators In deliberating the Senate Democrat's $1.1 trillion 2000-page omnibus spending bill the former candidate for President and current Massachusetts Senator John Kerry asks why he should read the bill. Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has offered a one-page continuing resolution to keep the government operational through the holidays and into the next Congress. This might be more acceptable for John Kerry to read. Fear Mongers Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius took to the Washington Post op-ed pages to warn of the devastating consequences if Obamacare is repealed or found unconstitutional. This comes a day after a Virgina court found the individual mandate to be unconstitutional. Never before in the United States has the Federal Government mandated that any individual purchase a given product for no other reason than their being. Mandate Denied The provision in Obamacare compelling each American to purchase health care insurance has been ruled unconstitutional by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson of Richmond, Virginia. This provision was the foundation of the health care reforms that sought to lower the cost of health insurance by increasing enrollees. This was the first time the Federal Government has attempted to force Americans to purchase a specific product, and it will likely be the last. Meanwhile, recent polling show support for Obamacare has hit a new low. DREAM Deferred Senate Democrats deferred action on the recently House-passed DREAM Act. This legislation would grant citizenship to illegal immigrant youths who were brought to the country and who have attended college or served in the military. Only military or comensurate public service should be considered a reasonable sacrifice for amnesty. Military service breeds loyalty while liberal arts breed dissent. Lame Legislation The House of Representatives and the Senate press on with last-minute legislation under an expired mandate. The Pigford Settlement was just signed by President Obama, and the DREAM Act was just passed by the House. The well-intentioned but flawed immigration amnesty bill known as the DREAM act is not expected to pass in the Senate, but the enacted Pigform Settlement will cost taxpayers over $4 Billion . There is a new Congress coming to Washington DC in about a month. A new rule should be implemented to prohibit legislative activity during the lame duck session. Wipe Out As of last count the GOP won 60 seats in the House of Representatives and 6 more seats in the Senate after the midterm elections of 2010. This was one of greatest victories for conservative principles in modern history, and a complete repudiation of domestic policies enacted by the Obama/Pelosi/Reid triumvirate controlling Washington. These results leave Republicans with firm control of the House while the Democrats retain a slight edge in the Senate. The many priorities the new leadership will have include retaining the Bush tax cuts for all Americans, repealing or dismantling the Democrats healthcare plan, and starting the investigations of the President's misdealings. Destructive Duo Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi are a nasty Congressional tag team. Harry Reid, lagging in poles behind Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle is lamenting that he has not done enough to help his state. Au contraire. Harry Reid in his steadfast liberal leadership has simultaneously wrecked his state, the country, and his party. Meanwhile a report has surfaced detailing the Wicked Witch of the West Nancy Pelosi tax-payer funded travel expenses. The Speaker along with friends, family and staff has cost the tax payers over $2,000,000 in travel expenses over a two-year period. Harry Reid is likely to lose his bid for relection; but San Francisco, the epicenter of liberalism, doesn't seem likely to vanquish the vacuous Nancy Pelosi. October Best The 2010 Major League Baseball playoffs commenced today, and Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Roy Halladay became only the second pitcher in post-season history to throw a no-hitter. He struck out eight and only allowed one baserunner with a walk in the fifth. The Phillies beat the Reds 4-0. Adverse Effects As the Obama adminsitration tries to positively spin new health care regulations the real news continues to disappoint. Reuters recently reported on a group predicting greater doctor shortages as a result of Obamacare. And on the same day reports from the Wall Street Journal indicated McDonalds were threatening to cut health care coverage for it's employees unless it could be exempted from the onerous regulations of President Obama's government takeover of healthcare. Reports from private citizens show that some primary care physicians are moving to a pay-to-play scheme by charging an annual membership fee just to be a patient. The quasi-nationialization of health care, or any other private industry, will always lead to disasterous consequences for consumers. Jumping Ship As the wheels fly off of the Obama presidency the administration is experiencing some steep atrition. First