The Drilling Moratorium In The Gulf Of Mexico

The New Orleans Times Picayune reported Wednesday on a rally held in Lafayette, Louisiana, to protest the drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico. 

According to the article:

“About 15,000 people packed the Cajundome on the campus of the University of Louisiana-Lafayette as Gov. Bobby Jindal and a stream of speakers blasted the six-month moratorium declared after BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.”

“…The offshore petroleum industry and companies that serve it employ about 100,000 people in Louisiana, according to the LSU Center for Energy Studies.”

On June 23, rightwinggranny.com reported that the scientists originally consulted on the oil spill had not recommended the six-month moratorium (although the Obama Administration originally claimed that they had).  The six-month moratorium will devastate the area’s economy, increase America’s dependence on foreign oil, and probably result in $7 per gallon gasoline prices at the pump within a year.

I hope the Obama Administration heard what the people who rallied in Lafayette were saying, but I am not optimistic.

The Attack On Sarah Palin

After being acquitted of larceny and fraud in connection with a project to construct a new line for the New York City Subway, Ray Donovan, Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, stated,  “Which office do I go to get my reputation back?”

Sarah Palin would be perfectly justified in asking the same question.  Today’s Daily Caller  details the efforts of the “JournoList” to discredit Sarah Palin.

“Daniel Levy of the Century Foundation noted that Obama’s “non-official campaign” would need to work hard to discredit Palin.  “This seems to me like an occasion when the non-official campaign has a big role to play in defining Palin, shaping the terms of the conversation and saying things that the official (Obama) campaign shouldn’t say–very hard hitting stuff, including some of the things that people have been noting here–scare people about having this woefully inexperienced, no foreign policy/national security/right-wing christia wing-nut a heartbeat away…..bang away at McCain’s age making this unusually significant…..I think people should be replicating some of the not-so-pleasant viral email campaigns that were used against (Obama).”” 

I was in the audience when Sarah Palin spoke in Auburn, New York, last year.  She was articulate, well-spoken, and talked to the crowd in terms all of us understood.  It is a shame that a group of media people decided to trade objective reporting of her nomination for Vice President for personal destruction in order to achieve a political goal.  

The revelations in the Daily Caller this week have been eye opening.  It is a shame that we cannot trust the major media in this country to tell us the truth objectively.  I truly believe that any person who participated in the smearing of Sarah Palin and became part of the Obama campaign rather than reporting events objectively should be fired.  They were not doing their job.  If you want to be part of a political campaign, join the campaign–don’t claim to be an objective reporter.

Just a note–the name of this blog is right wing granny.  I am open about my political beliefs and the candidates I support.  I shall continue to be so.  There is nothing wrong with supporting a cause–the problem is supporting a cause while pretending to be objective.

 

Taking Control Of Healthcare

CNS News reported yesterday that the electonic healthcare records provision in the stimulus bill which requires that a patient’s BMI (Body Mass Index) be included in the electonic records (see rightwinggranny article of July 16), allows that certain other information be omitted. 

According to the article:

“Dr. David Blumenthal, the Obama administration’s National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said on Tuesday that patients can choose to omit procedures such as abortions and positive HIV tests from the electronic health records (EHR) that every American is supposed to have by 2014 under the terms of the economic stimulus law that President Barack Obama signed last year.”

The article further states:

“The “incentive program” Garrett (Peter Garrett, the spokesman for HHS’s Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology) refers to is the system of bonus payments the government will make to health care providers that implement EHRs by 2014.  Garrett did not mention the penalty system that diminishes a health-care provider’s Medicare and Medicaid payments if it does not comply with the EHR mandate by 2014.  As the January 13, 2010 edition of the Federal Register noted: “Section 1848(a)(7) of the Act provides that beginning in CY 2015, EPs who are not meaningful users of certified EHR technology will receive less than 100 percent of the fee schedule for their professional services.””

It is time to put the brakes on government intrusion into our private lives.  If BMI has to be recorded electronically, why doesn’t all other information have to be included?  This isn’t even a part of Obamacare–it’s part of the federal stimulus program–another result of a huge bill that was passed without anyone thoroughly reading it and understanding what the unintended consequences of passing it would be.

It is time to vote out of Congress any member of who supported healthcare or the stimulus bill and do anything possible to undo the damage caused by both.  If you value your freedom and privacy, look up the voting records of your Senators and Congressmen and vote accordingly.

Why We Need An Alternative Media

Fred Barnes has posted an editorial at the Wall Street Journal about the recent stories about the JournoList.  Ezra Klein, a writer for the Washington Post, started the JournoList in February 2007 and wisely shut it down last month.  The JournoList was a group of several hundred journalists who formed a group to promote liberal causes and liberal politicians rather than report news accurately.

