Yesterday Ben Stein posted an article at the American Spectator about the deal worked out between BP and the Obama Administration to pay for damages along the Gulf coast.  Mr. Stein points out that there is no legal justification for this deal.  Admittedly, there is a huge mess growing daily in the Gulf of Mexico and BP is partially responsible, but what is the legal basis for a $20 billion that we are demanding from BP and who is going to oversee this?

The fact that BP will not be paying its stockholders for the next three quarters is very troubling.  This is not playing well overseas.  Our already strained relationship with Great Britain is getting worse.  The headline of todays Mail.online is:

“Obama bullies BP into £13.5bn fund for oil spill victims… but British pensioners will pick up the bill”

Ben Stein also points out in his article:

“Without any new legislation, President Obama has used returned TARP money as a political slush fund to prop up favorite industries. This is the same problem: serious executive action without legislative authority.

“The same goes for Mr. Obama’s demand that BP pay the lost wages of oil and gas workers suspended from work because of the moratorium on Gulf of Mexico underseas drilling. There simply was no legislation allowing this kind of specific demand. Mr. Obama’s demand was in the nature of a threat, more than a Constitutional act.”

The actions taken regarding BP are not constitutional and need to be addressed.  Yes, BP should be required to clean up the mess and pay restorations, but what happened at the White House between President Obama and BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg was a shakedown.

As previously stated, I attended the debate on Tuesday night among the Republican primary candidates for the Third Congressional District.  There are five men hoping to run against Jim McGovern.  The debate was friendly–it wasn’t really a forum where you could challenge any claim made by a candidate, but I have learned a few things since then.

One of the candidates, Brian Herr, who has just completed his two-year term as Chief Elected Offical in the Town of Hopkinton, claimed repeatedly to be a fiscal conservative who had not raised taxes in that town.  Well, in the age of google, statements like that can be dangerous.

On November 20, 2008, the Hopkinton Crier posted a story with this headline, “Hopkinton residential property tax rate up $170.”  Maybe I’m missing something here, but that sounds like a tax increase.

The article points out:

“The new rate for fiscal 2009 is $15.03 per $1,000 of assessed value, an increase from the $14.15 used last year. While taxpayers’ first two quarterly bills this fiscal year relied on an estimation, the final two bills will factor in the new rate.

“Although tax bills are going up, the assessed value of the town’s average single-family home fell for the second straight year. From a high of $550,265 in fiscal 2007, it fell to $518,552 in 2008 and to $499,539 this year. Even then, the 2009 value reflects market conditions 10 months ago.

“Still, multiplying the $15.03 rate by $499.54 – derived by taking out the last three digits of the 2009 value – leaves an average bill of $7,508. That’s $170 and 2.3 percent higher than last year’s $7,338 bill.

“The total property tax collection is going up 4.2 percent from last year, reflecting the 2.5 percent increase allowed by Proposition 2 1/2, new growth and Proposition 2 1/2 debt exclusions already approved.”

This is another reason I am supporting Marty Lamb as the Republican candidate for the Third Congressional District.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air has an article posted today about the Packgen’s boom that Jake Tapper wondered about–the boom that was not being used to help contain the oil spill in the Gufl.  After Jake Tapper brought it to the government’s attention that this boom was available, the government replied that the boom did not meet their quality control standards.  Packgen then hired an independent analyst to analyze the quality of their product.  Ian Durham, the analyst, concluded that the product was superior to other boom and definitely met quality control standards. 

The article points out:

“The excuse prior to this has been that Packgen’s product didn’t meet quality control standards and didn’t come with universal connectors.  Packgen has already agreed to change connectors, even though the boom already being deployed doesn’t have them.  This report demolishes the quality-control argument as well.  These now appear to have been nothing but an excuse to distract people from the fact that the Obama administration’s team knew nothing of Packgen’s inventory despite media coverage of their production in anticipation of the demand in the Gulf.”

If I were speaking for the government, I would be very careful about bragging that the government was in control of the oil spill since it happened.  If that is true, the government’t track record is not very good.

As I explained yesterday, I did not hear the President’s speech.  I was at a political debate among the Republican candidates for the Massachusetts Third Congressional District (see article below).  I have, however, heard the sound bites and the commentary and have a few observations.

