Breitbart.com has a comment on President Obama’s broken promise on no tax increases on people who make less than $250,000 a year.  President Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases.  Somehow I suspect that many of the people who smoke make less than $250,000 a year; and their taxes just went up!

Meanwhile–the graph below shows how much money the government spends on tobacco subsidies.  I copied the graph from the Farm Subsidy Database from the Environmental Working Group website.  I don’t have any later figures than 2003, so I don’t know if the government has changed its policy.  I do find it interesting that they are raising taxes on a product that they are subsidizing–why not just end the subsidies and save the money?

Tobacco Subsidies by year, U.S. Total

Year Tobacco Subsidies 1995 $0 1996 $0 1997 $0 1998 $0 1999 $0 2000 $345,123,312 2001 $129,247,286 2002 $4,990,960 2003 $51,121,183 2004 $5,281 2005 $0 2006 $0 Total $530,488,022

NASA has released information on solar activity during the year 2008.  Just for the record, nothing we as people do on earth effects solar activity.  The bottom line on this is that the sun is emitting less heat than it has for a while.

We reached our peak of sun heat emissions in 2001 and have been going down ever since.  The article pointed out that 2008 was one of the quietest years for sun activity (sunspots, etc.) since we have measured.  According to the article:

“There were no sunspots observed on 266 of the year’s 366 days (73%). To find a year with more blank suns, you have to go all the way back to 1913, which had 311 spotless days: plot. Prompted by these numbers, some observers suggested that the solar cycle had hit bottom in 2008.”

As I said in the heading for the article, I am not a scientist, but it seems to me that if we are going to study climate change, it might be wise to start with solar activity.

This arrived in my email today.  I have no idea who wrote it–it just arrived.  Enjoy!

A woman in a hot air balloon realizes she is lost. She lowers her altitude and spots a man fishing in a boat below. She shouts to him, “Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don’t know where I am.”

The man consults his portable GPS and replies, “You’re in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolls her eyes and says, “You must be a Republican!”

“I am,” replies the man. “How did you know?”

 “Well,” answers the balloonist, “everything you tell me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I’m still lost. Frankly, you’re not much help to me.”

The man smiles and responds, “You must be a Democrat.” 

“I am,” replies the balloonist. “How did you know?” 

“Well,” says the man, “You don’t know where you are, or where you’re going. You’ve risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and now you expect me to solve your problem. You’re in exactly the same position you were in before we met. But, somehow now……. it’s my fault.”

According to the New York Post, Mayor Bloomberg has a goal of creating a green taxi fleet.  The idea is commendable — but limiting the solution to hybrids and diesels is wrong for New York according to Ron Sherman, president of the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, which represents about a quarter of the taxicabs in New York City. 

Mr. Sherman points out the the size of the hybrids puts the partition between the driver and the passenger much closer to the passenger’s face, creating a safety issue.  The hybrids are also not designed for the 24/7 use that a taxicab gets in New York City.

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade has offered an alternative proposal for the New York City taxis that includes, but is not limited to, hybrids.  The Ford Transit Connect is one cab he suggests as an alternative to hybrids.  It is larger than the hybrids, fuel efficient and safe.  Hopefully, his suggestions will be listened to.  Being sensitive to pollution is good, but we need to look at the total picture before we take actions that may have unintended consequences.

As Congress of railing against bonuses paid in private industry, the Wall Street Journal Online is reporting on bonuses paid to Congressional staff members. 

According to the article:

“Capitol Hill bonuses in 2008 were among the highest in years, according to LegiStorm, an organization that tracks payroll data. The average House aide earned 17% more in the fourth quarter of the year, when the bonuses were paid, than in previous quarters, according to the data. That was the highest jump in the eight years LegiStorm has compiled payroll information.”…

“Payments ranged from a few hundred dollars to $14,000. Lawmakers, at their own discretion, gave the money to chiefs of staff, assistants, computer technicians, and more than 100 aides who earned salaries of more than $100,000 a year.”

It’s nice to know that in this time of economic hardship for the country, congress and its aides are doing well.  Just for the record, I would like to remind people that in addition to the raise congress took this year, they voted themselves an increase in petty cash of $93,000 each.  These people are not doing a very good job of managing taxpayer money, why in the world should they be managing corporations?

National Public Radio is reporting that the Justice Department on Wednesday asked a federal judge to drop all charges against former Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska.  Since his conviction in last fall, charges of prosecutorial misconduct have delayed his sentencing and prompted defense motions for a new trial.  U.S. District Court Judge Emmett Sullivan set an April 7 hearing on the motion to dismiss the case.

