Prescription
A first-term governor whose paucity of government experience may be just what the doctor ordered, Mr. Christie is a jumble of political contradictions. He’s a conservative with some liberal views, a bullying New Jersey politician who frequently talks about compromise, and an obviously reluctant candidate who clearly hears the siren song of the national stage. (NYT, 9/30/2011)
The New York Times fires a warning shot across the bow of a possible Christie presidential bid. Their attacks - in the guise of objective reporting - will surely increase should Christie decide to run. Note also the Times's concern about "paucity government experience." They said exactly the same thing about Obama. Just kidding!
In the 10 years Mr. Perry has been governor, his critics say there have been few effective initiatives out of his office to increase either public or private health coverage significantly in Texas, where today an estimated 6.2 million people — one-quarter of the state’s population — are uninsured, including 1.3 million children. (NYT, 9/30/2011)
...while they continue their attacks - in the guise of objective reporting - against Rick Perry.
Bank On It
The rising fees reflect the big consumer banks' efforts to offset billions in predicted losses due a fee-cap on merchant-processing fees under the Durbin Amendment. The new law goes into effect on Saturday, and caps interchange fees at 24 cents a swipe, previously that averaged 44 cents. (DailyFinance.com, 9/30/2011)
Yet another example demonstrating the end result of Liberals meddling in the private sector.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Crow in the Corn
Good Money After Bad
As the federal fiscal year ends, and with it the part of the stimulus program that finances some energy loans, the Energy Department issued $1.07 billion in loan guarantees on Wednesday afternoon, for two solar energy production plants, and on Thursday it plans to announce $156 million in grants for high-risk but potentially high-reward research projects. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
As our Liberal friends used to say: if you are not outraged, you haven't been paying attention. These are your tax dollars at work...or rather, at waste.
Not Enough
"It's not going to be enough to simply point fingers of blame and try to lay on him (Obama) responsibility for all of America's ills without offering credible prescriptions for how we solve them," he said of the Republican slate on presidential hopefuls. (David Axelrod, CNN.com, 9/27/2011)
Pretty funny comment from Obama's chief strategist Axelrod considering that Dems have spent the past three years "pointing fingers of blame" at Bush.
Sun Spots
It’s as if Solyndra never happened. The Obama Administration is giving $737 million to a Tonopah Solar, a subsidiary of California-based SolarReserve. PCG is an investment partner with SolarReserve. Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law happens to be the number two man at PCG. (Foxnews.com, 9/28/2011)
In a story not reported by the state-controlled media....
Sue You
The Obama administration is escalating its crackdown on tough immigration laws, with lawyers reviewing four new state statutes to determine whether the federal government will take the extraordinary step of challenging the measures in court. Justice Department attorneys have sued Arizona and, where a federal judge on Wednesday allowed key parts of that state’s immigration law to take effect but blocked other provisions. Federal lawyers are talking to Utah officials about a third possible lawsuit and are considering legal challenges in Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina, according to court documents and government officials. The level of federal intervention is highly unusual, legal experts said. (Washington Post, 9/29/2011)
As the federal fiscal year ends, and with it the part of the stimulus program that finances some energy loans, the Energy Department issued $1.07 billion in loan guarantees on Wednesday afternoon, for two solar energy production plants, and on Thursday it plans to announce $156 million in grants for high-risk but potentially high-reward research projects. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
As our Liberal friends used to say: if you are not outraged, you haven't been paying attention. These are your tax dollars at work...or rather, at waste.
Not Enough
"It's not going to be enough to simply point fingers of blame and try to lay on him (Obama) responsibility for all of America's ills without offering credible prescriptions for how we solve them," he said of the Republican slate on presidential hopefuls. (David Axelrod, CNN.com, 9/27/2011)
Pretty funny comment from Obama's chief strategist Axelrod considering that Dems have spent the past three years "pointing fingers of blame" at Bush.
Sun Spots
It’s as if Solyndra never happened. The Obama Administration is giving $737 million to a Tonopah Solar, a subsidiary of California-based SolarReserve. PCG is an investment partner with SolarReserve. Nancy Pelosi’s brother-in-law happens to be the number two man at PCG. (Foxnews.com, 9/28/2011)
In a story not reported by the state-controlled media....
