Monthly Archives: August 2012

Can Cold Hard Facts Beat Out Name Calling ?

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This week on Fox News Sunday DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz provided a preview of the attack aimed at the Romney-Ryan ticket. She repeatedly called Paul Ryan‘s budget proposals extreme (while conveniently not mentioning that it has been more than three years since the Democrats made a serious budget proposal) and stated that reducing spending by any significant amount would harm the fragile recovery. (Recovery???)That is the preview of what is to come.

Michael Barone posted an article at the Washington Examiner today explaining that the choice of Paul Ryan as the Vice Presidential candidate puts the entitlement crisis at the center of the presidential campaign. At this point I would like to state that Social Security is not an entitlement–the people who will be collecting Social Security from this point on have paid more into the program than they will get out. The problem is not Social Security–it is the fact that since the mid 1960’s, Congress has spent the money that was supposed to be set aside for Social Security on other things. However, Medicaid and Medicare spending has increased so dramatically above what was originally projected, that there is no way to cover the rising costs without major modifications to the programs. Social Security also needs to be modified, but again, I resent calling it an entitlement when I was forced to pay into it my entire working life.

Michael Barone’s article concludes:

For Ryan and Romney can make the point — lost in the shuffle when this is a low-visibility issue — that their plan leaves the current Medicare system in place for current recipients and those over 55. Those who have made plans based on the present program can continue to rely on it.

But they can also make the point that their reforms are necessary in order to make sure Medicare is sustainable in the long run. Polls show that many voters under 55 doubt that they’ll ever get the Medicare and Social Security benefits they’ve been promised.

One more thing about Ryan, I think, appealed to Romney. He has already shown he cannot be intimidated by the most eminent opponent. Watch the video of Ryan’s five-minute evisceration of Obamacare at the president’s Blair House meeting. You can tell that Obama didn’t like it one bit.

He better get used to it. Obama’s side is relying on trash-talking ads. Romney’s selection of Ryan shows he wants a debate on whether America should follow Obama on the road to a European-style welfare state.

Make up some popcorn, there is going to be a show!

 

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A Change Of Pace For The Weekend

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This is going to be a politically noisy weekend. The left will be trying to define Paul Ryan as wanting to drive granny off the cliff and the right will be countering that effort. Some of the stories may be interesting, informative or entertaining, but right now I am taking a break.

 

This is Frito. He is our current foster cat. We provide foster care for cats from the local no-kill cat shelter. Frito is from Guatemala. I don’t know the full story of how he got here, but evidently as a black cat he was at some risk in that country and was brought here to safety. Frito is about three years old and he is very cute. He will make someone a wonderful pet.

What is my point? We are in the midst of the political silly season. A lot of the things we see and hear are not attractive, useful, or true. We need to remember that in the midst of making an informed decision about who we want to run our country, we have other basic priorities. Remember to love your friends and family during this time, even if you disagree with their politics!

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Sometimes You Just Have To Laugh

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Yesterday the Palm Beach Post reported that the NAACP has stated that a campaign ad showing Representative Allen West punching a while woman is not racially offensive.

The article reports:

NAACP Washington Bureau Director Hilary O. Shelton, the organization’s chief federal lobbyist, said he watched the ad three or four times.

“It is a typical campaign ad,” said Shelton. “I don’t see it playing on stereotypes.”

American Sunrise got $250,000 of its initial $350,050 budget from Coastal Construction CEO Thomas Murphy Jr., who is Patrick Murphy’s father. The PAC, which says it aims to “reduce the hostile environment of governing in today’s Congress,” lists Patrick Murphy as the only candidate it supports.

Would the ad be racially offensive if the Representative were punching a black woman? Just a thought.

It really isn’t about racial sensitivity–it’s about Democrat party politics. Any campaign showing anyone being punched should be disallowed.

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One Of Many Reasons I Support Paul Ryan For Vice President

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There are many reasons I support Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney‘s choice for Vice-President. This YouTube video is one of them:

Paul Ryan is like the nerd who sat behind you in Physics class in high school, understood everything the teacher said, and could explain it in less than 25 words. He is a humble, but strong, man who understands how numbers work and how the Washington numbers game is played. I seriously doubt anyone in Congress would even try to double talk him on any budget issue.