Back in the age of dinosaurs (when I finished high school and went on to two years of Katharine Gibbs), one on my rude awakenings was the change from being graded on what you knew (or had memorized) versus what you were able to do.  For example, history grades depended on a knowledge of history–not necessarily applying the lessons of history to events today.  At Katharine Gibbs, shorthand grades depended on how fast you could take dictation (remember those days?)–not what you knew.  I think that is somewhat where we are with President Obama.  He may have a lot of facts at his fingertips and a lot of education, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into an ability to do anything.  I think that in the office of President, the ability to do something is more valuable than all the theories and knowledge in the world.

Heritage.org has a short evaluation of the President’s speech last night.

The article quotes Jay Leno:

“At the beginning of The Tonight Show last night he quipped: “President Obama said today he is going to use the gulf disaster to immediately push a new energy bill through Congress. I got an idea … How about first using the Gulf disaster to fix the Gulf disaster.””

The Washington Post reports:

“The Oval Office address was Obama’s most pointed attempt since the spill began to explain how the crisis should be leveraged on behalf of long-term reform.”

The Los Angeles TImes and the New York Times both reported on the President’s using the oil spill for push his agenda forward.  I guess the question I have is, “Why was international help from countries with experience in deep water oil spills turned away?”  Was this situation allowed to get out of control in order to push ‘green energy’?

I might mention at this point that the Motor City Times pointed out in an article on June 6 that the Spanish government has admitted that their green energy initiative is responsible for Spain’s economic distress.  Are we willing to learn from the mistakes of other countries, or are we doomed to repeat their mistakes?

In 2008, Representative Jim McGovern ran for his Congressional seat unopposed.  In 2010, there are five Republicans who want to run against him for that seat.  The five potential candidates met for a debate at the North Attleboro High School last night.  The Republican primary will be held on September 14th.

The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Massachusetts, newspaper) ran a story on the debate this morning.  The candidates were Robert Chipman of Plainville, Brian Herr of Hopkinton, Marty Lamb of Holliston, Michael Stopa, and Robert Delle.  The format for the debate was simple–Kevin Poirier moderated and asked the questions.  Each candidate was give a minute to answer the question.

When discussing the repeal (and replace) of the Obama healthcare plan all of the candidates favored repeal and replace.  Michael Stopa pointed out the the original Massachusetts healthcare plan passed under Governor Dukakis was not funded by the Massachusetts legislature and thus never implemented.  That model could be very easily used to get rid of Obamacare.

When the question of English as a national language came up, Marty Lamb took a strong stand supporting the issue.  He pointed out the encouraging literacy is a good thing for all immigrants. 

When asked about the problem of illegal immigrants and the recently passed Arizona law, Marty Lamb pointed out that his campaign has released a seven-point program for dealing with immigration.

Various ideas on cutting spending were proposed.  Marty Lamb mentioned that his campaign has released a ten-point program for dealing with the deficit.  Up until last night, Marty Lamb was the only one of the candidates that had signed the “No New Taxes” pledge.

I am supporting Marty Lamb in this primary campaign.  His stands on the issues have been carefully thought out, and he expresses them well.  One person commented after the debate last night that she believed Marty Lamb is the candidate most able to challenge Jim McGovern in the coming election.  I agree.

ABC News reported yesterday that Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has ordered the National Guard to begin building barrier walls to protect the Louisiana coastline from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.  The National Guard is using Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters to drop sandbags to fill in the gaps between the barrier islands off the Louisiana coast. 

According to the article:

“The authorities say they’re keeping a tab on the cost of the project and will send a bill to BP, adding to a huge list of claims from the spill zone.”

I have been thoroughly impressed with Bobby Jindal since one of my children bought a house in New Orleans in 2003.  Louisiana is fortunate to have a governor who is honest, smart, and willing to take action to protect his state.  Governor Jindal is the only hope for Louisiana in the Gulf oil crisis.  I truly hope to see him in the White House someday.

Today’s Washington Examiner reports on the Stimulus II that is being discussed by the Obama Administration.  According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, unemployment in the public sector last month was 3.4 percent.  The private sector unemployment rate is above 9 percent.  So why are the Democrats planning a bill to bail out public sector employees (can you say SEIU)?