One of the groups main projects was the promotion of Barack Obama for President.  Mr. Barnes reports:

“JournoList contributors discussed strategies to aid Mr. Obama by deflecting the controversy. They went public with a letter criticizing an ABC interview of Mr. Obama that dwelled on his association with Mr. Wright. Then, Spencer Ackerman of The Washington Independent proposed attacking Mr. Obama’s critics as racists. He wrote:

“”If the right forces us all to either defend Wright or tear him down, no matter what we choose, we lose the game they’ve put upon us. Instead, take one of them–Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares–and call them racists. . . . This makes them ‘sputter’ with rage, which in turn leads to overreaction and self-destruction.””

This is disturbing.  Smear tactics are something most of associate with ‘yellow journalism’–not the mainstream press.  The alternative media has tried to bring people the other side of the story, and in many cases alternative media has done the job the regular media should be doing.  Talk radio has grown by leaps and bounds since the early 1990’s, and the internet has numerous blogs and news sites.  As long as people are willing to do a small amount of investigation, they can get the other side of the story.

I am not a chess player–I can’t sit still that long, and planning strategy bores me (and I may not be that bright!), but I feel as if the country is involved in a giant chess game with a group of Chicago thugs.  The issue is control of our country, control of our economy, and control of our news.  Will the people be in control or will the government be in control?  I am waiting for the effort to shut down the alternative media on the radio and on the internet.  I hope I am wrong in thinking that this is a possibility, but so many things have happened in the past year and a half that I had thought were impossible, I am not sure that this could not happen.

How To Mistreat Your Allies

 

Power Line reported yesterday that Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies at Columbia University, reportedly has signed an appeal for funds to outfit a ship–to be named The Audacity of Hope–that will challenge the Israeli blockade of Gaza in September or October.   The article at Power Line chronicles the history of Mr. Khalidi and his anti-Israel bias. 

The article reports:

“As to the appeal to fund the voyage of the Audacity of Hope, it states that the ship will sail from the U.S. to the Eastern Mediterranean, where it will join ships from “Europe, Canada, India, South Africa and parts of the Middle East.” As Campus Watch points out, the appeal employs the word “we” when speaking of the upcoming trip, which gives the impression that the signatories, including Khalidi, intend to be aboard.”

Andrew McCarthy at the corner at National Review reports:

“The United States has neutrality laws against things like fitting, furnishing or arming vessels with the intent of committing hostile acts against a country with which the U.S. is at peace. (Challenging a blockade is a hostile act.) We also have laws against providing material support to terrorist organizations like Hamas. Will the Obama Justice Department pursue an investigation of Khalidi?”

We are a country with a constitution and laws.  It would be nice if the Obama Administration would pay attention to both!

Fox News As A Convenient Scapegoat

Today Jonathan Strong continued his reports on the media at The Daily Caller.  It has become routine for the left media to accuse the right media of being uncivil.  But Sarah Spitz, a producer for National Public Radio, might be an example of a lack of civility of the left side.  Ms. Spita wrote that if she were in the presence of Rush Limbaugh having a heart attack, she would “Laugh loudly like a maniac and watch his eyes bug out” as he writhed in agony.  I’m not sure what is driving that kind of hatred, but it seems inappropriate on the part of a journalist. 

Mr. Strong also points out how the Tea Party members were portrayed when the Tea Parties began.  They were called Nazis, brownshirts, religious nuts, racists, homophobes, anti-feminists, anti-abortion lunatics, anti-immigration whackos, pathological government haters, gun nuts, and anti-tax nuts.  When they opposed healthcare, the mainstream media was not willing to actually discuss issues–it was more fun demonizing the opponents of healthcare.  Now that healthcare has passed and we are finding out that we were seriously lied to by the President and the Democrats in Congress, there is not a lot of reporting on healthcare by the mainstream media.   When will it occur to them that they also will be affected by the new healthcare laws?

Mr. Strong also details the attacks on Fox News by other news organizations.  Fox News is not perfect, but there is more balance of opinion on Fox news shows than anywhere else in the media.  Please follow the above link to read the entire article, it is an eye-opener!

A democracy needs well-informed voters to survive.  If we are to turn over a democratic form of government to our children and grandchildren, we had better be aware of what news we can trust and what news we can’t trust.  This is a critical time for our country, and most of the media is selling us down the river.

Losing The Concept Of War

Yesterday National Review On Line had an amazing article about the Gurkhas who are fighting in Afghanistan with the British Army.  The Gurkhas are soldiers from Nepal who volunteer for the British army.   Their traditional weapon is the kukri, a curved short sword.  According to the article, “It is said that the sound of Gurkhas sharpening their kukris was enough to frighten the Japanese in the Second World War.”