Sue You
The Obama administration is escalating its crackdown on tough immigration laws, with lawyers reviewing four new state statutes to determine whether the federal government will take the extraordinary step of challenging the measures in court. Justice Department attorneys have sued Arizona and, where a federal judge on Wednesday allowed key parts of that state’s immigration law to take effect but blocked other provisions. Federal lawyers are talking to Utah officials about a third possible lawsuit and are considering legal challenges in Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina, according to court documents and government officials. The level of federal intervention is highly unusual, legal experts said. (Washington Post, 9/29/2011)
If there is anything that RedStateVT abhors, it is pandering for votes by politicians. Here we see Obama doing just that in an effort to wrap up the illegal alien vote.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
No Strings
Follow the Leader
United States officials worked with Portuguese authorities to follow that lead, using the Portuguese national identity database, which includes fingerprints. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
This article on the arrest of a fugitive caught the attention of RedStateVT. So Portugal has a "national identity database, which includes fingerprints?" Well good for the Portuguese! In the U.S., of course, Liberals oppose having to show a drivers license to vote.
Basking
In Los Angeles, at a slick West Hollywood restaurant, the president basked in the love of an entertainment-industry crowd that included the actress Eva Longoria; the director Judd Apatow; the music producer Quincy Jones; and Jeffrey Katzenberg, a DreamWorks studio executive. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
Obama's base.
Far Far Below
Overall, the households with same-sex couples are far below 1% of total U.S. households, the Census Bureau said....According to the Census Bureau, the revised estimate of married same-sex households is 131,729, well below the initial count of 349,377. The revised estimate of same-sex households with unmarried partners was 514,735, much closer to the original census count of 552,620. (CNN.com, 9/28/2011)
Given the attention demanded and given to gay issues, one could be forgiven for thinking that gays represented upwards of 50% of the population. Now even the original low estimates are revised downward.
No Way
We cannot spend our way out of this. We cannot tax our way out of this. We cannot artificially stimulate our way out of this. We cannot regulate our way out of this. Shaming the successful or redistributing income won't get us out of this. We cannot fund our government coffers by following the "Buffett Rule," i.e., raising taxes on Americans earning more than $1 million a year. (Charles R. Schwab, WSJ, 9/28/2011)
Obama wants a "Buffett Rule," Repubs counter with a "Schwab Rule."
Worser
The decision to focus on health care was the president's own. It could have been even worse. Some staffers advised him—this was just after the American economy lost almost 600,000 jobs in one month—that he should focus on global warming. (Peggy Noonan discussing Ron Suskind's book on the Obama administration, Confidence Men, WSJ, 9/24/2011)
RedStateVT once again states the obvious: Obama's problems are self-inflicted.
United States officials worked with Portuguese authorities to follow that lead, using the Portuguese national identity database, which includes fingerprints. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
This article on the arrest of a fugitive caught the attention of RedStateVT. So Portugal has a "national identity database, which includes fingerprints?" Well good for the Portuguese! In the U.S., of course, Liberals oppose having to show a drivers license to vote.
Basking
In Los Angeles, at a slick West Hollywood restaurant, the president basked in the love of an entertainment-industry crowd that included the actress Eva Longoria; the director Judd Apatow; the music producer Quincy Jones; and Jeffrey Katzenberg, a DreamWorks studio executive. (NYT, 9/28/2011)
Obama's base.
Far Far Below
Overall, the households with same-sex couples are far below 1% of total U.S. households, the Census Bureau said....According to the Census Bureau, the revised estimate of married same-sex households is 131,729, well below the initial count of 349,377. The revised estimate of same-sex households with unmarried partners was 514,735, much closer to the original census count of 552,620. (CNN.com, 9/28/2011)
Given the attention demanded and given to gay issues, one could be forgiven for thinking that gays represented upwards of 50% of the population. Now even the original low estimates are revised downward.
No Way
We cannot spend our way out of this. We cannot tax our way out of this. We cannot artificially stimulate our way out of this. We cannot regulate our way out of this. Shaming the successful or redistributing income won't get us out of this. We cannot fund our government coffers by following the "Buffett Rule," i.e., raising taxes on Americans earning more than $1 million a year. (Charles R. Schwab, WSJ, 9/28/2011)
Obama wants a "Buffett Rule," Repubs counter with a "Schwab Rule."