According to the article:

“President Obama is now pleading with Congress for $23 billion to prevent teacher layoffs, $25 billion for state health care programs and $2 billion for police and firemen. Bear in mind that the original stimulus, which passed in February 2009, already contained a $53.6 billion “State Fiscal Stabilization Fund,” which included $39.5 billion for local school districts to prevent teacher layoffs and program cuts. Public-sector unions, the primary beneficiaries of this largesse, were already calling for a second stimulus in July 2009 — less than five months after the original one passed.”

This adds up to another $50 million dollars in government spending.  The unions that public sector employees belong to support bigger government–that’s where their jobs are!  Last month American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) president Gerald McEntee pledged to spend $50 million to protect Democrat’s “incumbency in the House.  We’ve got to protect the incumbency in the Senate.”  I guess we know where the money will come from.

I will not be watching President Obama’s speech tonight–I will be at a debate between Republican Primary candidates for the Third Congressional District in Massachusetts.  I pray that in November one of the men I hear tonight will be elected to replace Jim McGovern, but that is not what this article is about.

President Obama will no doubt in his speech place the lion’s share of the blame for the mess on the Gulf coast on BP.  He will also say that the current disaster shows the need for bigger government and a Cap and Trade (aka Cap and Tax) bill.  There is some truth in the first statement and very little truth in the second.

On June 9, the Business Insider posted an article about the Obama Administration’s refusal of international help during the early days of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  There are countries in the world that are much more experienced in deep-water drilling than we are, and some of those countries have successfully and quickly cleaned up the type of disaster we saw in the Gulf. 

The article states:

“According to Foreign Policy, thirteen entities that had offered the U.S. oil spill assistance within about two weeks of the Horizon rig explosion.  They were the governments of Canada, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations.

“The U.S. response – Thank you, but no thank you, we’ve got it.

“…While there is no need right now that the U.S. cannot meet, the U.S. Cpast Guard is assessing these offers of assistance to see if there will be something which we will need in the near future.”

The reason for declining help–“The Jones Act.”  The Jones Act requires that goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried in U.S.-flag ships.  The purpose of the law is to support the U.S. merchant marine industry.  The Jones Act was waived in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and should be waived again.  The fact that it has not been waived has resulted in much greater damage to the environment that would have otherwise happened.  There are European countries who specialize in deep-water accidents, we need their help in this.

I would love to see the President waive the Jones Act in his speech tonight, instead I think we will be watching the beginning of a government takeover of the energy sector or the economy. 

Today Alert Net, a website of the Thomas Reuters Foundation, which says under its name “alerting humanitarians to emergencies,” is reporting that Iran is sending ships to challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza.  OK.  I have a few questions.  Based on the amount of food and other goods flowing into Gaza from Israel (this is not a blockade in the true sense of the word, the Israelis are simply asking to inspect the goods going into Gaza), where is the humanitarian emergency?  I have posted links to menus of four-star restaurants in Gaza, olympic size swimming pools for children and recent pictures of markets.  I have posted lists of goods and the amounts shipped to Gaza recently.  These pictures and amounts do not show a lack of goods.  If there is a lack of food and other resources in Gaza, I would tend to ask Hamas how it is distributing the goods shipped into Gaza. 

Why is Iran getting involved–to flex their muscles and to create unrest. 

The article reports:

“A senior Iranian official said earlier Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards were ready to provide a military escort to aid ships heading to Gaza if Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei so commands. [ID:nLDE65509B]

“But the Guards’ deputy head, Hossein Salami, said there were no plans to do so. “Such a thing is not on our agenda,” he was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency on Monday.”

While Iran is making sure the world is focused on the ‘blockade’ of Gaza by Israel, Iran will continue to develop its nuclear porgram.  I don’t know if Israel will attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, I just think it is a shame that the current administration in America has not supported the green revolution that would have made any attack unnecessary.