In Afghanistan, the Gurkhas have again proved themselves as valiant soldiers.  The Gurkhas battalions have British officers.  Recently, a renegade Afghan policeman entered the Gurkha barracks and shot Major Bowman, one of those officers, dead in his sleep. 

According to the article:

“…at the same time, the Gurkhas were in action in Helmand, in pursuit of a top Taliban commander. Under heavy fire, they killed him. Orders were to establish the commander’s identity. It was too dangerous to drag him out while still engaged with the Taliban, so a Gurkha cut his head off with his kukri. Quick thinking, you may say.”

The Gurkha who cut off his head has been recalled to Britain and may face court-martial and jail. 

The article concludes:

“The story goes that by cutting off the commander’s head, the Gurkha has offended Muslims, on the grounds that their custom is to bury bodies whole. What nonsense this is, what an example of the self-abasement now habitual whenever we come up against Islam in any shape or form. And the renegade Afghan policeman who shot Major Bowman in his sleep wasn’t giving offense?”

I suppose this is totally politically incorrect, but would the war on terror end more quickly if we began burying terrorists and enemy soldiers with pig carcasses?  Civilized society is a place for good manners–war is not.  We have to be as humane as possible, but cultural sensibilities to terrorists and terrorist fighters will only prolong the war and get more Americans, British, Australians, Canadians, Czechs, Poles, and other brave men killed.  Let’s fight this thing and get it over with.

Following The Money On The Energy Bill

Yesterday, Power Line posted a story on the coming energy legislation.  The article quotes Ken Haapala, Executive Vice President of the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP:

“Although the Kerry-Lieberman American Power Act (APA) appears dead, Senator Reid announced he will introduce yet another version of cap-and-tax this month by any other name. But both the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and EPA have produced studies showing that cap-and-tax will be economically harmful. The CBO report is a solid, prudent review of three studies: Resources for the Future, Brookings Institution, and CRA International. All report that significant declines in total employment will result from APA. …”

The question being asked is, “If this bill is so harmful to the economy, why does it keep coming up?”  Follow the money.  The article explains that under the law, allowances for carbon dioxide emissions will be sold and some will be distributed free.  The part distributed free during the 2013 to 2034 life of the program as $2.1 Trillion – about the amount of total Federal revenues in 2009. The largest beneficiary is the electricity industry to the tune of $870 Billion.

The article further points out:

“Politicians claim the value of the free allowances to the electricity industry will then flow to the consumers of electricity. Chamberlain uses established microeconomic theory backed by empirical studies to show that much of the value will flow to the shareholders of the companies that are generally in the highest income group. Thus, the entire scheme results in a massive transfer of wealth from the lower and middle income groups to the wealthy. No wonder Duke Energy declared cap-and-trade will give share holders a $1,000,000,000 (Billion Dollar) profit.

“Very interestingly, the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) industry, basically non-existent with an unproven technology, receives $246 Billion in free allowances – twice the 2009 budget for California. Given the sheer volume of carbon dioxide involved, it is highly unlikely that CCS will ever become viable. …”

As usual, the American consumer (and taxpayer) will provide the money to flow to the wealthy.  We need a press that will tell this story–when will they figure out that they also will be negatively impacted by the programs the Obama Administration is attempting to push through? 

Logic That Makes My Head Hurt

Today’s New York Post posted a story about the Justice Department’s legal battle against Arizona’s immigration law. 

The article opens with this thought:

“Last week, the Justice Department made an astonishing statement about its unprecedented lawsuit to stop the Arizona illegal-immigration law. Attorney General Eric Holder’s spokeswoman, Tracy Schmaler, claimed that it was appropriate to go after Arizona, but inappropriate to stop “sanctuary cities.”

“Schmaler said: “There is a big difference between a state or locality saying they are not going to use their resources to enforce a federal law, as so-called sanctuary cities have done, and a state passing its own immigration policy that actively interferes with federal law. . . That’s what Arizona has done in this case.””

There are a few major problems with this statement–the first being that it is not true!  Federal law forbids sanctuary cities; Arizona’s law is in compliance with federal immigration law. 

According to the article:

“In 1996, Congress prohibited sanctuary cities in no uncertain terms: A “local government entity or official may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding the citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual” (8 USC Sec. 1373(a)).”

One of the problems with sanctuary cities is that illegal alien gangs operate quite freely in them.  Logically, illegal-alien gangs like Mara Salvatrucha 13 prefer to operate in cities where the police can’t report them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Why risk being deported when you don’t have to? 