According to the article:

“With more ugly hearings expected, Holder is said to have decided late Tuesday to pull the plug. His decision is said to be based on Stevens’ age — he’s 85 — and the fact that Stevens is no longer in the Senate. Perhaps most important, Justice Department officials say Holder wants to send a message to prosecutors throughout the department that actions he regards as misconduct will not be tolerated.”

There is no need to follow through on the case, the Democrats got what they wanted–the seat in the Senate.  I am not accusing Ted Stevens of being the world’s most ethical Senator, but this whole thing does not pass the smell test.  The trial was planned to run during the campaign season and the conviction came just a few days before the election.  There are stories about evidence being withheld from the defense and other irregularities.  There does seem to be some doubt about the fairness of the whole trial process.  I am concerned that there are elements within our political system who do not care about laws–they want to win at any cost.  I hope the people of Alaska pay attention to this when they elect the officials in charge of their justice system; it seems as if this was a total ‘set up’. 

Byron York has posted an article at the Washington Examiner today about the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, approving a measure called the “Pay for Performance Act of 2009”.  This bill would impose government salary controls on alll employees of any company receiving financial help from the government.  The government will determine what compensation is reasonable and “prohibit unreasonable and excessive compensation and compensation not based on performance standards”.  The government will be setting performance standards for any company they have given money to (in any industry involved).  What are the chances of the government knowing enough about every company it deals with to do this right?

According to the article:

“The legislation is expected to come before the full House for a vote this week, and, just like the AIG bill, its scope and retroactivity trouble a number of Republicans. “It’s just a bad reaction to what has been going on with AIG,” Rep. Scott Garrett of New Jersey, a committee member, told me. Garrett is particularly concerned with the new powers that would be given to the Treasury Secretary, who just last week proposed giving the government extensive new regulatory authority. “This is a growing concern, that the powers of the Treasury in this area, along with what Geithner was looking for last week, are mind boggling,” Garrett said.”

This bill is retroactive, meaning it will override prior contracts.  This is not the way the government in a Democracy (or a representative republic) should act.  This is not healthy for our country.

Power Line has a post this morning on the posturing that is going on at the G-20 summit as the world leaders try to decide how to handle the current financial crisis.  The article points out that Europe is taking the position that America is responsible for the global meltdown and therefore American should fix it.  The European countries are not really interested in inacting expensive stimulus plans–their governments have had massive social spending for decades. 

It is interesting, however, to look at the facts surrounding the worldwide meltdown.  According to the article:

“Consider the banks. Bromund and Markheim point to a survey by the Centre for European Policy Studies which found that the average leverage ratio of Europe’s twelve largest banks as of September 2008 was 35 to 1, compared to less than 20 to 1 in the U.S. The survey described Europe’s ratios as “a disaster in waiting.”

Or consider real estate. The IMF has noted out that, in the run-up to the crisis, “credit aggregates grew extremely fast in the United Kingdom, Spain, Iceland, and several Eastern European countries,” fueling real estate booms. As Bromund and Markheim explain, “the bubbles in Europe were as unsustainable as those in the U.S.””

One of the main issues that the European countries will take up is the elimination of ‘tax havens’.  Basically, Europeans have learned that if there is a country with low tax rates, the world corporations will move there–we saw that with the growth of the Irish economy when Ireland cut its corporate tax rate.  People vote with their feet, and there is a group of people in the world who are trying to prevent that from happening. 

This is a link to an article in Newsweek that was published about two weeks ago.  It’s a fairly long article, and I’m not even going to try to summarize it, but I suggest that everyone read it carefully.  In the United States (and in England) we seem somehow not affected by what is happening in Afghanistan (unless you have a family member in the military), and it’s easy to forget what is going on in South Asia.  This article shows what is happening in England below the surface.

The problem with this solution to being overtaxed is that most of us do not have the money or the job portability to carry it out, but with the age of computers, that may change.  As you may have read, New York State is discussing the idea of a 31 per cent tax hike on anyone making over $500,000 a year.  I realized that a lot of us don’t have to be concerned about paying that tax (myself included), but that’s not the only aspect of the proposal that will affect us.  Generally speaking, people who make over $500,000 a year hire people, they provide jobs.  If they have less money, they hire fewer people and spend less money.  So let’s look at a specific example.

According to National Review Online, Rush Limbaugh is ready to move his New York operation (he pays state income taxes on his income for every day he works in the state and also pays income taxes on his staff that works in New York) if these tax increases go through.  He will move the operation to a state that does not have a state income tax.  New York State in that instance not only does not collect more taxes from Rush Limbaugh, it loses the revenue it is now getting.  Unfortunately, Rush will probably not be the only entrepreneur who will move to a more tax-friendly location.