This is a great choice that will inflame the liberals in the Democrat party. I can’t wait for the debate between Paul Ryan and Joe Biden!

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Another Lawsuit Regarding The Health And Human Services’ Birth Control Mandate

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CNS News reported yesterday that a court in Michigan will hear arguments against the Obama Administration’s Birth Control mandate on September 26.

The article reports:

The lawsuit aims to permanently block implementation of the Health and Human Services requirement that employees and individuals to obtain insurance coverage that covers contraception, sterilization, and abortion-producing drugs without any cost-sharing. The HHS mandate imposes clear violations of conscience on Americans who morally object to abortion and contraception, the Law Center (the Thomas More Law Center) said in a news release.

The lawsuit also challenges the constitutionality of the HHS mandate because the mandate limits the rights of business owners to freely practice their religion.

The article states:

“Judge Cleland’s decision to expedite the briefing schedule and set a quick hearing date for oral arguments on our motion for a preliminary injunction against the Government was crucial,” said Thomas More Law Center attorney Erin Mersino. “It best serves our goal of protecting the religious freedoms of our clients. Without the Court’s timely intervention, the HHS mandate effectively penalizes their free exercise of religion,” he added.

The question of whether or not the HHS mandate violates the First Amendment is definitely headed to the Supreme Court. As I reported on July 28 (rightwinggranny.com), a Colorado company called Hercules Industries won a court case in the Tenth Circuit regarding the HHS mandate that companies provide birth control services in the health insurance policies.

As reported on July 28:

A federal court issued an order Friday that halts enforcement of the Obama administration’s abortion pill mandate against a Colorado family-owned business while an Alliance Defending Freedom lawsuit challenging the mandate continues in court.

I am sure there will be much more to come on this issue.

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The Only Way To End This Type Of Campaign Ad Is To Vote For The Person Being Attacked

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The Blaze reported yesterday on a video campaign ad put up by the American Sunrise PAC.

The article reports:

The American Sunrise PAC is responsible for the video.  The group was incidentally founded by the father of Congressman West’s general election opponent, Democrat Patrick Murphy, who has funneled $250,000 into the PAC. 

UPDATE: The group responsible for the West advertisement has disabled all comments and ratings on their video page.  The immense distaste for the ad may have pressured this move.  As Blaze reporter Jason Howerton noted: The video on YouTube currently has more than 12,000 views, with 252 “dislikes” and just 16 “likes.”  The move is ironic since the group responsible for the ad claims to work for “thoughtful”, “more open”, “brighter future” in politics.

What is the problem with the ad? It shows a caricature of Allen West wearing boxing gloves punching an old woman, a young lady and seemingly a family with children. He is then shown taking money from the family and laughing like a gremlin.

The only way to stop this sort of foolishness is to render it ineffective. If you live in Florida, please vote for Allen West.

 

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Using Taxpayer Money To Support Democrat Candidates

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Howie Carr posted a story today in the Boston Herald about the voter registration forms that are being sent out with welfare checks in Massachusetts. What is being done in Massachusetts may be technically legal, but it definitely does not pass the smell test.

The Boston Herald reported yesterday that the group behind the plan to send out voter registration forms with welfare checks is headed by Elizabeth Warren‘s daughter. Elizabeth Warren is the Democrat candidate running against Republican Senator Scott Brown. This little exercise in democracy will cost the Massachusetts taxpayers $275,844. A letter and a voter registration form is being sent with every welfare check issued in the State.

The article in yesterday’s Boston Herald reported:

Demos, a group founded in the late 1990s to counter conservative think tanks, also counts President Obama as a founding board member.

The Herald reported today that the group recently forced the Bay State to send out nearly 500,000 voter registration cards to those on welfare at a cost of $276,000. Demos also has sued nine states, including Ohio, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Louisiana.

The Bay State lawsuit, filed in conjunction with the ACORN offshoot New England United for Justice, comes as Warren faces a tight battle with Brown in a nationally-watched battle that could decide which Party controls the Senate.

Brown said he supports allowing all legal voters to register, but said officials shouldn’t do so with taxpayer dollars.

Note the ACORN connection. Unless all of us learn to fight for the integrity of our elections, these people are not going to go away.