Worser
The decision to focus on health care was the president's own. It could have been even worse. Some staffers advised him—this was just after the American economy lost almost 600,000 jobs in one month—that he should focus on global warming. (Peggy Noonan discussing Ron Suskind's book on the Obama administration, Confidence Men, WSJ, 9/24/2011)
RedStateVT once again states the obvious: Obama's problems are self-inflicted.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Eyes That Have Seen
Reflections
Obama also said that when he reflects back on his tenure in the White House, he thinks his administration did not do a good job communicating what they were doing for the American people. (Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Quick show of hands: How many think that Obama did not communicate effectively and how many disagree with his policies?
Signs
Both parties are waiting until the 2012 election for a sign from voters. Politicians are a reactive species...And, politicians can be forgiven for wondering just what the heck the American public wants right now.....Almost a year into divided government in Washington, it’s no more clear what the public wants. (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Well jeez...we would have thought that with the trouncing of Dems in the mid-term elections and stunning defeats in former strongholds in Massachusetts and New York that it is exactly clear what the voters want. They want something other than Liberals.
Absolution
This doesn’t mean that Bush is to blame for Solyndra or that the Obama administration should be absolved. (Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Particularly lame attempt from Milbank to drag Bush into Solyndra, thereby lessening the total and absolute blame that Obama deserves.
Bigger
The big lug (Rick Perry) may not have much of a brain, but he sure has a heart. (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 9/26/2011)
Classic Liberal smear courtesy of the Party of Civility.
Looks Like
...the actions and statements of Governor Shumlin in the hours and days immediately following an incident in which a Vermont State Trooper turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol two suspected illegal aliens during the course of a traffic stop - first calling for an investigation into whether the Vermont State Police violated a voluntary anti-bias policy, and then stating on television that our law enforcement community should "look the other way" on immigration matters - only served to add fuel to an already explosive situation... the Governor can't just disregard laws that he doesn't like. Existing laws must be enforced, and if the Governor disagrees with a certain law - be it state or federal - he should work to have that law changed instead of telling law enforcement to "look the other way." (Pat McDonald, Vermont Republican Chair, VTGOP.org, 9/27/2011)
Obama also said that when he reflects back on his tenure in the White House, he thinks his administration did not do a good job communicating what they were doing for the American people. (Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Quick show of hands: How many think that Obama did not communicate effectively and how many disagree with his policies?
Signs
Both parties are waiting until the 2012 election for a sign from voters. Politicians are a reactive species...And, politicians can be forgiven for wondering just what the heck the American public wants right now.....Almost a year into divided government in Washington, it’s no more clear what the public wants. (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Well jeez...we would have thought that with the trouncing of Dems in the mid-term elections and stunning defeats in former strongholds in Massachusetts and New York that it is exactly clear what the voters want. They want something other than Liberals.
Absolution
This doesn’t mean that Bush is to blame for Solyndra or that the Obama administration should be absolved. (Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 9/27/2011)
Particularly lame attempt from Milbank to drag Bush into Solyndra, thereby lessening the total and absolute blame that Obama deserves.
Bigger
The big lug (Rick Perry) may not have much of a brain, but he sure has a heart. (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 9/26/2011)
Classic Liberal smear courtesy of the Party of Civility.
Looks Like
...the actions and statements of Governor Shumlin in the hours and days immediately following an incident in which a Vermont State Trooper turned over to the U.S. Border Patrol two suspected illegal aliens during the course of a traffic stop - first calling for an investigation into whether the Vermont State Police violated a voluntary anti-bias policy, and then stating on television that our law enforcement community should "look the other way" on immigration matters - only served to add fuel to an already explosive situation... the Governor can't just disregard laws that he doesn't like. Existing laws must be enforced, and if the Governor disagrees with a certain law - be it state or federal - he should work to have that law changed instead of telling law enforcement to "look the other way." (Pat McDonald, Vermont Republican Chair, VTGOP.org, 9/27/2011)
RedStateVT likes Pat McDonald. Meanwhile, Vermont gives a big yawn to Shumlin's outrageous remarks.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Five, Four, Three
Underscored
As the unconscionable execution of Troy Davis in Georgia last week underscores, the court has failed because it is impossible to succeed at this task. The death penalty is grotesque and immoral and should be repealed. (NYT, 9/26/2011)
Abortion, on the other hand, is a woman's "choice."