The New York Times posted an article yesterday on the discovery of nearly $1 trillion in untapped mineral deposits in Afghanistan.  The minerals involved are iron, copper, cobalt, gold and critical industrial metals like lithium.  This is very good news and very bad news.  It is good news because the development of these mineral deposits will provide an alternative to the current economic structure of Afghanistan which is based on the opium trade.  This could potentially, a few years down the road, put the poppies out of business.  This is bad news because of the rampant corruption in the Afghan government.  This could evolve into a Saudi Arabia type society where the wealth and power are concentrated among a very small number of people and the majority of the people live in poverty.

There are a lot of potential problems with this discovery.  Will the value of Afghanistan’s minerals give the Taliban more incentive to continue fighting?  Will the value of Afghanistan’s minerals bring the country back to its tribal roots–with tribal leaders fighting the federal government over income derived in specific locations?  Will this discovery encourage involvement in Afghanistan by countries other than the United States and NATO, countries that might not have an agenda of a free, well-governed Afghanistan?

Stay tuned.

The North Attleboro Republican Town Committee is sponsoring the first Republican Candidates Debate for the 3rd Congressional District.

The debate will be held on Tuesday, June 15th, from 6:30 to 9:30 at the Cobb Theater, North Attleboro High School, 1 Wilson Whitty Way in North Attleboro. All five Republican candidates running in the primary against Sen. Jim McGovern will be present:

• Robert Chipman of Plainville
• Brian Herr of Hopkington
• Martin Lamb of Holliston
• Michael Stopa of Holliston
• Robert Delle of Westboro

The complete announcement from the North Attleboro Republican Town Committee follows:

On Tuesday June 15th, the 3rd Congressional District of Massachusetts will hold it’s first Republican Candidates Debate In North Attleboro from 6:30pm till 9:30pm.
The Debate will be held at the Cobb Thearter: 1 Wilson Whitty Way in North Attleborough

As a taxpayer, voter and citizen I urge your devoted interest in this Democratic process that so many lives have afforded you in what we call, “Freedom”. Won’t you join our North Attleboro Republican Town Committee as we present you, the voter, an opportunity to directly engage the five Republican candidates running for the Peoples Seat currently held by incummbant Democrat James McGovern.

Our district currently comprises all or most of 28 cities and towns with an economic base alone equal to many 3rd world countries GNP, our population ten years ago included 1/10th of the states residents and an almost exact replica of the now coined phrase “gerrymander district” from 1812, your state comprises one of the largest congressional delegations to Washington of any of our 50 states and if you don’t think your vote counts on primary day Tuesday September 28, 2010 we can only refer you to January 20 headlines of this year.

All five candidates for election as your next Congressional Representative of this 3rd Congressional District will be present: Robert Chipman of Plainville, Brian Herr of Hopkington, Martin Lamb of Holliston, Michael Stopa of Holliston and Robert Delle of Westboro. Each candidate taking questions directly from you the taxpayer, you the voter, you the citizen. Please engage your political interests, be here at the forfront, in the heartland of Scott Brown’s base of support. Without your vote and interest this democracy will loose never think your vote doesn’t count.

I encourage, urge and otherwise respectfully request your presence to this political debate that features a variety of individuals cut from the American fabric who will stand up for your interests, beliefs and concerns. Candidates seeking support through fair, honest, hard working, family oriented citizens like yourselves hoping to save the American Dream.

James Lang
North Attleboro Republican Town Committee

According to the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, some passengers of the Mavi Marmara and other ships from Turkey’s IHH flotilla are planning to apply for visas to enter the United States on a speaking tour. It has been announced that a number of these passengers plan to speak in New York City in the coming weeks.

This link, Urge State Dept to Investigate Flotilla Passengers, is to a petition to ask the State Department to investigate any visa applicants from the flotilla to make sure that they do not have any terrorist connections. 

The link provided above points out:

“In 2006, a report issued by the Danish Institute for International Studies stated that during the 1990s the IHH maintained links with al-Qaida and a number of “global jihad networks.”
“The report also stated that the Turkish government launched an investigation into the IHH starting December 1997 after receiving intelligence that the IHH had bought automatic weapons from Islamist terrorists. According to the report, the Turkish government launched a raid on the organization’s Istanbul offices where they found weapons, explosives, and instructions for bomb-making. The report added that an examination of documents found at the IHH office indicated that the group was planning to take part in terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia. In addition, a French intelligence report found that in the mid-1990s IHH leader B’ulent Yildirim recruited soldiers for jihad activities in a number of Muslim countries and that the IHH transferred money, firearms, and explosives to jihadists in a number countries.”