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At Least They Admitted They Lied

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Yesterday I posted a story (rightwinggranny.com) about a recent political ad by a Political Action Committee (PAC) supporting President Obama that accused Mitt Romney of being responsible for the death of Joe Soptic’s wife. When confronted with the actual time line of the events, which totally discredited the ad, the Obama Administration denied knowledge of the specifics. Well, not so fast.

Politico reported today that the Obama Administration has stopped denying that they were familiar with Joe Soptic’s story.

The article reports:

Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki acknowledged Thursday that the campaign was no longer pleading ignorance about the story of a man who has appeared in both a super PAC ad and a campaign ad.

“No one is denying he was in one of our campaign ads. He was on a conference call telling his story,” Psaki told reporters on Air Force One.

Admittedly, the campaign is not supposed to coordinate with the PAC’s, so the ad cannot be traced directly to the President, but it would have been nice if he had denounced the ad when it was released.

I stand by my original statement that I am appalled by a husband that would choose to use the death of his wife for political purposes. This ad was totally beyond the pale. Unfortunately, I suspect we will see more of this behavior from the Obama Campaign and their supporters. I have heard very few Democrats denounce the ad. That is the action that is required.

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Those Pesky E-Mails

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Investors.com posted an article today about the latest scandal in the Obama Administration. You may not see this in the major media–they are too busy trying to distract the public with shiny objects–but it is an indication of how things work in the Obama Administration.

The article deals with GM’s Delphi auto parts unit and how its non-union employees were dealt with during the GM bailout.

The article reports:

The news site The Daily Caller has obtained internal government emails that show the U.S. Treasury Department, led by Timothy Geithner, pushed in 2009 to end the pensions of 20,000 non-union employees of GM’s Delphi auto parts unit as part of the auto bailout.

What’s truly outrageous is that, while those workers were cheated of their full pensions, union employees of the same Delphi company got their pensions paid.

This financially ruinous favoritism of union workers over nonunion workers is blatantly unfair, illegal and a violation of Constitutional guarantees of equal treatment under the law. And the reason is political.

This is one of many examples where government agencies were used for political purposes (paying back union supporters or wealthy donors) in the Obama Administration.

The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) is responsible for overseeing private pensions. This organization is an independent, quasi-governmental insurer of private pension plans. Under law, that organization would have had the authority to determine how the pensions were handled.

The article further reports:

The email trail shows clearly that in April 2009 the Treasury Department held meetings on GM and Delphi, including “pension issues.” However, the PBGC was, in the words of one official, “disinvited.”

This was well before the decision, made in July, to stiff nonunion workers on their pensions. It suggests that the White House and Treasury were calling the shots — not the compromised, and politically bullied, PBGC.

This violates PBGC’s independence under the law as the sole agency that can terminate a private pension — not Treasury. Worse, the PBGC, based on the emails, seems to have thought it needed to clear whatever it did with the White House and Treasury. It didn’t.

There is also the question of whether or not several White House officials may have lied under oath when questioned about the decision on the pensions.

The Obama Administration has taken political cronyism to a new level. It is time to vote them out of office.

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A New Low In Political Ads

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The group Priorities USA has produced a pro-Obama ad recently that essentially blames Governor Romney for the death of Joe Soptic’s wife. It seems that Mrs. Soptic died seven years after Governor Romney left Bain Capital. A company that Bain Capital had invested in during the time that Governor Romney led the company had gone out of business, and Mr. Soptic lost his health insurance. Thus Mr. Soptic blames that fact (and Mitt Romney) for his wife’s eventual death from cancer.

Breitbart posted an article yesterday explaining more of the timeline.

Breitbart reports:

The emotional thrust of the new ad is Soptic blaming Romney and Bain Capital for his wife’s death. He says she became ill “a short time” after he lost his job and his health care. But the timeline being presented in this ad is extremely misleading. According to a notice in the Kansas City Star uncovered by Politico, Soptic’s wife died in June 2006. That’s five years after the GST Steel plant was closed in 2001 and more than seven years after Romney left management of Bain to work on the 2002 Olympics in February 1999.

Politico asked Priorities USA to explain what Mitt Romney had to do with the death of a woman years after he’d left the company. Priorities strategist Bill Burton responded “We’re illustrating how long it took for communities and individuals to recover from the closing of these businesses.” But length of impact is clearly not what the ad tries to depict. It says the illness happened “a short time after” and then emphasizes the wife’s death just 22 days after being admitted to the hospital. In other words, the ad is intentionally misleading, suggesting to viewers that this happened shortly after the plant was closed, not years later.

