According to today’s Washington Times, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., testified before Congress yesterday that he thinks hog farmers are a greater threat to Americans than Osama bin Laden.  Robert Kennedy (son of the late Robert F. Kennedy) is an environmental law attorney who was testifying before a House Judiciary subcommittee yesterday when he was asked about a quote attributed to him.  He replied that he wasn’t sure if the quote was accurate,but that he agreed with it.

Evidently, Mr. Kennedy has been involved in various legal efforts against the meat industry over the years.  According to the article:

“Mr. Kennedy has said that he plans to go after all large farms in the country, not just pork producers. He has also said that the “right” lawsuit against livestock producers can bring damage awards of up to $13 billion.”

Why is this man attacking farmers?  I don’t know if Mr. Kennedy is a vegetarian or not, but it seems odd to go after the people who supply America’s food.  I’m really not into tofu (although I realize it is very healthy), and I don’t want my government cutting off my food supply for my own good.  There seems to be no end to the idea of the nanny state! 

While we were all focused on the tax woes of Tom Daschle and the stumus bill (called in various places ‘the porkulus bill’, or ‘the spendulus bill’), President Obama raised our taxes.  Well, he only raised them on a percentage of the population, so if you are not in that percentage, it’s not really important, right?  He’s been in office less than two weeks and someone’s taxes have already gone up–not a good sign for the future.  What I am talking about?  Yesterday the S-Chip bill was signed by the President.  According to Townhall.com, this is roughly what is in it:

“Provides an additional $32.8 billion through Sept. 30, 2013, by increasing federal excise taxes on tobacco products. The tax on cigarettes will go up 62 cents to $1.01 a pack.

“Allows states to offer SCHIP dental coverage to children whose private medical insurance does not cover dentist visits

“”Allows states to extend SCHIP and Medicaid to newly arrived legal immigrant children and pregnant women.”

Stay tuned for further details.  I have not yet been able to find income guidelines, etc.  Has it occurred to anyone that the government makes more on a package of cigarettes than the tobacco companies do?  And they don’t have to do anything!

John at Power Line Blog has a slightly different approach to President Obama’s idea of controlling salaries of executives of government bailed-out companies.  First of all, he restates his disagreement with the concept that taxpayer money shouldn’t be sucked up by bonuses for executives in failing companies. He also restates the idea that he doesn’t think the government should be investing money in failing companies in the first place.

It hasn’t been mentioned a lot, but some of the banks involved in the bailout were forced by the federal government to accept the money.  It’s not really fair to force someone to take money then use that money as means of control.  That idea is totally contrary to what democracy is supposed to be.

The article points out:

“A $500,000 cap on salaries? By all means…and let’s extend this…to PBS for starters…no employee of any contractor to PBS or NPR…which are “substantially” subsidized by the taxpayers….is allowed compensation of more than $500,000….

And let’s audit them all…they have a cozy arrangement where Bill Moyers, say, as big a left-wing hypocrite as you’ll ever find, charges his production company scads of money, literally millions, and the production company simply has a contract with PBS….so, sure, no salaries….just “production costs” for PBS….Jim Lehrer does the same….the practice is widespread…

In fact, let’s have some hearings to determine WHERE there are such unconscionable contracts underwritten by government subsidies.

So by all means….ANY government subsidized enterprise should have the SAME restrictions as the banks….and let’s include vendors who are so dependent on government contracts (“substantial”) that it amounts to a de facto subsidy….THAT will get some attention…

Or else let the banks do EXACTLY what PBS/NPR does….all the employees will go into several separate “operating companies”…think of them like Bill Moyers…and the banks, which will now be “portfolio companies” will contract with them for management and operations…what the operating and management companies pay their employees is their business….the banks, like PBS/NPR would just have contract expenses for management and operations.”

We seem to have morphed into a “do as I say, not as I do” government.  We need to change that.  Term limits looks better all the time.

Somehow, free money is never free.  According to the Taiwan News, President Obama plans to annouce $ 500,000 salary caps on executives of financial institutions who took bailout money.  According to the article:

“The pay cap would lay the ground for next week’s unveiling of a new framework for spending the money that remains in the $700 billion financial rescue fund, established late last year by the former Bush administration to prevent the collapse of the country’s financial underpinnings.”

The important part of this idea is that the administration also intends to limit the executive pay of companies that were not bailed.  This is not what America is about.  Salaries of public held companies are overseen by stockholders–not by the government.  This is an area that the government has no business meddling in.  If legislation to enforce salary caps is passed, we will see a mass exodus of American companies relocating to other countries and a significant loss of jobs.  This is not a wise move.