to go was Christina Romer, the Chair of the Counsel of Economic Advisers; and Peter Orszag, the Budget Director. Recently the Director of the White House National Economic Counsel, Larry Summers, announced his intention to resign. David Axelrod, President Obama top Political Advisor, and Rahm Emanual, his Chief of Staff, are also expected to resign soon. Tea Abroad The Dutch government, now led by a conservative coalition, announced severe spending cuts in the next annual budget. The spending cuts will include health care, immigrants, and government workers. The Queen of the Netherlands stated that the cuts were necessary to improve long term competitiveness for the country. In other news, in both Australia and the UK concerned citizens have formed Tea Parties modeled after the popular American movement. Palin's Power Sarah Palin has been very active on the national political stage endorsing candidates who she deems worthy. Recently she has received a lot of credit for the victory of Christine O'Donnell in Delware and Joe Miller in Alaska. Last night she gave a speech in Iowa - home of the nation's first national presidential primary. Government Pay The new CEO of General Motors, Daniel Akerson, who apparently has no auto industry background, is set to earn a $9,000,000.00 pay package. After a multi-billion dollar bailout of the company and United Autoworkers Union the Federal Government is still majority owner at 60.8%. Inconvenient Epiphany A radical environmentalist took hostages and eventually was killed today at the Discover Channel headquarters outside Washington, DC. James Lee, inspired by Al Gore's global warming propoganda film An Inconvenient Truth, was driven to radical ends today. He published a manifesto online advocating for radical human depopulation of earth, and his logical conclusion was to storm the Discover Channel headquarters to promote his ultra-environmentalist message. Apparently no one besides James Lee was harmed, but it is frightening to know his radical beliefs are shared by the environmentalist community. Wrong Direction In July new single-family home sales fell to the slowest pace since 1963 - the year they started tracking this data. One economist claims we are in a depression, and Vice President Biden claims we are moving in the right direction. Meanwhile, President Obama is eating shrimp and lobster. Even David Letterman concedes the President will have plenty of time for vacation after his one term. Mosque Flap For weeks there has been a simmering controversy over plans to construct a large Mosque and Islamic center just blocks away from the pit that was the World Trade Center. On Friday, during the annual iftar (post-sunset Ramadan dinner) at the White House President Obama expressed general and specific support for the plans. On Saturday, President Obama clarified his remarks as not supporting the specific, but the general rule of religious freedom in America. There is no question as to the right to build the Mosque in whatever location that local building code permits, but the issue is on the motivation and sensitivity of building an enormous center devoted to the religion that was exploited toward fanatical and horrific ends on September 11, 2001. Missouri Referendum Voters in Missouri overwhelming (71%) passed Proposition C that would prohibit the insurance mandate within President Obama's health care reform legislation. The insurance mandate is the subject of many Constitutional challenges, and a judge in Virginia recently allowed the law suit to proceed. The arguement is whether or not the Federal Government can compel individuals to engage in commerical activities. The voters of Missouri said no. If this part of the legislation is found to exceed the power of Government then the whole legislation may fall apart. Meanwhile, a federal judge in California overturned Propisition 8 which amended the state constitution so that a marriage is the exclusive domain of heterosexual couples. Stimulus Slips Gross Domestic Product growth slowed to 2.4% in the second quarter. This figure doesn't provide much hope for a summer of recovery, or anything that would put a significant dent in the unemployment rate. This is a classic representation of the short-term results of government stimulus rather than the long-term sustainability of fiscal prudence. Dear Leader North Korean Communist Dictator Kim Jong-Il threatens a physical response in retaliation for American-South Korean naval exercises. Later it was clarified that this may be nuclear in nature. Meanwhile, attendees of President Obama's birthday party will have to donate $30,000.00 to the Democrat National Committee. Financial Folly Congress passed their idea of financial reform. Three New England Republican Senators defected from common sense and supported the bill. It is now headed to President Obama for his signature. It is so bad, ultimately ineffective, and replete with unintended consequences; no one likes it. It's just like the heath care bill: a political victory for the President, but bad for Americans. The only people who will benefit from this legislation are big government, big