It is because of decisions like this that Texas is now home to more Fortune 500 headquarters than New York.  Our state of federal governments have long enjoyed increasing spending at a rate that is far greateer than inflation.  It’s time that they tightened their belts instead of expecting everyone else to pay for their spending habits. 

Again, I strongly suggest that you visit the website Taxdayteaparty.com to see what you can do to turn this excessive taxation and excessive spending around.

According to the St. Louis Business Journal, Don Davis, who resigned this week as President of Centrue Bank in St. Louis is raising capital to buy a bank.  Mr. Davis resigned because Centrue Bank couldn’t find a way to honor Davis’ contract under new pay restrictions imposed by Congress on banks such as Centrue that took loans under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).  Centrue accepted $32.7 million, before the pay limits were imposed, because the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation was encouraging banks to take TARP money to increase capital.

There are a lot of things going on here.  The bank was encouraged to take the TARP money even though they were not in trouble.  After the banks took the money, the pay limits were imposed.  Centrue Bank now has to find a new bank president when Mr. Davis was obviously doing a good job.  Mr. Davis will be fine.  He and his partners will buy a small bank not tainted with TARP money and avoid the heavy-handed regulations that come with TARP, but this whole situation is totally unnecessary.  How many people will have to fill out paperwork to make this work when the previous situation was perfectly fine?

The Washington Post headline reads “Detainee’s Harsh Treatment Foiled No Plots”, but when you read the article, that may not be the conclusion you reach.  The lawyers at Power Line have a few observations on this artcle.  The article states that no ‘significant’ plots were foiled.  Does this mean that ‘insignificant’ plots were foiled?  What is the definition of an ‘insignificant’ plot? 

Paul Mirengoff at Power Line notes:

“One of Thiessen’s main points is that Abu Zubaida provided information that led to the arrest of Jose Padilla. The Post acknowledges this, but argues that Padilla was never charged in connection with the “dirty bomb” plot which he was accused of heading. But Thiessen explains that Padilla had agreed to undertake a different, more realistic attack — a mission to blow up apartment buildings in the United States using natural gas. Is this the plot that the Washington Post dismisses as insignificant?

Thiessen reminds us that, when Padilla was apprehended at Chicago’s O’Hare airport — thanks to iinformation provided by Abu Zubaydah — he was carrying $10,000 given him by his al Qaeda handlers, along with the email address for Ammar al Baluchi, Khalid Sheikh Mohammad’s right-hand man. According to former Deputy Attorney General James Comey, the night before his departure, Padilla had been feted at a dinner by KSM, al Baluchi, and 9/11 plotter Ramzi bin al Shibh. Apparently, they did not consider Padilla’s mission insignificant.”

Any plot engineered by terrorists to kill American civilians is significant.  Talking down the ‘War on Terror” and the threat it is to Americans will not make it go away.

Secrecy is not new to the millitary, and there are a lot on instances where it is absolutely necessary, but it doesn’t need to be used to hide important information from the public.  The San Francisco Examiner reports that secrecy is the word of the day:

“Compare that to what is now transpiring within the Department of Defense (DOD). There, uniformed military officers and civilian government employees have been forced to sign a secrecy oath while they meet privately, behind closed doors, to decide the fate of nation’s defense budget.”

The rationale for the secrecy is that it will allow the entire budget to be presented at once, allowing better anaylsis (rather than have people react to leaked bits and pieces).  Remember the vote on the stimulus package?  It was given to the Senators less than twelve hours before the vote and was over seven hundred pages long.  Very few Senators had a chance to read it before they voted.  I have a feeling we are about to see that trick tried again.

It is interesting to me that the only serious budget cutting is going to be done in the area of defense.  There should not be a ‘peace dividend’ at this time.  In case President Obama has not noticed–there is no peace.

The article ends with this statement:

“But whether Gates is right or wrong is irrelevant. Defense Department budgetary decisions should not be made in secret; they should be made in public. America is not the Soviet Union or China; America is a democratic republic. Here the people rule.

What makes the secret deliberations even more unconscionable is that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other senior military leaders will be forced to pledge allegiance to Gates’ ultimate decisions. The American people, consequently, will never know whether and why senior military leaders disagreed with specific defense cuts.

But unless we understand, in all its rich detail and complexity, the reasoning and thought process that undergirded this process, we the people cannot make wise and informed decisions about our defense budget.

Congress needs to intervene and demand an end to these secret proceedings and the secret oaths. Congress also must subpoena and swear under oath all key participants in these deliberations, including but not limited to, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and senior three- and four-star Generals and Admirals.