The article further points out that Mrs. Soptic was still employed after her husband lost his job and still had health insurance until about 2002 or 2003.

I have a few comments on this. Why in the world would a husband exploit the death of his wife for political purposes when the facts don’t add up? What was the husband thinking? The ad is so outrageous to begin with, are the American voters supposed to take it seriously? Why lie about something that can be so easily checked? During my working career I worked for two different companies that were closed down, can I blame them for the fact that I was not able to save enough money so that I didn’t have to take out loans for my children’s college education?

I am truly sorry that Mr. Soptic lost his wife to cancer. That has to be a devastating experience. I also understand that ‘blame’ may be part of the grief process. However, this is ridiculous.

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Denying America’s Heritage

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The Metro West Daily News reported on Saturday that the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) (on behalf of a local parent) has lodged a complaint against Wayland High School because their band played “God Bless America” on Pearl Harbor Day and Memorial Day.

The article reports:

In a letter to Stein (Superintendent Paul Stein), the Freedom from Religion Foundation, on behalf of a local parent, argued that playing and singing the song at school functions violated the U.S. Constitution’s provision of separation of church and state.

The story also pointed out that when the song was played only the music was played–the words were not sung.

Superintendent Stein is handling this with common sense. The article reports:

At a School Committee meeting this week, Stein said the district’s lawyer said the foundation’s letter does not merit a reply now.

“Certainly if they pursue this in court, they should be writing directly” to the committee’s attorney, Stein told the School Committee.

He added, “I don’t dismiss these concerns, I respect these concerns. … Where I would draw the line is obviously different from where this organization would draw the line.”

The whole idea that “God Bless America,” one of our great patriotic anthems, can be banned because one person thinks it endorses religion is ridiculous. If this does wind up in court, I would like to see the FFRF have to pay all court costs as well as a hefty settlement in apology to the school district.

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The Death Of A Very Gifted Musician

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The Wrap is reporting today that Marvin Hamlisch has died at the age of 68. The obituary at the wrap cites “The Way We Were” as his signature song, but he was a very prolific composer. I remember him for reviving the ragtime music of Scott Joplin for the movie “The Sting.”

The article reports:

Hamlisch’s deft touch can be felt in the scores for such diverse films as “Sophie’s Choice,” “Ordinary People,” “Three Men and a Baby,” “Ice Castles,” “Take the Money and Run,” “Bananas,” “Save the Tiger,” “The Informant!” and his latest effort, “Behind the Candelabra,” an upcoming HBO film about the life of Liberace.

On Broadway, Hamlisch had a smash hit with 1975’s long-running “A Chorus Line,” which received the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony Award. Other works such as “The Goodbye Girl” and “Sweet Smell of Success,” garnered some critical praise, but were never fully embraced by audiences. But he remained busy in the theater scene, and a statement  from his publicist said Hamlisch was supposed to fly to Nashville, Tenn. this week to see a production of his musical, “The Nutty Professor.”

Something of a musical prodigy, Hamlisch was the youngest student to be admitted by the prestigious Julliard School of Music.

Thank you, Mr. Hamlisch, for many hours of listening enjoyment.

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The Value Of Re-enacting

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Today’s U.K. Express posted a wonderful story about a 60-year old man who plays a Cavalier swordsman in re-enactments of Civil War battles (British Civil War–not American Civil War).

Mr Thompson had gone to get a paper at the local mini-mart when he heard a disturbance and saw someone at the cash register holding a knife to the clerk’s neck and demanding the money. Mr. Thompson got involved. He used the techniques he has learned as a re-enactor to disarm the man and hold him captive until the police came.

The article reports:

Mr Thompson, 60, said his Cavalier sword play skills, learned as a member of the Sealed Knot Society which re-enacts battles, gave him the strength to tackle the robber.

 He said: “If it wasn’t for the re-enactment group I couldn’t have done it. It is never real when we learn how to deal with knives and swords but the movements are for real.”

 Mr Thompson, a retired lecturer from Prestatyn, north Wales, is a veteran member of the 100-strong group who re-enact Civil War battles in authentic costumes. 