America has the highest corporate taxes in the world.  Cut those taxes in half, leave the executive pay packages alone, and you will see America rebound.  Look at what has happened to the economy of Ireland since they have cut corporate taxes.  The Irish are now the most successful country economically in the European Union.

According to Ireland Now, in 1997 Ireland had the highest level of job creation in the industrialized world.  During the period of rapid growth, inflation has remained relatively low: the consumer price index has grown, on average, at less than 2% per annum between 1993-1997.

This is what lowering the corporate taxes does for a country.  I would work here also. 

According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the recount trial judges have allowed as many as 4,800 absentee ballots previously rejected to be reviewed.  It’s a rather long article, but the basic message is that the race is not over yet and there’s not enough information yet to acurately declare a winner.  My only hope in this situation is that every legal vote is counted and that every legal vote only counts once.  That should be the goal of all this legal posturing that is going on–the recount was triggered automatically by the closeness of the election.  The message here is that enough people voted for Al Franken to make it a close race.  Anything that happens as a result of that is deserved.

You Tube has posted a video of the Iranian Satellite Launch.  The video I posted is from CNN (although there is other footage of the launch available on You Tube and at Little Green Footballs).  Remember the crisis in the early days of the Obama administration Joe Biden talked about.  I suspect this may be it.

I received this in my email.  As you know, I am not a fan of John McCain, but I respect the fact that he has consistently opposed pork-barrel spending in all his years in the Senate.  He is right on this issue.  If you oppose the stimulus, please follow the link and sign the petition.

WHAT FOLLOWS BELOW IS THE EMAIL I RECEIVED. Yesterday, the Senate began debate on an economic stimulus package that is intended to get our economy back on track and help Americans who are suffering through these difficult times. Unfortunately, the proposal on the table is big on the giveaways for the special interests and corporate high rollers, yet short on help for ordinary working Americans. I cannot and do not support the package on the table from the Democrats and the Obama Administration. Our country does not need just another spending bill, particularly not one that will load future generations with the burden of massive debt. We need a short term stimulus bill that will directly help people, create jobs, and provide a jolt to our economy. I believe we need to evaluate every bit of spending in this stimulus proposal with one important criteria – does it really stimulate the economy and help create jobs – if the answer is no, it does not belong in a so-called stimulus package. Furthermore, the stimulus must include significant direct relief to American workers in the form of payroll tax cuts and programs to help homeowners keep their homes. Finally, we need an end game to this stimulus so that when our economy recovers, these spending programs do not remain permanent and saddle our children with a skyrocketing national debt. I appreciate the discussions President Obama is having with my Republican colleagues, but the time for talking has come to an end and we must now begin some serious negotiation. But as of yet, Republicans have not been given the opportunity to be involved. The House of Representatives passed a stimulus bill without a single Republican supporting it. In the Senate, the Democrat leadership is trying to jam the existing proposal through regardless of reservations from a number of members. With so much at stake, the last thing we need is partisanship driving our attempts to turn the economy around. I have long been a fighter against wasteful spending in Washington and long an advocate for a balanced budget — that will never change. I realize we face extraordinary challenges with our economy today, but that is not an excuse for more irresponsibly from Washington. I hope you will join me in saying no to this stimulus package as it currently exists by signing this petition. Sincerely, John McCain Chair, Country First PAC

According to the Washington Times, New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg will be named to head the Commerce Department.  This is the position Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination for due to some questions about donations and contracts.

Senator Gregg is someone it will be to Barack Obama’s advantage to get out of the Senate.  Senator Gregg is a budget hawk who has consistently opposed excess spending.  There is also the small matter of reelection.  Even if the governor of New Hampshire appoints a Republican to replace Senator Gregg (which evidently is part of the agreement), the chances of that person being able to be reelected in 2010 are much lower than Senator Gregg’s chances would have been.  You have to admire Barack Obama for this bit of political stategy–it is brilliant.  I am sorry to hear that the Senator is taking the position.

According to Breitbart.com, Nancy Killefer has withdrawn her candidacy to be the first chief performance officer for the federal government because she failed for a year and a half to pay employment taxes on household help,  She owed $298 in unpaid taxes, $48.69 in interest and $600 in penalties.   On March 7, 2005, the D.C. Department of Employment Services placed a tax lien on her home, alleging that just three years after she left the high-powered Treasury post she began to fail to pay unemployment compensation tax for a household employee. She also failed to make the required quarterly payments for a year and half, whereupon a lien for $946.69 was placed on her home

How come she is withdrawn for a relatively small amount of money and Tom Daschle will probably be confirmed for a much larger amount of tax dodging.  Why the double standard?