We need to learn the truth about how defense budgetary decisions were reached and decided. This is America. Here the people rule.”

Ed Morrissey at Hotair.com has posted the definitive comments on a New York Post article abount a certain politician’s daughter photographed using cocaine.  The bottom line is, “Leave the daughter alone.  She is responsibile for her choices.  Her actions have nothing to do with her father.  His daughter is 27, please respect her privacy.”   It is unfortunate that recreational drug use is not unusual in this country, but it is a fact of life.  The fact that someone would try to make serious money out of someone else’s drug use is disturbing.

Ed Morrissey points out that the woman’s identity on the tape is not confirmed and then sums up the situation as follows:

“If the woman’s identity was confirmed and she was a public official, then that would be news.  The person alleged to be in this tape is not a public official, but the adult daughter of a public official.  Does this inform us of public policy, competence or integrity in office, or corruption or abuse of power?  Not at all.  So what’s the point, except to take a cheap shot at a public official we may not like?”

I agree.

I guess this should not really come as a surprise to anyone, but according to Politico.com, the CEO and chairman of General Motors has agreed to step down after pressure from President Obama.  According to the article:

“Wagoner’s resignation was one of the remarkable strings attached to the new aid package the administration is offering GM, based on recommendations from the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry, headed by the Treasury Department.”

Since when has the Treasury Department run anything well?

On Monday, President Obama is to unveil his plans for the auto industry, including a response to a request for additional funds by GM and Chrysler.

The article further states:

“The administration calls the task force “a cabinet-level group that includes the secretaries of Transportation, Commerce, Labor and Energy. It will also include the chairman of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, the EPA administrator, and the director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change. The Task Force will be led by Treasury Secretary [Tim] Geithner and [National Economic Council] Director Larry Summers.” “

Maybe I’m just cynical, but it will be interesting to see if in this very obviously pro-union administration, the auto unions are asked to make any concessions in this deal.  Stay tuned.

According to Timesonline, North Korea is getting some help with its impending missle launch.  Fifteen scientists and missle experts from Tehran has been in the country advising the North Koreans since the beginning of March.  According to the article:

“Japanese media claimed that spy satellites have photographed the nose cone of a long-range North Korean rocket on its launch pad. Envoys from South Korea, Japan and the US met in Washington during the weekend to discuss counter-measures to be taken against North Korea.

The three allies have warned that a rocket launch would be in violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning the communist state from carrying out ballistic missile activities.

Pyongyang has resisted pressure to call off the launch and warned that any attempt to shoot down the rocket would be regarded as an act of war.”

Unfortunately, this is another example of what happens when America has a President who is considered ‘weak’ by the unsavory elements in the world.  The political left around the world did not like the image of President Bush as a swaggering cowboy quick on the trigger, but it made the bad guys think twice about getting into mischief.  Unfortunately, President Obama’s idea of making nice to everyone may result in our talking sweetly to people as they reign down missles on our heads.  Keep in mind that the missle North Korea is launching is capable of reaching either Alaska or Hawaii.  It does not seem that we are making any effort to stop that launch.

According to Rick Moran at the AmericanThinker.com, Senator John McCain has stated that public campaign financing is now a dead issue.  No kidding.  It was the McCain-Feingold Act passed in 2002 that limited the amount of money a candidate who accepted public funds for his campaign could spend.  Aside from the fact that this is an abridgment of political free speech (unconstitutional), it has not been successful as law.  Because Barack Obama reneged on his promise of accepting public money for his campaign, he had almost unlimited funds to spend.  Because John McCain accepted public funds, he was limited in the amount of money he could legally spend.  I don’t think the limits on John McCain actually changed the results of the election, but they highlighted the fact that if both candidates do not accept public funding and its limits, there will be financial imbalance in the campaign.

John McCain is an American hero.  He was a rotten Presidential candidate.  He has been a thorn in the side of Republicans in the Senate for a long time.  Anytime the Republicans were in danger of showing some backbone and taking a stand on some issue, McCain stepped in and went ‘squishy’ and started attacking his fellow Republicans.  If Arizona wants to continue to re-elect him, they are welcome to him. but please don’t let the man pass legislation–he doesn’t seem to understand the Constitution!

 According to Reuters.com, an Afghan suicide bomber accidentally blew himself and six other militants up on Thursday bidding them farewell to leave for his intended target.                    

There is also an article about this incident at the website Patriotroom.com.  The article at that website uses language that is a little more colorful than is used on this website, but if you would like to read the article, the link is above.  To me, this is the perfect end for a suicide bomber.