 He holds the rank of second in command of The Earl of Northampton’s Regiment of Foote.

 Mr. Thompson was given a bravery award by the police for his actions.

 

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Coming Soon To A Hospital Or Doctor Near You

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On Sunday The Wall Street Journal posted an article detailing what has happened in Massachusetts since the legislature reformed health care in 2006. It isn’t a pretty picture.

I don’t know if Obamacare was based on what was done in Massachusetts or not, but I do know that what was done in Massachusetts would have been considerably worse if Mitt Romney had not been Governor. Although he was not successful is stopping all of the policies that were put in place, he did stop some of the more drastic ideas. Governor Patrick has worked with the legislature to make things worse.

The article reports:

The claim then, as with the Affordable Care Act, was that health care would be less expensive if everyone had insurance. Soon Massachusetts Democrats leaked that their political strategy all along was to expand coverage only, because had RomneyCare seriously squeezed providers it never would have overcome industry opposition. “Bending the curve” on costs could be saved for another day, once a vast new government liability was locked in.

RomneyCare has increased state health spending in real terms by 59%.

The article also reports:

…79% of the newly insured are on public programs. Health costs—Medicaid, RomneyCare’s subsidies, public-employee compensation—will consume some 54% of the state budget in 2012, up from about 24% in 2001.

Spending on heath care in Massachusetts has increased dramatically since RomneyCare. Heath care costs are 27% higher than the national average–15% higher when adjusted for the states wage scale and academic medical centers and specialists.

Governor Patrick’s latest reforms are aimed at keeping costs down. The article reports:

But Massachusetts takes 360-degree surveillance and converts it into a panopticon prison. An 11-member board known as the Health Policy Commission will use the data to set and enforce rules to ensure that total Massachusetts health spending, public and private, grows no more than projected gross state product through 2017, and 0.5 percentage points lower thereafter. (And Paul Ryan‘s Medicare projections are unrealistic?)

This is the Massachusetts ‘death panel.’

Electing Mitt Romney as President won’t solve the health care problems in Massachusetts (currently being made worse by Governor Patrick), but it will end ObamaCare.

 

 

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RUN HIDE FIGHT

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I wish I lived in world where videos like the one below were never needed, but in light of recent events, it may someday be helpful to someone someday. The video describes how to survive an ‘active shooter event.’ It involves a lot of common sense, but illustrates some very helpful strategies:

The video was produced by the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security.

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Stuck On Stupid

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Americans need to be careful who they listen to when it comes to Islam and what it stands for. There is a concept in Islam called ‘taqiyya.’ This concept is generally described as lying for the sake of Islam. Lying to infidels is particularly encouraged. This is a concept we need to remember when we are told that, “Islam is a religion of peace.” If that is true, name one Islamic country that is peaceful and allows freedom for its citizens.

Anyway, with that in mind, I am reporting on a story posted at TampaBayOnline in July of this year. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) in Tampa has requested that the state of Florida sever its ties with instructor Sam Kharoba, a state-contracted counter-terrorism instructor. Please remember that CAIR was an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation Trial in 2008. There is no way this organization wants American law enforcement people to be informed correctly on counter-terrorism.

The article reports:

Kharoba owns a for-profit company called the Counter Terrorism Operations Center. His company was hired by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to offer the training sessions.

The FDLE is reviewing CAIR’s concerns, spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger said.

The department has “received positive feedback” from people taking Kharoba’s courses, Plessinger said.

I have to admire the nerve of CAIR in protesting this course. Would the Mafia have been so cheeky as to complain when the FBI was learning how to deal with them?

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Why Voters Need To Pay Attention When They Vote

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CNSNews posted a story today about Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber.

According to the article:

Democrat Gov. Kitzhaber has granted a reprieve “for the duration of my service as governor” to Gary D. Haugen, who has twice been convicted of aggravated murder. Haugen – who wants to be executed – was first convicted of killing the mother of his girlfriend and later was found guilty of murdering a fellow inmate.

The irony here is that Mr. Haugen claims that the state allows him to refuse the reprieve and has asked the state to execute him. He has filed a lawsuit against the state to invalidate the reprieve so that he can be executed.

Meanwhile, in another case in Oregon, the Governor has refused even to discuss clemency in the case of a man facing prison time for collecting rainwater on his property. Gary Harrington is scheduled to begin serving a 30 day jail term this week.