Please follow the link and sign the petition.  We do not need to give visas to terrorists on a speaking tour to raise funds in New York City.

The reference for this story is a May 25 article in the Washington Examiner.  The article deals with the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC).  Senator Bob Casey, (D-Pa.), introduced S. 3157 in late March.  According to Thomas.gov, the bill is currently in committee.  The bill is called “Create Jobs and Save Benefits Act of 2010.”

The bill would back union pension funds with federal tax dollars.  The article in the Washington Examiner points out that in 2006, before the recession, only six percent of these union pension funds were doing well.  In a column in the Washington Examiner in April, Mark Hemingway pointed out that the average union pension plan had only enough money to cover 62 percent of its financial obligations.  Pension plans that are below 80 percent funding are considered “endangered” by the government; below 65 percent is considered “critical.”  Union membership is declining, which means that less people are paying into these funds.

In July 2009, the PBGC bailed out the pension liabilities of auto parts manufacturer Delphi ($6.2 billion).  In 2007, the PBGC had a deficit of almost $1 billion.  They are expected to assume $86 billion in liabilities by 2015.  This is not good business practice.

I am sorry that the unions cannot cover their pension funds, but maybe it’s time for them to consider taking steps to make their pension funds affordable.  I do not think the American taxpayer should be required to save a union pension fund.

Can you cover a lie with an expensive public relations campaign?  We are about to find out.  Today’s Washington Examiner posted an article about the Obama Administration’s efforts to sell the healthcare reform law to senior citizens as a good thing.  President Obama told a group of senior citizens in Maryland last week, “what you need to know is that the guaranteed Medicare benefits that you’ve earned will not change, regardless of whether you receive them through Medicare or Medicare Advantage.”  The Wall Street Journal pointed out that nothing in that statement is true.  Nevertheless, it has become the official position of the Obama Administration.  The problem is that the health care bill cuts Medicare by $500 billion over the next ten years.  The next ten years is the time when the amount of people who will be expecting to join Medicare rapidly increases as the baby boomers turn 65.  There is no way that you can cut the program by $500 billion, add millions of baby boomers, and provide the same coverage and service you are providing now.

According to the article:

“As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week in response to Obama’s Maryland statement, seniors have been told repeatedly by the White House and congressional Democrats “that if they liked their plan they could keep it.  Yet now we hear that millions of seniors will lose the Medicare Advantage benefits they have and like as a result of the Democrats’ health care bill…That’s been the story all along about this bill–a lot of promises that couldn’t be kept.  And that’s why the story now isn’t the bill itself, but the administration’s broken promises.”

The Obama Administration is planning a $125 million public relations campaign to sell Obamacare.  The money is coming from unions and liberal nonprofit organizations, and the co-chairman of the campaign is former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle. 

I guess we will see if an expensive public relations campaign can successfully sell a lie.

Can you cover a lie with an expensive public relations campaign?  We are about to find out.  Today’s Washington Examiner posted an article about the Obama Administration’s efforts to sell the healthcare reform law to senior citizens as a good thing.  President Obama told a group of senior citizens in Maryland last week, “what you need to know is that the guaranteed Medicare benefits that you’ve earned will not change, regardless of whether you receive them through Medicare or Medicare Advantage.”  The Wall Street Journal pointed out that nothing in that statement is true.  Nevertheless, it has become the official position of the Obama Administration.  The problem is that the health care bill cuts Medicare by $500 billion over the next ten years.  The next ten years is the time when the amount of people who will be expecting to join Medicare rapidly increases as the baby boomers turn 65.  There is no way that you can cut the program by $500 billion, add millions of baby boomers, and provide the same coverage and service you are providing now.

According to the article:

“As Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said last week in response to Obama’s Maryland statement, seniors have been told repeatedly by the White House and congressional Democrats “that if they liked their plan they could keep it.  Yet now we hear that millions of seniors will lose the Medicare Advantage benefits they have and like as a result of the Democrats’ health care bill…That’s been the story all along about this bill–a lot of promises that couldn’t be kept.  And that’s why the story now isn’t the bill itself, but the administration’s broken promises.”