The ability of the Obama Administration to ignore the wishes (and safety) of the American people is breathtaking.  Hopefully, as support for secure borders grows, they will see the error of their ways.

What All Of Us Suspected But Could Never Actually Prove

The story of the day on the alternative media today is at The Daily Caller.  It is the story by Jonathan Strong showing the media planning how to support President Obama and how to get him elected in 2008.  The story cites specific instances of newspapers covering up stories or making phony charges against anyone who said something negative about the candidate.

One example given in the article:

“In one instance, Spencer Ackerman of the Washington Independent urged his colleagues to deflect attention from Obama’s relationship with (Reverend) Wright by changing the subject.  Pick one of Obama’s conservative critics, Ackerman wrote, “Fred Barnes, Karl Rove, who cares—and call them racists.”

Hopefully, I am not the only person offended by this.  Some of the comments made by the press that participated in making sure that leftists politicians stayed in power:

Katha Pollitt—Hayes’s colleague at the Nation—didn’t disagree on principle, though she did sound weary of the propaganda.  “I hear you, but I am really tired of defending the indefensible.  The people who attacked Clinton on Monica were prissy and ridiculous, but let me tell you it was not fun, as a feminist and a woman, waving aside as polically irrelevant and part of the vast rightwing conspiracy Paula, Monica, Kathleen, Juanita,” Pollitt said.

“Part of me doesn’t like this #### either,” agreed Spencer Ackerman, then of the Washington Independent.  “But what I like less is being government by racists and warmongers and criminals.”

A free and honest press is necessary to keep a democracy functioning.  Democracy depends upon an informed voting public.  It is sad to see news outlets planning to slant their reporting in order to sway public opinion in favor of one candidate.  Please follow the link and read the entire article to see what was going on.  I am not sure that what was done actually changed the election, but I suspect that if the reporting had been honest, a lot fewer people would be surprised at some of the actions taken by the Obama Administration.

I Really Do Wonder Who To Believe

Sometimes there are situations where you are just not sure what the truth is.  Anyone who is a parent has had to deal with that sort of thing when dealing with a dispute between their children.  I was one of those horrible parents who sent both children to their rooms when I couldn’t figure out who started it.  At least they both learned that what they were doing was unacceptable behavior.

There has been a lot in the press last night and today about the forced resignation of Shirley Sherrod from the USDA.  There are a few things to be observed here.  She admits that race played a part in doing her job to help a white farmer who was losing his farm.  She readily admits that she did not do all she could to help the man because he was white.  That decision was made 20-something years ago, and there are no indications that she would make the same decision today.  However, there is no indication that she would make a different decision today either.  For me, that is the problem.  Can this lady be trusted to administer government programs equally to Americans regardless of their race?  I don’t know.  There may be other government employees about whom that questions should be asked, but unfortunately she is on video as having racially discriminated in the past.  Are there white government employees who routinely (or have in the past) discriminate against people of other races?  They should also be shown the door.  Discrimination is wrong.  Period.  Discrimination should not be used as a “gotcha game” to get even with past sins.  There are past sins, but they are past.  They can never be undone, and doing wrong does not atone for them in any way.  So much for that.

Meanwhile, back to the story.  Ms. Sherrod has claimed that the White House forced her resignation; the White House has denied that charge.  It would be interesting to know exactly who called for her resignation.

In The Electronic Age, Speak Carefully

One of the disadvantages of the electronic age (or the advantages, depending on your point of view) is that anything you say can show up on a video at any time.  For most of us that’s not really a problem, but for Shirley Sherrod it is.  Some comments Ms. Sherrod made at an awards ceremony held by the NAACP in March have come back to haunt her. 

You can follow the link to biggovernment.com to hear the speech and see the statement by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as to why they accepted her resignation.  The basic story is simple.  When a white farmer came to Ms. Sherrod at the USDA because he was about to lose his farm, Ms. Sherrod provided the minimum required assistance.  She had mixed emotions about helping the man because she was thinking about the number of black farmers who had lost their farms.  I don’t know if she was actually telling the truth or thought she was playing to an audience.  Either way, her actions were wrong. 

Racism is wrong, regardless of who is practicing it.  I am glad to see that Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was quick to affirm a nondiscrimination policy at the department.  I wonder if the NAACP will be as quick to denouce the racism Ms. Sherrod exhibited.

Massachusetts As The Healthcare Laboratory

The statement has been made by someone smarter than I am that the states could serve as laboratories for new programs the government was considering.  If that is true, Massachusetts provides a strong argument for the REPEAL AND REPLACE movement regarding healthcare reform. 