The article reports:

Gary Harrington of Eagle Point, Ore., was sentenced July 25 in Jackson County Circuit Court to 30 days in jail and over $1,500 in fines for violating Oregon state laws that say all water is publically owned–making the 3 reservoirs on his property used to house rainwater and snow runoff illegal.

CNSNews.com has repeatedly contacted the governor’s office via phone and email to ask if the governor has any intention of pardoning Harrington or commuting his sentence. But the governor’s office has not responded to any of those inquiries.

Does this mean that if I have a water feature in my backyard and rainwater falls in it that I am breaking the law? Doesn’t the state government of Oregon have anything better to do than send people who collect rainwater to jail?

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A Chart That Tells It All

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The chart below was posted in the Wall Street Journal yesterday:

image

The chart is based on numbers from the International Monetary Fund. The chart is contained in an article by Arthur Laffer about the impact of government stimulus spending.

In the article Mr. Laffer points out:

The four nations—Estonia, Ireland, the Slovak Republic and Finland—with the biggest stimulus programs had the steepest declines in growth. The United States was no different, with greater spending (up 7.3%) followed by far lower growth rates (down 8.4%).

These numbers are particularly relevant as countries around the world are debating whether or not another round of stimulus spending is the answer to the current recession.

Mr. Laffer states:

Still, the debate rages between those who espouse stimulus spending as a remedy for our weak economy and those who argue it is the cause of our current malaise. The numbers at stake aren’t small. Federal government spending as a share of GDP rose to a high of 27.3% in 2009 from 21.4% in late 2007. This increase is virtually all stimulus spending, including add-ons to the agricultural and housing bills in 2007, the $600 per capita tax rebate in 2008, the TARP and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bailouts, “cash for clunkers,” additional mortgage relief subsidies and, of course, President Obama’s $860 billion stimulus plan that promised to deliver unemployment rates below 6% by now. Stimulus spending over the past five years totaled more than $4 trillion.

If you believe, as I do, that the macro economy is the sum total of all of its micro parts, then stimulus spending really doesn’t make much sense. In essence, it’s when government takes additional resources beyond what it would otherwise take from one group of people (usually the people who produced the resources) and then gives those resources to another group of people (often to non-workers and non-producers).

If the government wants the producers in our society to continue producing, it needs to understand how human nature and incentives work. If I can make more money by not working than I can for working, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that I am less likely to work.

I think Mr. Laffer is on to something. Please read the entire article at the Wall Street Journal for more information on the impact of government stimulus programs.

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The Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District

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The Republican primary in the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District has three candidates–Elizabeth Childs, Sean Bielat, and David Steinhof. The Democrat primary candidates are Rachael Brown, Joseph Kennedy III, and Herb Robinson. Of the six candidates, Joseph Kennedy III is the only one who has raised over a million dollars.

Meanwhile, back to the Republican primary. Holly Robichaud posted an article at the Boston Herald today about the voting history of Elizabeth Childs. According to the article in the Herald, Ms. Childs did not join the Republican party until eleven days before filing the paperwork to begin her run as a candidate. Ms. Childs has been endorsed by former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman and ex-Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Nassour,

When Ms. Childs spoke at the local Republican Town Committee, she described herself as a fiscal conservative and a social moderate. She also mentioned that she supported federal funding of abortion. That is not the position of a fiscal conservative.

I am a former Democrat. I voted for George McGovern in 1972. It is obvious that my politics have changed over the years. The contrast between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan had a lot to do with that change. Ms. Childs does not seem to have any explanation for her sudden political transformation or the timing of that transformation. That seems to be a problem with Republican voters in the Massachusetts Fourth.

Sean Bielat seems to be leading in the primary, but both Sean Bielat and David Steinhof have ideas that are much more in keeping with traditional Republican views.

 

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It Really Is Hard To Tell What Is True When You Read The Newspaper

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On Friday Breitbart.com posted a fact-check on an Associated Press story that ran in various newspapers on July 10. The story gave examples of how voter identification requirements disenfranchise people.

Breitbart.com reports:

Baker started off with what seemed like a frustrating story about two elderly Indiana voters approaching 90 years old, Edward and Mary Weidenbener, who were unable to vote in Indiana’s May primary. Why? Supposedly because “they didn’t realize that state law required them to bring government photo IDs such as a driver’s license or passport.”