banks, and the same inept regulators that failed in the first place. Great Gates The communist Chinese government has begun locking up rural migrant workers. They are enclosing their lower-income neighborhoods in gates whilst checking their documents and locking them in at times. They are thought to be responsible for increased crime within China's larger cities. Red Summer The FBI has arrested 11 people accussed of spying for Russia. They were allegedely directed to infiltrate policy circles and collect sensitive information. This came shortly after Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and President Obama shared burgers and fries on a recent meeting in the US. Dour Veep Vice President Joe Biden warned today that "there's no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession." It's refreshing to see our leader admit that they have no solution to fix the economy. This is why now more than ever we need change. Insubordinate Martyr Afghanistan Operations General Stanley McChrystal has likely ended his stellar military career (and President Obama's credibility as Commander in Chief) when he and his aides derisively criticized the President and his administration with regards to their handling of the war in Afghanistan. The revelations were featured in a profile in the Rolling Stones magazine, and can not be viewed as a simple gaffe. This was orchestrated and coordinated, and it appears to be self-inflicted. Elections Matter The 17th amendment made it possible for the citizens to elect their Senators. Previously they were selected by their state legislature. The consequences of this constitutional amendment can be seen in candidates like Al Franken and Alvin Greene. He was the recent surprise winner in the South Carolina Democratic Senate primary. He is unemployed, recently involuntarily (honorably) discharged from the military, lives with his parents, and has felony obscentiy charges pending against him. Rocket Man Washinton Nationals pitcher Kevin Strasburg threw 14 strikeouts in his Major League debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He consistentlty reach the high ninties with a wicked curveball, and had 6 consecutive strikeouts when he was releived after the seventh inning. In this year of the pitcher a new star was born. Almost Perfect Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga failed to secure a perfect game (and first in Tiger's history) earlier this evening. With two outs in the ninth inning umpire Jim Joyce blew the call at first on a cleanly fielded grounder between first and second base. After watching the replay, and unable to overturn the call, the umpire realized his mistake and was deeply disturbed: "I just cost that kid a perfect game." This would have been the third perfect game thrown this year, and only the twenty-first in major league baseball history. The steroid era is officially over. The Stalker Unauthorized author Joe McGinniss rents the home next to Sarah Palin in Alaska in order to observe her for his book. Former Governor Palin is building a fence. Mexican Hypocrisy Yesterday Mexican President Felipe Calderon traveled to Washington DC for a State Dinner with President Obama. Today he addressed Congress and denounced Arizona's immigration law as racist, and the Democrats gave him a standing ovation. Later he was interviewed on CNN by Wolf Blitzer and was asked how his country addresses their illegal immigration problem. Involuntary Retirement The despicable opportunist Senator from Pennsylvania, Arlen Specter, lost the primary battle for the Democratic nomination in the fall elections. The octogenarian Senator Specter, who started his political career as a Democrat, then flipped to Republican under Reagan, then flopped back to a Democrat under Obama, has paid the price for political expediency. Red Bubble The Chinese real estate market is entering bubble territory. In some markets prices have doubled compared to last year. This is yet another example of central planning and government intervention fostering irrational exuberance and wreaking inevitable destrution to a nation and its' people. Across The Pond Tory Party leader and British Conservative David Cameron took power today in the United Kingdom. It was a weak victory having won a plurality, but not a majority of the vote. The Labour Party lost under the leadership of Gordon Brown after a 13-year reign. Mother's Day Classic Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bat Devil Rays today. It was only the nineteenth happening in Major League Baseball history. Sore Loser President Obama decried anti-government rhetoric during his commencement speech to graduates at the University of Michigan. He is slandering the people keeping his administration honest, and simultaneously enacting burdensome regulations and tax policies that will make it infinitely harder for new graduates to find real, private-sector, wealth-creating jobs. It's no wonder a majority of Americans are wary of big government. Greece On The Brink Greek sovereign credit rating was cut to junk status by credit ratings agency Standard and Poors. Stock markets around the