Massachusetts healthcare reform law was enacted in 2006.  According to an article posted at Power Line today:

“Romneycare affords us a glimpse into the not very distant future if Obamacare is not repealed. Employers are dumping their health care plans. The governor is essentially attempting to impose price controls on insurers. If the governor is successful, insurers would just throw in the towel. When that happens under Obamacare, we will take our nationalized medicine straight.”

There are a few things that have happened as a result of Massachusetts healthcare reform that were not expected–insurance premiums have risen 5.7% more than in other states. In Boston, prices for employer-provided family plans are increasing 8.2% faster than in other large metropolitan areas (according to saveyourrights.com).  I don’t know what rates are in other parts of the country, but I can attest to the fact that my rates have increased drastically.  I have also been aware of people who had basic affordable insurance that covered their needs who were forced by the new law to purchase a more expensive policy with coverage they did not want or need.  I am also hearing stories about people losing their chose of which hospital to be treated in, when previously they had that choice.  I would like to see Obamacare and Romneycare disappear as suddenly as they arrived!

Let’s elect a Congress in November that will REPEAL AND REPLACE!

More On Abortion Coverage In Obamacare

CBN News is reporting today that the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has announced that health insurance pools can not cover abortions.  This announcement is in response to public outrage over recent decisions by the states of New Mexico and Pennsylvania to use federal taxpayer money for abortions (after President Obama promised that taxpayer money would not be spent on abortion). 

It should be noted, however, that the program still makes an exception in cases of rape, incest, or the health of the mother.  The problem in this is that the concept of the ‘health of the mother’ is very vague and has the potential to be misused.

According to the article:

“Meanwhile, the abortion battle, which is centered on the president’s health care law, is far from over. 

“Beginning in 2014, federally subsidized health insurance plans can cover abortions, if policy holders pay for coverage separately.”

I am sure there will be more to come on this issue.  I plan on watching it carefully.

There Is No Substitute For Actually Accomplishing Something

Today I became aware of a concept called the ‘effort honor roll’ now being used in some of our schools.  Because I do not want to embarrass any particular school or student, there will be no link attached to this article.  If you want to read what some schools say about their ‘effort honor roll’, just google it.  You will find out more than you want to know.

One school listed the qualifications for the ‘effort honor roll.’  They included consistency in the following areas:  being on time, turning in complete work on time, turning in high quality work in content and appearance.  Further areas of qualification included participation, group work, and citizenship.  The final qualification was ‘consistently works to the best of his ability.’  At the risk of seeming incredibly naive, if a student meets all those requirements, wouldn’t they automatically have the kind of success that would put them on the real honor roll?  If they are doing everything right but not making the honor roll, what is the problem? 

What are we teaching our children with the ‘effort honor roll’?  Are we telling them that they will be rewarded regardless of what they actually achieve?  This seems to me to be a really bad idea.  Are we afraid to teach our children that they may not always be successful in receiving an award, but if they work harder, they can achieve it?  

What impact does rewarding effort rather than achievement have on these children when they grow up and have real jobs?  What are the long-term unintended consequences of this policy?  Anyway, I really think this is a really insane idea from someone who thinks we all need to be rewarded for something (which is a nice concept, but not real life!).

Why ‘Recovery Summer’ Isn’t Recovering

Townhall.com columnist Dan Kennedy posted an article entitled, “The Flight Of The Money:  Where Has It Gone?” 

Mr. Kennedy points out that two months ago General Motors was held up as an example of successful government intervention.  During the week of July 4th, General Motors announced that it needed to borrow $ 5 billion dollars to repay its debt.  It really wasn’t a good example, but that didn’t stop the spin.

The article asks, “Where is the economic growth caused by the stimulus?”  He points out some of the indications that it is not there.

  • Flight of Capital.  Major corporations are moving hundreds of millions of dollars into overseas investments.
  • Capital not being put to work.   There is an estimated $2 trillion of excess cash reserves currently held by companies other than financial institutions.  With the rapid changes in regulations, the spectre of increased taxes and healthcare costs, there is a fear of expansion or new hiring.  No one is sure what tomorrow’s rules will be.
  • Companies are moving overseas because they fear they will not be able to operate profitably with the new taxes and regulations headed their way in this country.

According to the article:

“Beginning in 2011, he (President Obama) has a dizzying array of redistribution and destruction of wealth tax schemes ready for unleashing, like crazed beasts through the Gates of Hell, to eat whatever enterprise remains.

“The economy is starved for private sector money in motion. Deprived of lifeblood. Gasping for oxygen that isn’t there. If you but listen, you can hear the death rattle. Even the business and financial news media pretty much fails at stitching these things together, to reveal the full picture. The few highly credible experts who speak eloquently about it, like my friend, the economist Harry Dent Jr., are mysteriously shunned by the media. There seems more willingness to point to the façade than to walk people around to the vacant lot behind it, and edge of cliff it teeters on so precariously.”