According to Liberals, death row is teeming with prisoners who have been falsely accused of killing police officers.
Down By Law
Mr. Obama’s jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed.
Under the proposal, it would be “an unlawful employment practice” if a business with 15 or more employees refused to hire a person “because of the individual’s status as unemployed.”
(NYT, 9/26/2011)
A classic tenet of modern Liberalism is to continually look to create new classes of victims that need the protection of government against the evil forces of capitalism. In this case, Obama gets a two-fer; new victims and perhaps some votes.
As the unconscionable execution of Troy Davis in Georgia last week underscores, the court has failed because it is impossible to succeed at this task. The death penalty is grotesque and immoral and should be repealed. (NYT, 9/26/2011)
Abortion, on the other hand, is a woman's "choice."
According to Liberals, death row is teeming with prisoners who have been falsely accused of killing police officers.
Down By Law
Mr. Obama’s jobs bill would prohibit employers from discriminating against job applicants because they are unemployed.
Under the proposal, it would be “an unlawful employment practice” if a business with 15 or more employees refused to hire a person “because of the individual’s status as unemployed.”
(NYT, 9/26/2011)
A classic tenet of modern Liberalism is to continually look to create new classes of victims that need the protection of government against the evil forces of capitalism. In this case, Obama gets a two-fer; new victims and perhaps some votes.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Guns Into Plowshares
Center Right
For 50 years liberals have dominated Hollywood, the media, the universities, publishing and every mode of communication with the possible exception of talk radio and Ted Nugent concerts. In all this time they have tried to get the country to think more like them. They have failed. The country has swung to the right. Distrust of government is at an all-time high. And now they want Barack Obama to come in and promulgate the Great Society II on a center-right country.
That’s crazy. Liberals who wish Obama were more forthright should look in the mirror and ask: Why have we been unable to win more converts to our side? (David Brooks, NYT, 9/20/2011)
Back-to-back quotes from David Brooks at RedStateVT? What is going on?
Transformative
"We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. A significant number of jobs can be created through weatherization, and the manufacturing of American-made wind turbines, solar panels, and heat pumps," Sanders said. Solyndra provides an excellent example of the support the government should give to renewable energy enterprises, Sanders added. (Bernie Sanders, (9/7/2011)
OK, we added that last line!
For 50 years liberals have dominated Hollywood, the media, the universities, publishing and every mode of communication with the possible exception of talk radio and Ted Nugent concerts. In all this time they have tried to get the country to think more like them. They have failed. The country has swung to the right. Distrust of government is at an all-time high. And now they want Barack Obama to come in and promulgate the Great Society II on a center-right country.
That’s crazy. Liberals who wish Obama were more forthright should look in the mirror and ask: Why have we been unable to win more converts to our side? (David Brooks, NYT, 9/20/2011)
Back-to-back quotes from David Brooks at RedStateVT? What is going on?
Transformative
"We must transform our energy system away from fossil fuel and into energy efficiency and sustainable energy. A significant number of jobs can be created through weatherization, and the manufacturing of American-made wind turbines, solar panels, and heat pumps," Sanders said. Solyndra provides an excellent example of the support the government should give to renewable energy enterprises, Sanders added. (Bernie Sanders, (9/7/2011)
OK, we added that last line!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Smooth Retsina
Reputation Nation
Clinton also cautioned that increased bickering among ideologues is hurting the nation's reputation internationally because the arguments often aren't based on facts. He said "Democrats are not blameless," but he singled out conservatives who take "the anti-government extreme position" never to increase taxes. "It scares people around the world," he said. (Huffington Post, 9/19/2011)
Republicans had Reagan as their leader emeritus, Democrats have......Clinton. Here the former Philanderer-in-Chief warns us that the rest of the world might think less of the U.S. if we don't raise taxes on the wealthy (a.k.a. the successful). So again for Dems it's all about what the morally and fiscally bankrupt nations will think. Who cares?
But perhaps Clinton is right in a way. What would happen if other countries adopted the U.S. position? Why there would be no one to pay for their welfare states!