Aside from his forays into the entertainment industry, Ben Stein is a repected financial analyst.  He uses those skills in his critique of the stimulus bill.  This critique was posted on the editorial page of Saturday’s New York Post.  According to his research:

“Only 10 percent of the “stimulus” to be spent on 2009.

Close to half goes to entities that sponsor or employ (or both) members of the Service Employees International Union, federal, state, and municipal employee unions or other Democrat-controlled unions.

This bill is sent to Congress after President Obama has been in office for seven days. It is 680 pages long. According to my calculations, not one member of Congress read the entire bill before this vote. Obviously, it would have been impossible, given his schedule, for the president to have read the whole thing.

For the amount spent, we could have given every unemployed person in the United States roughly $75,000.”

This package is a disgrace–even for pork-sseking politicians.  It needs to die and be rewritten in a way that will actually stimulate the economy.  The passage of this bill will be a nightmare of national debt for my generation, our children, and our grandchildren. 

Hugh Hewitt, on his blog at Townhall.com puts forth a plan for an alternative stimulus package.  It has four main points.  The first point is a tax credit for first time homeowners (with a deadline to close the loan).  The second is investment into nuclear energy (with quick-start provisions).  The third is an increase in the number of navy ships.  As the world is becoming more dangerous, we need to have mobile forces that can deal with major problems around the world.   Also, shipbuilding, because it impacts so many other industries, can be a major boost to the economy.  The fourth suggestion involves allowing the government to purchase land from landowners who have not been able to develop their land due to environmental concerns.

Follow the link to read the whole proposal.  It is unique and interesting.

According to Snopes.com, a rumor checking website, there is a bogus email going around that says that President Obama is going to have the military pledge directly to him–not to uphold the Constitution.  The story is not true.  The email is based on a bit of political satire from a blog called Jumping In Pools.  Evidently someone did not realize it was satire and began pushing the panic button.  I guess the thing about this whole dustup that worries me is that we know so little about Barack Obama that some people were willing to believe the story..

Newsday, a Long Island New York newspaper covered the story yesterday of the attempt by the Long Beach Polar Bear Club Dip on Sunday to qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records by having 3,500 people make the dip.  My daughter, Kathryn, was one of those people.  They were raising money for the Make A Wish Foundation.  I think she is totally insane to jump in the water in January, but I am proud of her community spirit.

According to the website Energy Tomorrow (which is run by America’s oil and natural gas industries):

“Several recent national polls show that most Americans support more energy exploration here at home. But what will expanded access to energy resources do for America?

A new study finds that more access to domestic energy resources could generate $1.7 trillion in government revenue, create thousands of new jobs and enhance America’s energy security by significantly boosting energy production here in the United States.

The ICF International study, commissioned by API, shows that developing offshore areas previously off-limits to exploration, as well as ANWR and a small portion of off-limits land in the Rockies, would increase U.S. crude oil production by as much as two million barrels per day in 2030, offsetting nearly a fifth of the nation’s imports.”

As Congress debates taking more than a trillion dollars out of the pockets of taxpayers, it seems as if they might take a look at how to revive the economy without killing the taxpayer!

I found this at American Thinker.  It is not original, but it is fun.

Line 1: Are you a Democrat?

Line 2: How much income do you want to declare for this year?

Line 3: How much tax do you feel like paying on that income?

According to Yahoo News, in the last few months US President Barack Obama has already used experts to hold high-level but discreet talks with both Iran and Syria.  President Obama has stated that the United States would offer Iran an extended hand of diplomacy if the Islamic Republic‘s leaders “unclenched their fist.”   According to the article:

According to AP News Mount Redoubt in Alaska is showing signs of preparing to erupt.  A hole in the glacier clinging to the north side of the volcano had doubled in size overnight.  The hole now spans the length of two football fields.  Water is streaming down the glacier, indicating heat from magma is reaching higher elevations of the mountain.

A week ago, the Alaska Volcano Observatory detected a sharp increase in earthquake activity below the volcano and upgraded its alert level to orange, the stage just before full eruption–causing a rush on dust masks and car air filters in Anchorage.

According to the article:

“Alaska’s volcanoes typically start with an explosion that can shoot ash 50,000 feet high and into the jet stream, but there are warning signs because magma causes small earthquakes as it moves.