Unless the composition of Congress changes in the November election, we will not see this country recover from the Obama economic policies.  The hope in a new Congress is that they will be able to repeal some of the policies that have been the worst offenders in slowing down the economy.  I would like to see both healthcare reform and the financial reform act repealed and replaced with legislation less than one hundred pages long that actually does what it claims to do.  In healthcare it would mean less government control, in the financial reform bill, it would mean actually reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who were at the center of the mortgage market collapse.  I am not sure Congress will totally change hands, but it needs to.

A Major Stumbling Block In Middle East Peace

Andrew Breitbart’s website Big Peace posted a story yesterday about an attempt at tolerance in the Middle East.  I’m sure most of us are in favor of tolerance in general, but this tolerance had a twist.  Jordan’s Queen Rania has written a children’s book called  “The Sandwich Swap.” 

According to the article at Big Peace:

“The book uses  lunch sandwiches (one peanut butter and jelly, the other pita bread and hummus)  as a metaphor for the differences between two friends from different cultures. The Book touches on such issues as getting to know others, openness and multiculturalism.”

The article further states:

“According to a report by the liberal Israeli newspaper, Ha’aretz, Jordan’s Queen Kumbaya Rania has refused all offers to have her book published in Hebrew for distribution in Israel. Keep in mind that Jordan is one of two Arab states that has signed a peace treaty with Israel (the other is Egypt).”

Jeff Dunetz, who wrote the article at Big Peace, believes that the only reason Jordan signed a peace treaty with Israel is fear of the Palestinian Arabs. 

The article points out the history of Jordan and the Palestinians (the land that is now Jordan was taken from the original land promised to Israel in 1917 and given to the Arabs as a Palestinian state.  Unfortunately, that is not what it has become.)

According to the article:

“Abdullah (Abdullah II, the Jordanian King) rejects the Palestinians living in his country because Jordan is a Palestinian state. Palestinian Arabs are estimated to be between 50-75% of the Jordanian Population.  The ruling monarchy of Jordan is not Palestinian Arab and constantly needs to guard its power. That  is why Jordan has kept the Palestinian Arab refugees in a ghetto since 1948. It is also why even to this day, Jordan refuses to give the Palestinian Arabs citizenship or allow them to be integrated into Jordanian society. Don’t forget, until 1967 the West Bank of the Jordan River was part of  Jordan, so the country used to be an even greater percentage Palestinian Arab. When the terrorist Arafat was getting too powerful,  the Jordanian Army acting on the orders of the Abdullah’s father, King Hussein, massacred thousands of Palestinian Arabs to get them out of the country.”

The problem of Palestine was created by the Arabs–not the Jews.  There never was a state of Palestine until Transjordan was established.  The lack of a Palestinian state has nothing to do with Israel–it has to do with Arabs mistreating Arabs.  However, as long as anti-Semitism is major part of Arab thinking, there will not be peace in the Middle East.

The Right Way To Balance The Budget

Today’s Wall Street Journal posted an article about a Republican budget plan to cut spending, deficits, and taxes, and balance the budget.  As you remember, the Democrats did not pass a budget for next year–they ‘deemed’ a budget passed and planned to work on the budget after the election in November.  That way they cannot be held responsible for the excessive spending.

Tom Price of Georgia, head of the conservative Republican Study Committee, has put together the budget plan. 

According to the article, the plan:

“…lowers taxes by $1.7 trillion more than the Obama budget by making the Bush tax cuts permanent. Spending reductions start with what Mr. Price calls a “reset” on spending for discretionary programs back to 2008 levels. That insures that “temporary” stimulus funding doesn’t get continued year after year. The plan also instructs the President and Congress to dedicate every penny of bailout money repaid to the federal government by the banks to debt retirement.”

The article concludes:

“Mr. Price and his RSC colleagues show that you can get from here ($1.5 trillion annual deficits) to there (a balanced budget) through spending discipline and economic growth. Can it be done the Democratic way, with higher taxes and lower growth? Not likely.”

With the current Congress, it is unlikely that this sensible budget plan will ever see the light of day.  If voters elect a new Congress in November that is responsive to voters, we might be able to stop the runaway spending and the coming massive tax increases.

Unintended Consequences Of The Financial Reform Bill

The National Jeweler website is reporting today on a provision of the Financial Reform Bill recently passed that will make life very difficult for small, independent jewelers. 