The Plague
... when he (Obama) talks about raising revenue, which he is right to do, he can’t really talk about anything substantive. He can’t tax gasoline. He can’t tax consumption. He can’t do a comprehensive tax reform. He has to restrict his tax policy changes to the top 2 percent, and to get any real revenue he’s got to hit them in every which way. We’re not going to simplify the tax code, but by God Obama’s going to raise taxes on rich people who give to charity! We’ve got to do something to reduce the awful philanthropy surplus plaguing this country! (David Brooks, NYT, 9/20/2011)
Obama has laid down his marker for the 2012 election and it is going to be (again) class warfare. Interestingly, he may have trouble getting traction and this seemingly populist call-to-arms may not have the expected result.
The Chase
But as we've seen with the AMT, while the politicians may start by chasing "millionaires and billionaires," over time they always end up taxing the middle class because that's where the real money is. Mr. Obama could tax every billionaire in America at a 100% rate and still wouldn't make a dent in the federal deficit. (WSJ, 9/20/2011)
See above.
Clinton also cautioned that increased bickering among ideologues is hurting the nation's reputation internationally because the arguments often aren't based on facts. He said "Democrats are not blameless," but he singled out conservatives who take "the anti-government extreme position" never to increase taxes. "It scares people around the world," he said. (Huffington Post, 9/19/2011)
Republicans had Reagan as their leader emeritus, Democrats have......Clinton. Here the former Philanderer-in-Chief warns us that the rest of the world might think less of the U.S. if we don't raise taxes on the wealthy (a.k.a. the successful). So again for Dems it's all about what the morally and fiscally bankrupt nations will think. Who cares?
But perhaps Clinton is right in a way. What would happen if other countries adopted the U.S. position? Why there would be no one to pay for their welfare states!
The Plague
... when he (Obama) talks about raising revenue, which he is right to do, he can’t really talk about anything substantive. He can’t tax gasoline. He can’t tax consumption. He can’t do a comprehensive tax reform. He has to restrict his tax policy changes to the top 2 percent, and to get any real revenue he’s got to hit them in every which way. We’re not going to simplify the tax code, but by God Obama’s going to raise taxes on rich people who give to charity! We’ve got to do something to reduce the awful philanthropy surplus plaguing this country! (David Brooks, NYT, 9/20/2011)
Obama has laid down his marker for the 2012 election and it is going to be (again) class warfare. Interestingly, he may have trouble getting traction and this seemingly populist call-to-arms may not have the expected result.
The Chase
But as we've seen with the AMT, while the politicians may start by chasing "millionaires and billionaires," over time they always end up taxing the middle class because that's where the real money is. Mr. Obama could tax every billionaire in America at a 100% rate and still wouldn't make a dent in the federal deficit. (WSJ, 9/20/2011)
See above.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Dawn's Light Smiles
Toxicity
In societies governed by persuasion, politics is mostly talk, so liberals’ impoverishment of their vocabulary matters. Having damaged liberalism’s reputation, they call themselves progressives. Having made the federal government’s pretensions absurd, they have resurrected a supposed synonym for the government, the “federal family.” Having made federal spending suspect, they advocate “investments” — for “job creation,” a euphemism for stimulus, another word they have made toxic. (George Will, Washington Post, 9/14/2011)
To which we would add, unable to explain the cold, Liberals - oops, Progressives! - pivot from "global warming" to "climate change."
Weird and Wild
The party purged the weird Weiner even though at the other end of his tweets were women who wanted to be there and who in no way were victims. One of them even paraded on the “Today” show, a rare appearance by a woman whose daughter had not disappeared.
Now the swift application of Victorian hypocrisy has cost the Democratic Party a sorely needed congressional seat. Even after Weiner’s exposing himself had been exposed, he still led in the polls. (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 9/14/2011)
Dems have a typical strategy for dealing with sex scandals. Accuse the other side of being prudish. Impugn the reputation of the victim. Defend the perpetrator.
Embracing
Fifty years later, as Mr. Perry, 61 and a three-term Republican governor of Texas, embarks on a run for president, the tight-knit and traditionally Democratic community that first crowned him king no longer wholeheartedly embraces him even as Paint Creek anchors his origin story. (NYT, 9/19/2011)
A pretty classic smear tactic that the Times uses on all Republican candidates (along with the innuendos of drinking and marital infidelity). This one purports breakage with his or her hometown roots.