Then the reporter at Breitbart begins to look into the story. The Indiana law requiring identification had been in effect since 2006. Had they voted since then? It was also determined that both Weidenbeners had valid driver’s licenses and passports–either of which would have served as identification. The Weidenbeners also live within walking distance of their polling place–which means they could easily have gone home to get their identification.

For whatever reason, the Weidenbeners wound up casting a provisional ballot. They then claimed they weren’t told that they needed to show an ID to officials after the election in order for their provisional ballot to be counted.

The article further reports:

But the Indiana state form that is given to all provisional voters specifically informs them that they must appear before county election officials no later than noon on the second Friday after election day either with an ID or to sign an affidavit that they are exempt from the ID requirement because they are “indigent and unable to obtain proof of identification without the payment of a fee, or that you have a religious objection to being photographed.” The AP also neglected to mention that since the Weidenbeners are over 65, they could vote by absentee ballot without an ID.

It seems as if the Associated Press reporter either did not do his homework or chose to ignore the facts. Voter identification laws insure that every person’s vote counts once and that no person’s vote is cancelled out by an illegal vote. Voter identification laws do not prevent honest voters from voting–they prevent dishonest voters from voting.

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Some Of Our Congressmen Are Paying Attention

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This video was posted at the Washington Examiner the last week of August:

The video shows House Homeland Security Committee chairman Pete King, R-N.Y. questioning Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about the recent visit by Hani Nour Eldin to the White House where he met with high-ranking Obama administration and State Department officials. Mr. Eldin is a member of the recently elected Egyptian parliament. He is also a member of a group designated as a terrorist group by the United States government.

The article reports Ms. Napolitano’s answers to Rep. King’s questions about letting a known terrorist into the White House:

“I think we have to add more nuance to that,” she said when King mentioned that Eldin is part of a designated foreign terrorist organization. “We have to know what the group was. Is it now a political party that is running the government of a country that has strong ties to the United States?” She added that he went through three stages of vetting and “everyone who looked at this person felt confident that he was not a security risk to the White House or to the United States.”

My question after watching the video is, “Didn’t anyone bother to check his Facebook page?” I find the lack of research amazing.

As someone who is not prone to nuance, I think this is nuts. One of the things Mr. Eldin did while at the White House was ask for the release of another terrorists–the Blind Sheik. Enjoy the video.

 

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So Much For The Voice Of The People

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The Tennessean reported yesterday that the Tennessee Democratic Party has said that it will not support Mark Clayton, who won the Tennessee primary to run on the Democrat ticket against Republican Senator Bob Corker. Mr. Clayton received nearly twice as many votes as his closest challenger in Thursday’s seven-candidate primary, The reason the Democrats refuse to support him–they are accusing him of belonging to a ‘known hate group.’

Mr. Clayton is an unpaid vice-president for the group Public Advocate of the United States and occasionally writes for them. The group is pro-life and pro-marriage. I need to say something here. I oppose gay marriage. I think it totally creates confusion in terms of the First Amendment rights of the clergy not to perform the marriages and simply complicates something that does not need to be complicated. I support civil unions. I think a committed gay couple should have all the rights of a married couple. I just don’t want to see a Bible-believing pastor forced to perform a wedding that goes against Biblical teaching. I don’t hate gays. I have no reason to hate gays. Frankly, it isn’t important to me whether or not a person is gay. I am perfectly willing to share my world with any person regardless of what they do in their spare time. Opposing gay marriage is not hate speech, and groups that oppose gay marriage are not hate groups–they simply have an opinion different than the mainstream media and much of the Democrat party. We live in a country where differences of opinion are allowed. Stop calling it hate–it isn’t hate, it’s a belief in something different than what you believe.

Meanwhile, back to the story.

The article reports:

Sean Braisted, a Democratic Party spokesman, left the door open for a possible legal maneuver to try to get Clayton’s name off the Democratic line of the November ballot.

“The only option we are taking off the table in this situation,” he said, “is supporting Mark Clayton.”

The people voted. The Democrat Party did not like the results, so they are looking for a way to undo the vote. That really doesn’t sound like the wishes of the people who voted for Mark Clayton were important to the Democrat Party.