According to the article:

“A legislative addendum that aims to regulate the gold industry to keep “conflict gold” out of the United States passed as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a financial reform bill that was approved by the Senate Thursday and is poised to become law.”

The article further states:

“On Friday, JA (Jewelers of America) released a statement in response to the bill’s passage, saying “While we strongly believe in the goals of this legislation, we are very concerned that the bill–as passed–could encourage jewelry companies to avoid trading in gold from the region, in order to bypass the issue completely. Of course, this unintended consequence will help no one, and end up hurting legitimate miners and their communities. Therefore, we hope to work with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulators and both industry and non-industry stakeholders to ensure that implementation achieves its goals, without hurting jewelry businesses or the very communities in DRC and neighboring countries that it is meant to benefit and protect.””

The problem is that Congress keeps passing 2,000-plus page bills that no one has read.  No one has has any idea what gems (no pun intended) are included in these bills.  The intention here was good, but how good will the intention look when thousands of small jewelry business go out of business because the regulations are too complex for the size of their companies?  This is another instance of Congressmen not protecting their constituents from extreme government regulation.  Instead the Congressmen are responsible for the extreme regulation.  As Ronald Reagan once said, “Government is not the solution–it’s the problem.”

Under Obamacare Maryland Will Use Taxpayer Dollars To Fund Abortion

On Wednesday, rightwinggranny reported that Pennsylvania will use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions under Obamacare.  Yesterday, CNS News reported that Maryland will also pay for abortions with taxpayer money under the new healthcare reform act.  As I am sure you remember, Americans were promised that taxpayer dollars would not fund abortions. 

On March 24, CNN reported that President Obama had signed an executive order preventing the use of taxpayer dollars to fund abortions.  The article states:

“”While the legislation as written maintains current law, the executive order provides additional safeguards to ensure that the status quo is upheld and enforced, and that the health care legislation’s restrictions against the public funding of abortions cannot be circumvented,” the White House said previously.”

I guess that executive order didn’t really mean much.  CNS News states:

“According to a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) fact sheet published by MHIP, its new Federal Plan will offer the same benefit package as its state-funded plans. “The MHIP Federal Plan offers the same benefit package as other MHIP plan options,” that document states. All five of MHIP’s plans cover abortion, including one plan that requires no co-pay if the abortion is performed at an out-patient abortion clinic, according information found on page 53 of the 2010 MHIP Certificate of Coverage.”

The American people have been lied to.  The healthcare reform bill not only pays for abortion with taxpayer money, there are many other surprises in it.  Healthcare costs will go up, not down.  Those of us who are happy with our current health insurance are very likely to be forced out of our current coverage by the healthcare reform act.

Remember this in November–elect a Congress that will REPEAL AND REPLACE!

Hidden In The Small Print Of Last Year’s Stimulus Bill

Yesterday CNS News posted an article about something seemingly small that was included in the stimulus bill passed last year.  The bill stated that by 2014 all Americans must have electronic health records that include not only height and weight, but body mass index (BMI). 

According to the article:

“The obesity-rating regulation states that every American’s electronic health record must: “Calculate body mass index. Automatically calculate and display body mass index (BMI) based on a patient’s height and weight.”

“The law also requires that these electronic health records be available–with appropriate security measures–on a national exchange.”

I suppose it’s a little late to say, “I object!”  Why is my BMI included in the stimulus package?  I can understand wanting to put the records in some sort of electronic order, but why is my BMI included? 

BMI is an interesting number.  Generally, it is a measure of obesity.  But, as usual, one size does not fit all.  Many of our professional athletes have BMI’s that show them to be obese.  That has to do with the fact that muscle weighs more than fat–professional football players in particular have BMI’s that are not in any way representative of their physical condition.

On a personal note–I have a wii fit that I use to keep in reasonable shape (at my age, any shape is reasonable).  I have put on a few pounds as I have aged–not a lot–but a few.  Because I am small boned, my wii fit doesn’t acknowledge me as overweight, although I am.  A person my height with heavier bone structure would be the correct weight (which is what the wii is telling me I am), a person with my bone structure needs to lose about fifteen pounds.  BMI is a valuable number when used by a personal physician to judge a person’s appropriate weight.  In the hands of the government, it is a useless and possibly dangerous number.  My fear is that we will come to a place where your BMI determines how much medical care the government (yes, they have taken over healthcare) is willing to give you.  That sounds far-fetched, but I don’t think it is.  We can’t change the stimulus at this point, but we can elect a Congress in November that will repeal healthcare reform before it has a chance to do any real damage.