Not Formed
Many polarizing former office holders — Sarah Palin, Eliot L. Spitzer — have been given TV platforms, but Mr. Sharpton is not a former anything. (NYT, 9/19/2011)
So now we are putting Sarah Palin in the same category as prostitute-covorting Client #9 Spitzer and professional race-baiter Sharpton?
Friend in Need
Part of that has been that liberals aren’t happy that the president has proposed stimulus lite, but mostly because Democrats don’t currently see Obama as a good friend to have these days.
Since Obama began his fall campaign effort, the administration has been beset by scandal (Fast and Furious, Solyndra and LightSquared) and Democrats have lost two special elections in which Obama himself was the central issue. The president has obtained no job-approval bounce from his latest publicity blitz. The administration is pushing back with vigor against a new book by Ron Suskind which shows a dysfunctional White House and a president who compares his own management style with that of Jimmy Carter. (Foxnews.com, 9/19/2011)
When things go bad, they really go bad! Hillary in 2012!
Pared
Last month, in a wide-ranging national survey of 1,000 randomly selected, registered voters, and in 10 polls in individual states each with 400 respondents, my polling company found that voters strongly favor measures to pare the compensation of current and future public employees. They strongly oppose higher taxes. (Douglas E. Schoen, WSJ, 9/19/2011)
Schoen is a Democrat pollster.
In societies governed by persuasion, politics is mostly talk, so liberals’ impoverishment of their vocabulary matters. Having damaged liberalism’s reputation, they call themselves progressives. Having made the federal government’s pretensions absurd, they have resurrected a supposed synonym for the government, the “federal family.” Having made federal spending suspect, they advocate “investments” — for “job creation,” a euphemism for stimulus, another word they have made toxic. (George Will, Washington Post, 9/14/2011)
To which we would add, unable to explain the cold, Liberals - oops, Progressives! - pivot from "global warming" to "climate change."
Weird and Wild
The party purged the weird Weiner even though at the other end of his tweets were women who wanted to be there and who in no way were victims. One of them even paraded on the “Today” show, a rare appearance by a woman whose daughter had not disappeared.
Now the swift application of Victorian hypocrisy has cost the Democratic Party a sorely needed congressional seat. Even after Weiner’s exposing himself had been exposed, he still led in the polls. (Richard Cohen, Washington Post, 9/14/2011)
Dems have a typical strategy for dealing with sex scandals. Accuse the other side of being prudish. Impugn the reputation of the victim. Defend the perpetrator.
Embracing
Fifty years later, as Mr. Perry, 61 and a three-term Republican governor of Texas, embarks on a run for president, the tight-knit and traditionally Democratic community that first crowned him king no longer wholeheartedly embraces him even as Paint Creek anchors his origin story. (NYT, 9/19/2011)
A pretty classic smear tactic that the Times uses on all Republican candidates (along with the innuendos of drinking and marital infidelity). This one purports breakage with his or her hometown roots.
Not Formed
Many polarizing former office holders — Sarah Palin, Eliot L. Spitzer — have been given TV platforms, but Mr. Sharpton is not a former anything. (NYT, 9/19/2011)
So now we are putting Sarah Palin in the same category as prostitute-covorting Client #9 Spitzer and professional race-baiter Sharpton?
Friend in Need
Part of that has been that liberals aren’t happy that the president has proposed stimulus lite, but mostly because Democrats don’t currently see Obama as a good friend to have these days.
Since Obama began his fall campaign effort, the administration has been beset by scandal (Fast and Furious, Solyndra and LightSquared) and Democrats have lost two special elections in which Obama himself was the central issue. The president has obtained no job-approval bounce from his latest publicity blitz. The administration is pushing back with vigor against a new book by Ron Suskind which shows a dysfunctional White House and a president who compares his own management style with that of Jimmy Carter. (Foxnews.com, 9/19/2011)
When things go bad, they really go bad! Hillary in 2012!