world declined. Greece has been the on the brink of bankruptcy for months, and has been in exhaustive negotiations with the European Union and International Monetary Fund for a bailout. This is the beginning of the sovereign debt crisis caused by profligate spending and unsustainable entitlements. It may be coming to a country near you. On The Table President Obama admits a value-added tax would be novel for Americans. This is a tax on all goods and services at every level of production and consumption. Everybody's taxes are about to go up, and their wealth will be slowly stripped away. Obama Doctrine President Obama occassionaly can't hide his true feelings. In a stunning remark, he acknowledged: "Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military power..." World Cup Threat Al-Quaeda is threating to terrorize the World Cup in South Africa this June. They have specifcally threatened and targeted English and American players and interests. An Al-Quaeda-linked website purportedely proclaims: "How beautiful would the game between England and the USA be when broadcast live from a stadium full of spectators - when the sound of an explosion rumbles through the stands. The resulting death toll is in the dozens and hundreds - Allah willing." Atlas Shrugged The last west coast auto factory closed in California yesterday. The joint venture between GM and Toyota dissolved and left 4,700 unemployed. Also, a urologist in Florida told Obama voters to seek urologic care elsewhere. Fiscal Deterioration Social security will payout more than it takes in for the first time this year. This is largely a result of this nasty recession and resulting unemployment. The economy is now hamstrung as a result of Obamacare. The condition will worsen the longer Democrats control the White House and Congress. Biden Eloquence After introducing his boss at the signing ceremony Vice President Joe Biden concedes: "This is a big fucking deal." Our Blunder It is quite clear now that it was a national mistake of historic proportions for America to empower the Democrat Party giving them the grand trifecta in legislative leadership. The Obama, Pelosi and Reid healthcare legislative quagmire represents the greatest threat to our nation - larger than terrorism - and more costly. And it is the fault of the mindless, emotional, and irrational vote for the inspiring unkown of the Obama appeal. His un-Bushness was so magnetic that it stripped away one's congition of reality. Now everything is known. Obama and the ultraliberal Congressional leadership has been exposed and now is fully-recognized to be plainly un-American. And we hate it. Shame on US. Not Kosher The relations between the US and Israel are on the rocks. The recent diplomatic visit by Vice President Joe Biden was a sham, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has collapsed. Info Wars Tensions between Google and China have risen to the point where Google is 99.9% sure it will dissolve its' operations in China. Cotton Duties Brazil has decided to move ahead with drastic increases in import taxes on American goods - especially cotton. They won a 10-year legal battle at the World Trade Organization over Federal subsidies and loan guarantees to the American cotton industry. President Obama's Administration better beware of trade wars. Our relationship with the BRIC - Brazil, Russia, India, and China - is stable at best. Morning In America Harry Reid proclaims: "Today is a big day in America; only 36,000 people lost their jobs today. Which is really good." Behold the travesty that is our Senate leadership. Earth Shakes Former Vice President and international pariah, Al Gore, finally emerged from winter's hibernation to defend the discredited science and scientists behind the theory of anthropogenic climate change - aka man-made global warming. His scribblings are as verbose and dire as ever. His credibility has shrunk. Bottomless Fannie Mae, the former Government Sponsored Entity and current de facto Federal Government Mortgage Originator, is requesting an additional $15,300,000,000.00 to cover it's losses after reporting its' 10th straight quarterly loss. This is on top of the cummulative $59,900,000,000.00 in bailout funds it has received since April. Fannie Mae is the embodiment of utter failure and social catastrophe that results when governments manipulate and distort free markets. No Shame Soon to be former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has lost his marbles. Yesterday he maligned all men by accussing them of becoming more aggressive and prone to domestic violence as a result of the stresses of prolonged unemployment. Today he told Republicans to quit crying about the reconciliation strategy being pursued by the Obamacare proponents. Harry Reid and his aging 1960's-radical contemporaries are willfully disregarding this center-right nation in favor of their far-left agenda. Conflict Preparations Iran announced pending work on two new nuclear enrichment sites. This comes in response to Israels development of new drone aircraft. The new unmanned aircraft are about the size of a Boeing 737, and are within range