 

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When You Lie Down With Dogs You Get Up With Fleas

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Many leaders in the Democrat Party have been quick to endorse the ‘values’ expressed in the Occupy Wall Street protests. The Occupy protests were supposed to be the balance to the Tea Party. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.

There were significant differences between Occupy and the Tea Party from the start. The demographic on Occupy tended to be under the age of 30 and unemployed. There were exceptions, but generally, that is the age group involved. The Tea Party tended to be over the age of 45 and often of retirement age. The Tea Party appeared in response to the vote on Obamacare when many citizens felt their wishes were totally ignored. I am not sure if there was a specific event that spawned Occupy.

A website called Anguished Repose illustrates one other difference:

That difference was also evident in Oakland, California, last night. The Blaze reported today that:

Between 100 and 200 Occupy protesters marched through downtown Oakland, Calif. Friday night, smashing several car windows and the glass front of President Barack Obama’s local campaign office, according to media reports.

I thought Occupy and the Democrats were on the same side. It is possible that the anarchists that make up Occupy simply enjoy destroying things?

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When The Media Manufactures A Story

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There have been a number of incidents of data being altered by scientists claiming that global warming will kill us all yesterday. It is good to remember that these are many of the same scientists who in 1985 warned us of the coming Ice Age. Well, we are still here, and the weather warms and cools as it always has. Well, now some of the media people who support the theory of global warming have really gone over the edge.

On Thursday the Daily Caller posted a story about a blog called ThinkProgress that posted a picture of melting street lights in Oklahoma and claimed that the melting was due to global warming. It turns out that the melting was caused by a nearby dumpster fire–global warming had nothing to do with it, but the story didn’t end there. ThinkProgress corrected the story when they were informed of the truth. However, according to WattsUpWithThat Yahoo, which also ran the story, did not bother to correct it.

This is the related press release from Senator Inhofe of Oklahoma. The source is the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works. The heading of the Press Release (dated August 2) is “Inhofe Exposes Another Epic Fail by Global Warming Alarmists.”

Washington, D.C. – Today the far-left blog Think Progress posted a photo (originally posted on KFOR‘s facebook page) of street lights in Oklahoma that had melted, they claimed, because of extreme heat. Global warming alarmist Bill McKibben took to Twitter immediately to publicize what he believed to be proof of global warming, tweeting to Senator James Inhofe (Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, “Senator Inhofe, God may be trying to get your attention. Check out this picture.”

Not long after the picture surfaced, Oklahomans posted comments on Think Progress’ blog saying that these lights had melted due to a fire – which makes sense considering that the two front lights were melted while the two back lights remained unscathed. Once this news came to light, Think Progress immediately removed the post and provided an update that reads: “After we published this piece, we saw reports from people on the ground in Stillwater that the melting streetlights were due to a nearby fire. The person who took the photo, Patrick Hunter, described the scene: ‘Being the person that actually took this photo, I’d say that this was due to a fire semi-close by coupled with the unbelievable heat we are experiencing.’ Still an amazing photo and not fake as many are saying on here. Enjoy!”

This afternoon, KFOR confirmed that the melted lights in the photo were not caused by hot temperatures but a nearby dumpster fire.

“Poor Bill McKibben – he’s been trying to get something to melt for ages but it keeps backfiring,” Senator Inhofe said. “These alarmists never learn their lesson. Remember Bill McKibben was the one who was going to melt a giant ice sculpture in the shape of the word ‘hoax’ on the national mall, but his group had to cancel because there wasn’t enough interest. Now, after proclaiming that street lights in Oklahoma are melting because of global warming, we have confirmation that a fire caused this scene.

“Amid the resurgence of hysteria from my friends on the left, I appreciated climatologist Dr. John Christy who testified this week before the Environment and Public Works committee saying that instead of proclaiming this summer is ‘what global warming looks like’ it is ‘scientifically more accurate to say that this is what Mother Nature looks like, since events even worse than these have happened in the past before greenhouse gases were increasing like they are today.’

“This isn’t the first time alarmists have tried these stunts and it certainly won’t be the last – when will they finally realize they’ve lost this debate?”

After a while, you being to wonder why those who support global warming are willing to go to such lengths to prove their case even after much of their research has been proven wrong.

 

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