Geologist Jennifer Adleman said the observatory has been recording quakes up to magnitude 2.1 but not at the frequency that preceded the last two eruptions in 1989 and 1990.

“We’re looking for an increase of seismicity to match the precursor activity,” Wallace said. “We haven’t seen that yet.””

“What has this got to do with global warming?” you ask.

According to U S Geological Survey Fact Sheet 113-97:

“Nearly 20 million tons of sulfur dioxide were injected into the stratosphere in Pinatubo’s 1991 eruptions, and dispersal of this gas cloud around the world caused global temperatures to drop temporarily (1991 through 1993) by about 1°F (0.5°C). The eruptions have dramatically changed the face of central Luzon, home to about 3 million people. About 20,000 indigenous Aeta highlanders, who had lived on the slopes of the volcano, were completely displaced, and most still wait in resettlement camps for the day when they can return home. About 200,000 people who evacuated from the lowlands surrounding Pinatubo before and during the eruptions have returned home but face continuing threats from lahars (giant mudflows of volcanic materials) that have already buried numerous towns and villages. Rice paddies and sugar-cane fields that have not been buried by lahars have recovered; those buried by lahars will be out of use for years to come.”

This is what the government publication Air Now says about sulfur dioxide: 

“What is sulfur dioxide?

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂), a colorless, reactive gas, is produced when sulfur-containing fuels such as coal and oil are burned. Major sources include power plants and industrial boilers. Generally, the highest levels of sulfur dioxide are near large industrial complexes.”

What I am trying to say here it that we (as people) are not in charge of global climate.  I believe we have an obligation to be mindful of pollution and do what we can to stop it, but the global warming movement is not about pollution–it’s about money.  Just look at the behavior of the people screaming the loudest about global warming.  Would they be traveling to their meetings in their private jets if they were really all that concerned?  How much money has Al Gore made from the scam of carbon credits?  Would Barack Obama have the thermostat set on ‘sweat’ in the Oval Office?  These are the questions we should be asking.

According to ABC News, it seems as if the best way to deal with people who don’t pay their income taxes is to let them know they are being considered for public office at the federal level.  Former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., nominated to be President Obama’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, has paid off taxes he ‘overlooked’ previously.  During the vetting process to become HHS secretary, Daschle corrected his tax violations, voluntarily paying $101,943 in back taxes plus interest, working with his accountant to amend his tax returns for 2005 through 2007.  Those numbers represent a pretty large ‘overlook’.  Does he need a new accountant?

This is the same tactic used by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.  After he was nominated for the office of Treasury Secretary, he paid the taxes he owed and apologized for not paying them.  I guess my questions is, “If he had not been nominated for Treasury Secretary, would he have paid his taxes?”  The same question applies to Tom Daschle. 

,

Yesterday, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air posted an article about the budget plans for the Obama administration.  In addition to a trillion dollars proposed in new spending to stimulate the economy, President Obama proposes a 10 per cent cut in defense spending.  According to the link in article that goes to Director Blue:

• $83 billion in welfare payments (the earned income credit for people who don’t pay income tax)
• $81 billion for Medicaid
• $66 billion on “education”, more than the entire Department of Education required just ten years ago
• $36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
• $20 billion for food stamps
• $8 billion on “renewable energy” projects, which have a low or negative return
• $7 billion for “modernizing federal buildings and facilities”
• $6 billion on urban transit systems, dominated by unions and which, almost universally, lose money
• $2.4 billion for “carbon-capture demonstration projects”
• $2 billion for child-care subsidies
• $1 billion for Amtrak, the federal railroad that’s run in the red for 40 years
• $650 million for “digital TV conversion coupons” (on top of billions already spent)
• $600 million on new cars for government (added to the $3 billion already spent each year)
• $400 million for “global-warming research”
• $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts

                    BUT NOT A PENNY FOR DEFENSE

This is a disgrace.  We are currently involved in two wars in a world that is anything but safe.  We have countries developing nuclear weapons, and we have countries in our own hemisphere conspiring with our enemies to do us harm.  No amount of diplomacy is going to solve the problems with Russia, Venezuela, or Iran–not to mention Al Qaeda and the Taliban.  To cut the defense budget in favor of giving money to the National Endowment for the Arts or ACORN to just indefensible.

According to Little Green Footballs, Congress just gave itself a $93,000 increase per member in Petty Cash.  Congress, the people who were complaining about the Wall Street executive bonuses.  Congress, the people who are trying to add over $6,000 in debt to every family in the US.  It’s time for term limits.

The video of this discussion (on Fox’s Bulls and Bears) is on You Tube.