of the Persian Gulf. Backdoor Statesman President Obama finally met with the Dala Lama this week. He eschewed the press for their meeting, and sent the Tibetan spiritual leader literally out the back door amongst piles of uncollected trash. China is livid about the meeting, so Obama ensured a low profile event. After all, China is the primary facilitator of Americas debt binge. President Obama continues to disregard our friends of freedom in favor of bowing to communists and tyrants. Afghan Offensive NATO and American troops continue to carry out a battle for Marjah in Afghanistan currently held by Taliban forces. The offensive began two days ago, and is the most intense since the initial invasion in 2001. The effort showcases Obama's committment to send 30,000 additional troops to the region. Ponzi Scheming The ultra leftward leadership in Washington is pushing authoritarian implementation of their ultra-statist agenda. The President's administration is looking for executive powers than will enable them to enact their carbon energy regulation that will result in the most regressive tax burden in the history of America. The uberliberal lizards of the House and Senate are seeking reconcilliation and further manipulation of legislative process to enact trillion-dollar and corrupt health care reform. The washed-up radical liberals of the 60's are looking for their statist trophy piece while all Americans will bear the burden of sustaining the most complex bureaucratic maze of middle-class entitlement. Big Mac Attack Former President Bill Clinton had emergency heart surgery in New York today. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei promises to deliver a "punch" to the West on February 11 which is the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Al Quaeda has called for attacks against US interest everywhere. Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert Gates has said there is no option left besides enhanced sanctions against Iran. Scandalous Professor Global warming hawk and embroiled professor Phil Jones suffers from immense guilt. The discredited professor and enemy of humanity's progress had thoughts of suicide resulting from the immense global pressure brought to bear on the crook. Obama Red-Faced The latest figures released (dumped on Recovery.gov late Saturday night, no less) by recipients of Stimulus funds show that the money was spent to "save or create" almost 600,000 jobs. Somehow the Obama administration has come up with a figure more than 3 times that amount. So the real cost of the federal government "saving or creating" jobs is somewhere around $500,000/per. Let's give them health care, too. $1,417,121,000,000.00 The most recent figures on Federal Government spending and debt show the 2009 deficit to be nearly 1.5 trillion dollars. That reperesents a 200% increase over last year's budget deficit, and the nominal increase alone is more than the last eight year's deficits combined. Audaciously, Congress recently spent about $1 million dollars on a group vacation to snowy Copenhagen last year. Obama Bank Attack President Obama, hoping to placate his liberal base after a crushing political defeat, is raising the populist rhetoric against big banks. He is threatening extra fines, fees, and taxes on large banks to recover bailout money lost on non-banks - primarily GM and Chrysler - despite the fact that these banks have paid back their bailout funds with interest. He has also proposed forcing banks to split retail and proprietary trading activities in order to curtail risk. Obama has not mentioned any penalties on the dynamic duo Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. One Year On The descension of American political liberalism was swifter than its' rise. Republican Scott Brown was elected junior Senator from Massachusetts replacing the replacement for the liberal lion Ted Kennedy. On the one-year anniversary of Barack Obama's inauguration as President the liberal dream has died. Law And Order Thousands of protesters descended on the county jail in Phoenix on Saturday. They came to protest the federally sanctioned immigration authority exercised by Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Meanwhile, Phoenix saw nearly a 40% decline in auto thefts in the first half of 2009. Tea Party Revolution Kate Zernike at The New York Times has an excellent piece on how the Tea Party activists are challenging their local Republican establishment and reforming it back to its' conservative base. Ironically, the Tea Party is back to its' base - in Boston. Bolivarian Revolution Venezuela's aspirational Marxist Dictator, Hugo Chavez, is showing US what happens when you stray down the leftist path. In order to combat the recession he established new currency exchange rules that result in a 50% devaluation of the bolivar (at least he's upfront about it!) After the decision businesses warned that they would be forced to raise prices, and Chavez responded with a threat to sieze any business that does. Similarly, after nationalizing much of the nations energy infrastructure, Venezuela has begun rolling blackouts to combat energy