The Obama Administration is planning a $125 million public relations campaign to sell Obamacare.  The money is coming from unions and liberal nonprofit organizations, and the co-chairman of the campaign is former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle. 

I guess we will see if an expensive public relations campaign can successfully sell a lie.

It’s not working.  Charles Krauthammer posted an article at the Washington Post on Friday regarding the Obama Administration’s declaration that it was moving to isolate Iran.  Let’s look at some facts.

On Tuesday, Russia, Turkey and Iran held a security summit in Istanbul.  The growing relationship between Iran and Turkey, a NATO member, is disconcerting.  Last month there was a meeting in Tehran between Brazil, Turkey, and Iran.  That meeting resulted in the uranium transfer agreement that supposedly would end the need for sanctions against Iran because of its nuclear program.  Six weeks ago, Iran was elected to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women.  (Another reason we should get out of the U.N. and ask it to leave America.)

Mr. Krauthammer points out:

“Increasing isolation? In the past year alone, Ahmadinejad has been welcomed in Kabul, Istanbul, Copenhagen, Caracas, Brasilia, La Paz, Senegal, Gambia and Uganda. Today, he is in China.

“Three Iran sanctions resolutions passed in the Bush years. They were all passed without a single “no” vote. But after 16 months of laboring to produce a mouse, Obama garnered only 12 votes for his sorry sanctions, with Lebanon abstaining and Turkey and Brazil voting against.”

The headline in Wednesday’s Washington Post was, “U.S. alliance against Iran is showing new signs of vulnerability.”   I think we are seeing the results of electing an American President that the world views as weak.  There are billboards in various places around America with pictures of George W. Bush and the words, “Do you miss me yet?” printed on them.  Yes, President Bush, I do.

Sometimes the information on what is going on isn’t found in the obvious headlines–it’s found in seemingly unrelated headlines.  The UK Times Online reported today that the Saudi Arabian government has conducted tests to take down its radar temporarily in order to allow Israel to fly over to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities.  I guess the Saudis don’t have a lot of faith in the latest round of United Nations sanctions against Iran.

On Thursday, Investors.com reported on the latest sanctions leveled against Iran.  The article points out that the fact that Brazil and Turkey voted against the sanctions will probably embolden Iran to continue its nuclear program. 

The article points out:

“Somehow, President Bush, the unilateralist, the practitioner of cowboy diplomacy, was able to get all the members on board on sanctions. Obama, charismatic consensus builder, couldn’t. Might it have something to do with the perception of a decline in U.S. power under this new leadership?”

The sanctions did not stop Russia from supplying S-300 missiles to Iran to defend Iran’s nuclear sights, but it looks as if Russia may have cancelled the shipment on its own.  I wonder about this and wonder what will go on between Russia and Iran that we don’t know about regarding the shipment of these missiles.

The article concludes:

“The paper (Britain’s left-wing Guardian) also believes the dubiously re-elected Ahmadinejad comes out the better, having been given “the opportunity of defying the world, and winning.”

“These new sanctions are not aimed at getting Iran to stop going nuclear; they’re aimed at getting Iran to agree to talk — leading to new concessions. And all the while, the jihadists’ nuclear clock is ticking.”

This is not a Republican or Democrat issue.  George Bush was not successful at stopping Iran’s nuclear program either, although I believe he was hampered by a hostile media and a hostile Congress.  I don’t believe attacking Iran is the answer–I believe funding the opposition to the current government any way you can is the answer.  A stronger stand during the unrest after the last Iranian election would have been helpful.  Israel will be condemned by the world if it attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities, but at the same time, most of the world will breathe a sigh of relief. 

One of the problems with telling a lie is that you eventually get found out.  That is what has happened regarding the Obama Administration’s call for a six-month moratorium on deep-water drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.  The Obama Administration stated that he moratorium was declared at the request of a panel of seven experts selected by the National Academy of Engineering. 

Yesterday Power Line Blog reported that the experts have stated that they never saw the recommendation for a moratorium, and in fact oppose it: 

According to Fox News yesterday:

“Salazar’s report to Obama said a panel of seven experts “peer reviewed” his recommendations, which included a six-month moratorium on permits for new wells being drilled using floating rigs and an immediate halt to drilling operations.