The name Mark Levin is not a household word, but it’s familiar to New Yorkers and to conservatives.  Mark is the President of the Landmark Legal Foundation in Leesburg, Virginia.  He is a lawyer who has practiced law in the private sector as well as working as a advisor to several member of President Reagan’s staff.  He has written a book entitled LIBERTY AND TYRANNY which is currently Number 1 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list.

Last week, Dr. Levin was at a book store in Huntington, New York, to sign his book.  Six thousand people showed up.  This week, according to Power Line, there was a book signing at Tyson’s Corner, Virginia, for the book.  According to the blog:

“30 minutes before the event starts at Tysons Corner, Virginia, folks standing at the back of the line were warned of 5 hour wait and the probability that they would not get a book or autograph. But the line continues to grow!”

Something is brewing.  I think this is an indication of people searching for truth in a sound-bite world that is leaving them misinformed and taken advantage of by people in Washington who do not represent them!!!

According to the Wall Street Journal today, Japan has responded to the North Korea statement that it will launch a rocket carrying a satellite between April 4 and April 8, also warning that fragments could fall into the Sea of Japan between the two countries as well as southeast of Japan in the Pacific Ocean.  In response, Japan prepared Friday to deploy missile interceptors to shoot down any debris that could fall on Japanese territory.  According to the article:

“Any action Japan takes would be restricted to shooting at material that threatens to fall on Japanese land or sea. Nevertheless, the move is a bold one for Japan, which has a pacifist constitution that strictly restricts its military to measures of national defense.”

Meanwhile, back home according to the archives at Misslethreat.com, President Obama has previously stated that “I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.”  See the link for a futher link to a video of President Obama making these statements.

The rocket that North Korea is ‘testing’ can reach either Hawaii or Alaska.  Obviously, this is the time to perfect missle defense–not cut its funding.  Let’s hope President Obama has changed his mind on this.

The wesite which tells you where to get information on your city’s tea party is Taxdayteaparty.com.  The April 15th tea parties are going to be covered on Fox News.  According to Power Line, Sean Hannity will be covering the tea party in Atlanta live and linking to the other ones.  This may force the regular news channels to actually cover the events or be obviously left out in the cold. 

John Hinderaker comments:

“I’m planning on participating in the April 15 event and, if all goes well, posting photos and videos. There will be another anti-tax increase demonstration here in Minnesota on May 2 as well. The movement continues to grow.”

I don’t know how much good sending a message to the President and Congress will do, but the entire House of Representatives is up for election every two years.  I do know that some of the Democrats are getting very nervous.  I also believe that there will be a Democrat party primary election for President if President Obama continues on the path he is on.  Watch for Senators who refuse to vote yes on his budget and spending proposals–such as Evan Bayh from Indiana.  It is also interesting that Arlen Specter came out against card check.

According to Breitbart.com, the Obama administration is examining the idea that some of the terrorists held at Guantanamo would be released into the United States and given financial assistance to help them get on their feet and back into society.  In January of this year, Reuters.com reported that Pentagon figures show that 61 of the prisoners released from Guantanamo so far have returned to terrorism.  We need to remember the training guide given to terrorists–tell any lie you need to in order to get out of prison, and say you were tortured, whether you were or not.  The prisoners at Guantanamo are there for a reason–any other country would have shot them on the battlefield.  We set up Guantanamo to lock them up until they were not longer a threat.  I’m not sure that day will ever come.  To release them into American society and give them money is to trivialize the threat of terrorism that hit home on September 11, 2001.  It is also totally unwise and makes us look like idiots in the eyes of the people who are currently planning to do us harm.

President Obama has promised that the increased development of ‘green’ energy will create jobs and help the economy.  That’s what Spain thought too.  According to Ed Morrissey at Hotair.com,, Spain lost two jobs for every job created when it tried to convert to solar and wind energy.  The figures come from Barcepundit (English Version).  Barcepundit explains:

“For every new position that depends on energy price supports, at least 2.2 jobs in other industries will disappear, according to a study from King Juan Carlos University in Madrid.

U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2010 budget proposal contains about $20 billion in tax incentives for clean-energy programs. In Spain, where wind turbines provided 11 percent of power demand last year, generators earn rates as much as 11 times more for renewable energy compared with burning fossil fuels.”

This is more of change we can’t afford and should be stripped from the budget.

This is the link to the You Tube video taken at a March 21, 2009, Tea Party in Ridgefield, Connecticut.  The name of the song is “Take Our Country Back”.  It may well become the anthem of the Tea Party movement.