shortages. Iran Contingency Plan The head of US Central Command, General David Petraeus, puts it on the table. "Well, they certainly can be bombed." Dixiecrat Blues The beleaguered Senator of Nevada, Harry Reid, is on the ropes. His approval is already flagging because of his crass nature and corrupt politics, but he may have sealed his last term as Senator. Reid was forced to apologize for comments made during the Presidential election where he referred to Barack Obama as "light-skinned" and "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted one." Radical Islamists Iran continues to antagonize the West through war-posturing and threats to step-up manufacturing of nuclear fuel. Additionally, Yemen is becoming the new front in the War on Terror as Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman suggests we consider pre-emptive military options. As Obama returns from the sunny beaches of Hawaii he ought to make a hard right turn and focus on urgent national security issues and drop his utopian domestic agenda. Under Pressure Democratic Senator Max Baucus, one of the chief architects of Senate healthcare legislation, is recorded during a drunken rant against Republicans on the Senate floor. Other Senators are pleading with the Obama Administration to forget about cap-and-trade legislation next year. Meanwhile, terrorists are again targeting US-bound airplanes, and the DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano declares the "system worked" after a Nigerian man fails to detontate an explosive device during a Christmas day flight to Detroit. The political prospects are dim for Democrats in 2010. Merry Democrats Senator Harry Reid and his gang of Senate Democrat swindlers will have a Merry Christmas after finally passing their version of Health Care Reform. This is a tremendous partisan political victory for Senate Democrats, and a terrible loss for all Americans. They will now have to reconcile their bad bill with the House's badder bill, and the responsible politicians will have one last chance to stand up and kill the bill. Seeking Rent California Governor and former Terminator Arnold Schwarzenegger gave President Obama a solid A for effort for his first year in office. Today the Governator is seeking a federal bailout to fix their broken welfare state. Printing Press China is reporting that is becoming increasing difficult to buy US treasuries. Not because they're value is in question (which it will most certainly is), but because the narrowing current-account deficit is limiting supply of physical currency to purchase dollar denominated assets. That's easy to solve - just print more! Dear Kim The leader of the free world wrote a personal letter to the petty dictator of the worlds last vestige of 20th centrury communism pleading with him to cooperate - or else he'll write another letter. Importing Terror The ideological insanity of the Obama administration proceeds without caution as they plan to transfer terrorists from the sunny, luxurious confines of Club Gitmo to the suburbs of Chicago. Failing Grade The Presidents job approval continues to decline. Rasmussen now shows his overall approval at 44% and his approval index at -18%. These are both all-time low figures for Obama. He is now calling a meeting of Senate Democrats as Harry Reid's Senatecare legislation is on the verge of collapse. And Obama had the audacity to give himself a B+ for his first year in office. Senator In Decline Nevada Senator Harry Reid is witnessing the end of his political career, and thus is making desperate statements about those against his government takeover of healthcare. The Senator equated those in opposition with the obstructionists comtemporary with abolishment of slavery. Both Sides White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insists the science behind man-made global warming hypothesis is sound and conclusive that "climate change is happening". It was also reported that the 2009 hurricane season was as anemic as any in over a decade. Bank Of Hugo The Venezuelan Bolivarian Revolutionary Hugo Chavez threatened to nationalize the banks unless they loan money to the poor and extend credit more broadly. It turns out that liberal fascist ideology is not unique to America. Dubai Debt The state-owned corporate entity Dubai World stated it coud not meet its' interest payments to global creditors. This enduced negative volatility in world stock prices. The debt burden looms large for all levered entities as a result of the financial collapse. In some countries the public burden is so large that it leads to massive tax increases and currency devaluing. In other countries the private enterprises fail and stronger competitors rebuild anew. Mal Appeasement The tyrannical Iranian regime is proposing a law to compel non-Muslims to wear colored badges. The President of Iran has consistently rejected the holocause as a myth. He is now perpetrating it on his own people. Bomb Iran. Senatecare The Senate version of healthcare reform was unveiled this week. At 2,074 pages some Republicans are insisting that the entire bill be read aloud on the Senate floor. It