“”None of us actually reviewed the memorandum as it is in the report,” oil expert Ken Arnold told Fox News. “What was in the report at the time it was reviewed was quite a bit different in its impact to what there is now. So we wanted to distance ourselves from that recommendation.”

“Salazar apologized to those experts Thursday.”

This is something that needs to be looked at more closely.  It has crossed my mind and the minds of some people much smarter than I am that the handling of the Gulf oil spill is another example of “never let a crisis go to waste.”  I can’t believe this level of incompetence on the part of a group of supposedly smart people.  Let’s look at what the ongoing crisis in the Gulf and the shutdown of the deepwater rigs will do.  It will increase our dependency upon foreign oil–eventually raising gasoline prices to $5 a gallon or more. 

According to Heritage.org: 

To meet the Obama administration’s targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions, some researchers say, Americans may have to experience a sobering reality: gas at $7 a gallon. To reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the transportation sector 14 percent from 2005 levels by 2020, the cost of driving must simply increase, according to a forthcoming report by researchers at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. The 14 percent target was set in the Environmental Protection Agency’s budget for fiscal 2010.”

Remember the EPA takeover of the control of greenhouse gas emissions?  There is a pattern here, and the actions taken by this administration will destroy the American economy.  The only way to prevent the government takeover ov the energy section of our economy is to elect people in November who will take a stand against big government.

The above picture is a recent photo of Gaza’s fruit and vegetable market.  This picture is from the website, Tom Gross Mideast Media Analysis.  If you follow the link, you will find pictures of an Olympic-size swimming pool the Children of Gaza swim in and various menus from some of the restuarants in Gaza.  There is a similar article in the May 27 Jerusalem Post.  This is the story that the mainstream media is not telling.

Wednesday’s Washington Times posted an article about and a picture of President Obama’s meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with the customary handshake.  Along with that handshake, $400 million dollars went to the Palestinian Authority.  Just for the record, when it was decided in 1917 that a Jewish state would be established in the Middle East, the land that was known as Palestine was given to the Jews.  At that time there were no Palestinians–just a few nomads on camels that wandered through the area.  In 1920, at the League of Nations Conference of San Remo, the boundaries for the new state of Israel were drawn up.  They included that land that is now Jordan west to the Mediterranean Sea.  That land was to be the new State of Israel.  In 1921, Britain reneged on that agreement and gave 75% of the land it had promised Israel (then considered East Palestine) to the Hashemites, who had been driven out of Mecca and Medina by the Wahabi Muslims.  Thus, Trans-Jordan was established as a Palestinian Arab state with land that had been promised to Israel. 

Israel was to have what was considered West Palestine (25 percent of what they were originally promised).  I guess that’s why I have such a hard time sympathizing with the terrorists who have continually tried to take land away from Israel since 1948.

Contrast the photo-op with President Obama and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with the total lack of a photo-op when Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington recently.  We as a country are on the wrong side of history in the struggles between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.  This administration seems to have a tendency to support tyranny over democracy.  This needs to end.

Joint Resoltuion 26 was voted on in the Senate yesterday and did not pass.  The vote was 47 yeas and 53 nays.  All the Republicans voted for the bill, and six Democrats voted for the bill.  You can find out more about the bill and the vote at Thomas.gov.  The six Democrats who voted for the bill were Evan Bayh, Blanche Lincoln, Mary Landrieu, Ben Nelson, Mark Pryor, and Jay Rockefeller.

According to Thomas.gov, Joint Resolution 26 is described as “A joint resolution disapproving a rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the endangerment finding and the cause or contribute findings for greenhouse gases under Section 202 (a) of the Clean Air Act.”

In simple terms, this is the Cap and Trade legislation that President Obama could not get through Congress.  It is now law–it will be implemented through the Environmental Protection Agency.  This is bad news for everyone (especially the U. S. Constitution).  We can expect all utility bills to increase rapidly; we can expect more government control over the cars we drive and how much we drive them.  We can expect more restrictions on the use of our own natural resources, and we can expect a very negative impact on an already struggling economy.