Pared
Last month, in a wide-ranging national survey of 1,000 randomly selected, registered voters, and in 10 polls in individual states each with 400 respondents, my polling company found that voters strongly favor measures to pare the compensation of current and future public employees. They strongly oppose higher taxes. (Douglas E. Schoen, WSJ, 9/19/2011)
Schoen is a Democrat pollster.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
All Join In
Countdown
One by one, teachers at public elementary schools here have been voting to buck their own union and take Mayor Rahm Emanuel up on an unusual offer: to accept bonus pay in exchange for waiving union contract provisions and keeping children at some schools longer each day...Union leaders suggest a broader motive, saying that the sidelining of labor unions and a mood against public workers seen this year in Republican-led states like Ohio and Wisconsin are now coming through in subtler ways in Democratic-leaning cities like this one, the nation’s third largest. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
Where, we wonder, are the protests, rallies, and sit-ins when Democrats like Emanuel, Patrick and Cuomo stand up to unions just like the Repubs?
Sign-On
The United Auto Workers union won $5,000 signing bonuses for its workers and a promise to reopen an assembly plant in Tennessee as part of its tentative new contract with General Motors, according to people briefed on the negotiations. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
You heard it here at RedStateVT first: bankruptcy looms for GM.
Complications
Complicating the politics of the situation for the Obama administration, part of the new loan came from Argonaut, the investment company backed by George Kaiser, an Oklahoma oil billionaire who is an Obama campaign contributor. Argonaut was already heavily invested in Solyndra, and provided another $69 million in cash in exchange for taking over $75 million that Solyndra was owed by its customers. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
Note the subtle whitewashing by the Times of this MAJOR scandal. In effect: 'It's really a difficult political challenge for Obama.' No it's not! It is outright political fraud.
More Than Ever
Mr. Obama has done more for the country than many voters realize. (NYT editorial, 9/18/2011)
The Left now hits upon its latest way to spin the disaster that is the Obama presidency: "He is just so under-appreciated!"
It is no wonder that George Will calls the New York Times "liberalism's bulletin board."
One by one, teachers at public elementary schools here have been voting to buck their own union and take Mayor Rahm Emanuel up on an unusual offer: to accept bonus pay in exchange for waiving union contract provisions and keeping children at some schools longer each day...Union leaders suggest a broader motive, saying that the sidelining of labor unions and a mood against public workers seen this year in Republican-led states like Ohio and Wisconsin are now coming through in subtler ways in Democratic-leaning cities like this one, the nation’s third largest. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
Where, we wonder, are the protests, rallies, and sit-ins when Democrats like Emanuel, Patrick and Cuomo stand up to unions just like the Repubs?
Sign-On
The United Auto Workers union won $5,000 signing bonuses for its workers and a promise to reopen an assembly plant in Tennessee as part of its tentative new contract with General Motors, according to people briefed on the negotiations. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
You heard it here at RedStateVT first: bankruptcy looms for GM.
Complications
Complicating the politics of the situation for the Obama administration, part of the new loan came from Argonaut, the investment company backed by George Kaiser, an Oklahoma oil billionaire who is an Obama campaign contributor. Argonaut was already heavily invested in Solyndra, and provided another $69 million in cash in exchange for taking over $75 million that Solyndra was owed by its customers. (NYT, 9/18/2011)
Note the subtle whitewashing by the Times of this MAJOR scandal. In effect: 'It's really a difficult political challenge for Obama.' No it's not! It is outright political fraud.
More Than Ever
Mr. Obama has done more for the country than many voters realize. (NYT editorial, 9/18/2011)
The Left now hits upon its latest way to spin the disaster that is the Obama presidency: "He is just so under-appreciated!"
It is no wonder that George Will calls the New York Times "liberalism's bulletin board."
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Slash and Burn
Run for Cover
G.M. said the deal would cover four years. The union declined to give details but said the agreement included improved profit-sharing and “significant improvements to health care benefits.” The deal was also expected to include so-called signing bonuses worth at least several thousand dollars. And the U.A.W. had been seeking a wage increase for entry-level workers, who earn about half as much as other workers...The union said in a statement that it had successfully fought G.M.’s proposals to weaken retirement benefits and obtain major concessions to health benefits. (NYT, 9/17/2011)
So here is an easy prediction: given the tough negotiating stance that GM (read: Obama) has taken here with the UAW, there will be another government bailout within ten years.
Implore Thee
“For God’s sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It’s not working. Furthermore, it’s not going to work with the same team, the same strategy and the same excuses.” (James Carville)
Carville turns right......