is estimated to take 34 hours to read the entire bill, and according to Senate rules it can be done thrice. Inclement Weather "Obama has failed the world on climate change" declared Der Spiegel. They also say he lied to Europe. Through his own political ineptitude and empty climate platitude he has let down Europe - and saved America. Blind Rage New York Governor Paterson blasts the White House over the move by the Attorney General to bring terrorists to New York City for trial in a civilian court. The brotherly love has turned to bad blood between Barack and the Gov. Governor Paterson joins a chorus of dissent including former Mayor Giuliani and most people with common sense. Deficit Hawk Obama is projecting his State of the Union address theme: deficit reduction. A timely theme indeed, but entirely disingenuous. In order to control the wild spending in our federal government, and with the pending and president-approved $1T new healthcare entitlement, the savings will be found by receding from self-defense. Dollar Decline Treasury Secretary and Tax-Cheat Timothy Geithner today said that he believes that a strong dollar is important to U.S. interests. He's not known for comedy, but his irony is palpable. Berlin Snubbed Some say the President has spread himself thin attempting to achieve his grandiose vision of a utopian America. Among his many misplaced priorities, the leader of the free world doesn't have time to attend a ceremony celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. War On Terror The discussion about the attack on soldiers at Fort Hood has largely ignored the significance of the event. It was the first terrorist attack inside the US since 9/11. Perhaps the PC liberals will accept and acknowledge that we are at war with radical Islamists. Angry China The trade tensions between the US and China is on simmer right now. The rhetoric has gotten a little heated since Obama's tire tariff a few months ago. Chinese leadership is accusing the US of protectionist policies. Obama is scheduled to make his first trip there soon. No You Won't The election results in New Jersey, Virginia, and New York are pointing to a big win for Republicans, and more importantly, conservative principles. The off-year election for two Governors and a Congressman represent a pointed referendum to the Democrat's agenda, and discontent with the subsequent mishandling of the economy by Obama and his liberal gang. Football Analogy "The New Orleans Saints are undefeated because they have focused on one thing: playing great football. Unless President Obama and his men get serious and focused on governing, they'll end up like the St. Louis Rams--winless, and nearly owned by Rush Limbaugh." - James Taranto Clunker Government A new analysis of the cash for clunkers program by Edmunds.com suggests that each clunker cost tax payers $24,000 per car. The real clunker that needs to be traded-in is our feckless and obtuse Federal Government. Banking Queen In an interview on MSNBC, Congressman Barney Frank concedes that he is trying to increase the role of Government on all fronts. Just what we need. Immoral Profits Liberal politicians decry the excess profits of insurance companies. They tend to demonize the profits of any industry that is their target. The fact is that insurance companies have some of the lowest profit margins among many firms in other industries. Support Cooling Public polling shows a steep drop in the amount of people who believe in global warming. Fewer people believe it is man-made, and a danger to society. Barack Obama is "going to work on those folks". The Horses Mouth It is a real wake-up call to read the Russian media account of what's happening in America. Take it from people who know. Railroading Rush Rush Limbaugh's minority ownership interest in a group attempting to buy the St. Louis Rams was subverted by a concerted effort by libelous liberal mouthpieces to discredit conservative views. The effort to censor free speech and opposing views by equating them with racism will backfire with deleterious consequences for those attackers. Dow 10,000 The Dow Industrial index topped $10,000 for the first time in over a year. On news of better-than-expected earnings results from some companies the U.S. and global equities surged. The building concensus for an economic recovery can easily be turned on its' head by the pending disasterous legislation in our Congress. Reform Proceeds The Senate Finance Committee passed the Baucus Healthcare Bill. It passed on a party-line vote except the foolish Republican from Maine, Olympia Snowe. The legislation now needs to be reconciled with other pieces from the Senate and House before a final bill can be written. This ensures it will become more liberal and more destructive. Peace Prize Barack Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today. No joke. Dollar Dropping Profligate spending by our leaders in Washington combined with the Feds 0% interests rate policy is pushing the dollar to 14-month lows compared to other major currencies. Similarly, gold has reached record highs for the third consecutive day. Dropping The Dollar