There was a second bill sponsored by Jay Rockefeller that would also have stopped this power grab, but because of procedures, it would need sixty votes to get to the floor of the Senate.  I don’t think that is likely, but I would love to be wrong.

I apologize for not knowing how to embed a video.  If I knew how, this video would stay at the top of this blog for a very long time.  Please follow this link to YouTube to watch what happened at a Question and Answer session at a Tea Party in Douglas County.

On Sunday, June 6, the Wall Street Journal posted an article by Arthur Laffer on the coming expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts.  Contrary to idea that these were only “tax cuts for the rich”, these tax cuts were structured to keep the economy growing by putting money in the pockets of consumers at all economic levels. 

According to the article:

“On or about Jan. 1, 2011, federal, state and local tax rates are scheduled to rise quite sharply. President George W. Bush’s tax cuts expire on that date, meaning that the highest federal personal income tax rate will go 39.6% from 35%, the highest federal dividend tax rate pops up to 39.6% from 15%, the capital gains tax rate to 20% from 15%, and the estate tax rate to 55% from zero. Lots and lots of other changes will also occur as a result of the sunset provision in the Bush tax cuts.”

One of the basic rules of economics is that you don’t raise taxes during a recession.  If you follow the above link to the article, you will see the graph showing what happened in the early 1980’s when President Reagan lowered tax rates.  Mr. Laffer believes that the inverse of this graph will occur if the Bush tax cuts expire. 

It is doubful that Congress will take responsibility for the economic meltdown that follows the expiration of these tax cuts, but the American people need to hold them responsible.  It is important to remember that when tax rates go up, the amount of revenue received goes down.  When tax rates are lowered, the amount of revenue coming in to the government increases because the amount of taxable economic activity increase.  This seems illogical, but historically has been proven to be true.  If you google the “Laffer Curve”, you will see the evidence of this.

The only conclusion I can draw from the fact that Congress seems to be willing to let these tax cuts expire is that the only hope America has is to elect a new Congress.  Support your Congressional candidates that call for less spending and renewing the Bush tax cuts.

CNS News is reporting today on an end run the Obama Administration is about to do around Congress.  Because the Cap and Trade (also knows as Cap and Tax) energy bill is stalled in Congress, the Environmental Protection Agency is planning to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gasses under the Clean Air Act.  If this is carried out, Cap and Tax will essentially be put into effect without anyone having the chance to vote on it!  Some Congressmen are objecting to being cut out of the lawmaking process.  They have proposed a bill to stop the power grab.

According to the article:

“The Republican-led measure coming to a vote late Thursday would stop the Environmental Protection Agency from carrying out rules to regulate carbon and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.
 
“At least four Democrats have indicated their support for the legislation, and the vote is expected to be close. The measure will produce the most important vote this year on the climate change issue and is seen as a test of where lawmaker sentiments lie.”

The bill to stop the EPA power grab has the support of Democrat Senator Jay Rockefeller, who stated, “I believe we must send a strong message that the fate of West Virginia’s economy, our manufacturing industries and our workers should not be solely in the hands of EPA.”  He is correct.  This is a power grab and needs to be stopped.

The supposed justification for this action by the EPA is a Supreme Court decision in 2007 which stated that the Clean Air Act should allow the EPA to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases if they were shown the be a health risk.  The EPA then decided that Global Warming was a health risk and therefore they should be allowed to regulate these gases.

Senate Joint Resolution 26 comes up for a vote today.  Please call your Congressman and tell him (or her) to stop the EPA power grab.

The Chicago Sun Times is reporting today on the opening remarks made by defense lawyer Sam Adam Jr. during the trial of Rod Blagojevich, who is charged with scheming to sell or trade President Obama’s US Senate seat.

Attorney Adams attempted to make the case that Mr. Blagojevich was “an insecure but honest politician who unwittingly got himself in this mess by trusting the wrong people.”  This is going to be an interesting trial.  There is a real chance here that a lot of the ugly underside of Chicago politics will be revealed in this trial.  Evidently there are many hours of wiretapped conversations that may be played in the course of the trial.  It will be very informative to see who was making deals and what those deals were.

Rod Blagojevich is expected to take the stand as a witness during his trial.  Get out the popcorn, this is going to be very entertaining.