Why Financial Reform Wasn’t What It Seemed

Yesterday Investors.com posted an article entitled “The Price Of A Vote.”  The article deals with one aspect of the financial reform bill that was passed yesterday.  One of the problems with the financial reform package that was passed was that no mention was made of Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.  These two entities (possibly the cause of the financial meltdown) will continue as before and will again and again be bailed out by taxpayer money.  The financial reform bill does not address either entity in any way.  One of the companies in the middle of the sub-prime meltdown was Countrywide Financial Corp.  This company had a VIP Mortgage Program that has not received a lot of attention.  That may change.

The top Republican member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Rep. Darrell Issa has been looking into this program.  The program was not available to the general public. 

According to the article:

“Countrywide has made 30 cut-rate loans to senators or Senate employees. A dozen of the VIP loans were made to customers who named the office of Sen. Robert Bennett, a Utah Republican, as their workplace. The remainder went to borrowers whose place of employment was designated as “U.S. Senate” or “U.S. senator.”

“None of these loans with their favorable, below-market terms is available to the public. They were reserved for the few with political connections — including Sen. Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat who was the primary author of the financial reform bill.”

The article further reports:

“Issa and the committee are trying to determine if Countrywide, one of the architects of the subprime mortgage problem and now owned by Bank of America, made these VIP loans to buy influence over legislation. But it hasn’t been a smooth process.

“Rep. Edolphus Towns, the New York Democrat who runs the committee, is known to have received two mortgages from Countrywide’s VIP program himself. He initially balked at issuing a subpoena for Countrywide’s records before eventually doing so.”

This Congress is a disgrace to America.  The number of Congressmen using their office for their own personal gain is obscene.  We need to remember the actions of these Congressmen in November.  If a Congressman has accepted special loans or other favors based on his office, he needs to be voted out of office.

New Math ???

Ok.  It’s time to inject a little reality into “Recovery Summer.”  David Limbaugh posted an article at Newsmax.com analyzing some of President Obama’s recent statements about the current economy and his role in the recovery. 

President Obama has claimed repeatedly that he inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression (sounds like Bill Clinton–he said he inherited the worst economy in 50 years).  Have both of these men conveniently forgotten Jimmy Carter?  Mr. Limbaugh reports that “Carter’s interest rates reached 15.27 percent. Inflation soared to 13.5 percent. And unemployment grew to 7.8 percent.” 

Let’s look at the ‘horrible’ economy of George Bush.  According to the article:

“In 2006, the Bush economy grew at 5.6 percent, representing the 18th straight quarter of economic growth, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The unemployment rate was 4.7 percent; it later fell to 4.6 percent, which was lower than the average rate of unemployment for any of the preceding four decades.” 

About those deficits–according to the article:

“Plus, Obama’s refrain that the Bush tax cuts led to deficits is flatly contradicted by the record, which shows that federal tax revenues grew following his tax cuts.”

Mr. Limbaugh concludes:

“Obama’s major contributions to the economy are astronomical debt acceleration, obscene unemployment, recession bordering on depression, and business and consumer uncertainty across the board. And this is before Obamacare and his other major tax hikes have even gone into effect.”

Hopefully the damage this Administration and this Congress have done to the American economy can be repaired.  The tax increases that are coming combined with the endless new regulations will prevent a serious economic recovery.  We need a new Congress that will lift the yoke of excessive regulation off the small business community and free them to hire new workers and to prosper.  As small business prospers, the nation will prosper.

Alternative Fiscal Policies

Congressman Paul Ryan, ranking Republican on the Committee on the Budget, has proposed a plan to get the economy moving that would be an alternative to the current spend, raise the deficit, and borrow more plan that is currently in place and not working.

The plan is detailed at the Roadmap website that Congressman Ryan has set up to detail and explain the plan.  There are video explanations of the plan as well as written details of what the plan is and exactly how it would work.  It is becoming obvious that what we are currently doing is not working very well, and this plan represents a lot of economic principles that have been successful in the past.  We need to elect people in November who will follow this plan.

Please follow the link above, and check out Representative Ryan’s plan.

Representatives That Don’t Represent

The Hill is reporting today that Senator Joseph Lieberman has stated that the Senate liberals will not oppose a ‘utility-only’ climate bill.  That’s nice.  Can those of us who will have to live with the increased energy costs oppose it?

This is aggravating.  According to the article:

“The duo (Lieberman and Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.)) are working with Reid’s office on a power plant-focused plan after failing to gain political traction for their earlier climate bill, which also covered manufacturing, oil refining, transportation and other sectors.”

Maybe they can’t get the support because the American people are feeling over-regulated.  I think that as some of our Congressmen look around at their approval ratings and consider that there will be an election in November, they are thinking twice about what they should support.  The best thing that could happen right now would be to send them all home before they can do any more damage!