The international community is moving toward replacing the US Dollar as the worlds reserve currency. American economic power is waning in the era of trillion-dollar deficits and it is quite natural for foreign nations to consider ways to protect international trade. The potential of a crashing dollar has motiviated the oil-producing Arabs and their consumers to consider alternatives. Just Desserts Late night talk show host Dave Letterman got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He was forced to disclose on his show that he has had past sexual relationships with staffers. He is currently married to a long-time girlfriend and has a 5-year old son. The comedian was targeted in a $2M extortion plot. The extorter was arrested, and Dave has egg on his face. Die Hard Today the Senate Finance committee rejected an amendment to add a public option to the proposed Senate Health Care legislation. It's not that the current legislation is too weak ($800B over 10 years); it's just the liberals simply feel that it isn't ruinous enough. Obama's Record One would think that for all of Obama's promises of a utopian society he could boast of some impressive results on his resume. But it appears that Chicago is still a social dystopia. $7,000,000,000,000 The U.S. has issued over $7 Trillion in debt in fiscal 2009. Meanwhile, credit card defaults rose to 11.49% in August. Barack Lies So it turns out that Barack is a liar. Among many statements of distortion and misinformation he has attempted to decieved seniors that his health care plan will not reduce their benefits. The Congressional Budget Office contradicts him. So when he makes wild statements regarding climate change as an "irreversible catastrophe" it would be wise to think critically before he destroys our economy. Losing The Press Barack Obama attempted a media blitzkrieg on Sunday. In an interivew with ABC News correspondent George Stephanopoulos he was confronted on the definition of a tax. The Senate plan to mandate health care provides for a penalty on those who don't comply. Stephanopoulos consulted the dictionary to confirm that it was indeed a tax. Barack was combative in defense of this assertion. If enacted this would be another violation of his commitment not to tax the middle-class. Bomb Bomb Iran As tensions rise with Obama's foreign policy experiment the despots are emboldened: Illegitimate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has raised the stakes. Once again the crack-pot leader described the Holocaust as a lie and advocated the destruction of Isreal. Big Business And Obama Could Obama's appeasement strategy be driven by special interests and lobbying? This report suggests that certain big corporations will benefit from Obama's abdication from the responsibilities of Commander in Chief. ACORN In Freefall The growing controversy over ACORN's unsavory and in some cases illegal behavior has resulted in organization-wide suspension of activities in order to conduct an independent audit and internal review. Meanwhile, the House votes to defund the embattled group. Carter Draws Race Card Jimmy Carter, the last one-term presidential failure, has now joined the racism chorus in defense of Obama. This despicable diminution of liberal rhetoric will only serve to defeat their agenda, and the likely result will be a Carter-like demise to Obama's Presidency. Russia Arming Iran It is suspected that Russia is in negotiations to sell Iran air defense systems to thwart an Israeli attack on their nuclear sites. Dems Face Big Losses In 2010 As is typical for off-year elections, the party in power typically losses seats in Congress. 2010 may be a harsh year for Democrats; particularly those in swing states. Even the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is set to battle a strong conservative challenger. Barack Abandons Allies Sentiment toward US turns negative in Eastern Europe as the people feel neglected. Our friends and allies in eastern Europe - embraced by the previous administration - are disappointed as Obama focuses on appeasing our enemies. Washington Tea Party Some accounts report that close to one million conservatives converged on the US Capitol to protest government spending and usurpation of liberty. The complaints ranged from the financial and auto bailouts to the Democrats effort to reform health care with even greater government intervention. Former Enron Adviser The Keynesian and Big Government cheerleader, Paul Krugman, offers very little in objective economic analysis, and simply propogates the bogus ideology embraced by ultra-liberals. ACORN Denied Funding As a result of the continuing controversy in the practices of ACORN the Senate voted overwhelmingly to strip it of federal funds. Former Enron Adviser The Keynesian and Big Government cheerleader, Paul Krugman, offers very little in objective economic analysis, and simply propogates the bogus ideology embraced by ultra-liberals. ACORN Denied Funding As a result of the continuing controversy in the practices of ACORN the Senate voted overwhelmingly to strip it of federal funds. Want to contribute intellectual property?