Boys' Club
A new book claims that the Obama White House is a boys’ club marred by rampant infighting that has hindered the administration’s economic policy and left top female advisers feeling excluded from key conversations....In an excerpt obtained by The Post, a female senior aide to President Obama called the White House a hostile environment for women. (Washington Post, 9/16/2011)
Obama can keep NOW off his back with a simple statement reaffirming his support for abortion.
G.M. said the deal would cover four years. The union declined to give details but said the agreement included improved profit-sharing and “significant improvements to health care benefits.” The deal was also expected to include so-called signing bonuses worth at least several thousand dollars. And the U.A.W. had been seeking a wage increase for entry-level workers, who earn about half as much as other workers...The union said in a statement that it had successfully fought G.M.’s proposals to weaken retirement benefits and obtain major concessions to health benefits. (NYT, 9/17/2011)
So here is an easy prediction: given the tough negotiating stance that GM (read: Obama) has taken here with the UAW, there will be another government bailout within ten years.
Implore Thee
“For God’s sake, why are we still looking at the same political and economic advisers that got us into this mess? It’s not working. Furthermore, it’s not going to work with the same team, the same strategy and the same excuses.” (James Carville)
Carville turns right......
Boys' Club
A new book claims that the Obama White House is a boys’ club marred by rampant infighting that has hindered the administration’s economic policy and left top female advisers feeling excluded from key conversations....In an excerpt obtained by The Post, a female senior aide to President Obama called the White House a hostile environment for women. (Washington Post, 9/16/2011)
Obama can keep NOW off his back with a simple statement reaffirming his support for abortion.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Breathless
Compassion Fashion
Given the agreed-upon desirability of protecting citizens against the worst, the question then became one of costs and benefits — and health care was one of those areas where even conservatives used to be willing to accept government intervention in the name of compassion, given the clear evidence that covering the uninsured would not, in fact, cost very much money...Now, however, compassion is out of fashion — indeed, lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/16/2011)
So let's boil the entire health care debate down to a single question. Here it is: does the guy who is 60 lbs. overweight sitting on the sofa eating a cheeseburger and drinking a six-pack of beer get a government-funded heart transplant? Yes or no?
Hang Time
...Congressional Democrats are hanging back, saying they could support one or another of the components of the jobs plan, but not the whole package. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana wants to protect the oil companies to which she is beholden from losing outdated and overly generous tax breaks. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, seemed to be preparing to bury the jobs program in Senate rigmarole. Senator Bob Casey and others threatened to slice and dice the program to death. (NYT, 9/16/2011)
Obstructionists!
Belly of the Beast
Solyndra, the solar panel company whose highly publicized failure and consequent investigation by federal authorities has flashed across headlines recently, isn't the only business to go belly up after benefiting from a piece of the $800 billion economic stimulus package passed in 2009. At least four other companies have received stimulus funding only to later file for bankruptcy, and two of those were working on alternative energy. (Foxnews.com, 9/15/2011)
The green energy sinkhole courtesy of Obama and the Left.
Stupid Is
At the 30th annual Carter Town Hall on Wednesday, former President Jimmy Carter told his audience he thought the Supreme Court decision to roll back restrictions on corporate spending in federal campaigns was "one of the stupidest rulings ever consummated or perpetrated on the American people."
The Citizens United ruling was decided 5-4 in 2010 and received criticism for allowing a flood of special interest money in politics. President Barack Obama was a major critic, saying the decision was "a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans." (Huffington Post, 9/16/2011)
How ironic that Carter - the stupidest president - has now identified the stupidest Supreme Court decision. No word from the Carter camp about the pernicious impact of union special interest money or, for that matter, contributions from billionaires like Buffett, Soros, Lewis, Spielberg, etc.
Given the agreed-upon desirability of protecting citizens against the worst, the question then became one of costs and benefits — and health care was one of those areas where even conservatives used to be willing to accept government intervention in the name of compassion, given the clear evidence that covering the uninsured would not, in fact, cost very much money...Now, however, compassion is out of fashion — indeed, lack of compassion has become a matter of principle, at least among the G.O.P.’s base. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/16/2011)
So let's boil the entire health care debate down to a single question. Here it is: does the guy who is 60 lbs. overweight sitting on the sofa eating a cheeseburger and drinking a six-pack of beer get a government-funded heart transplant? Yes or no?
Hang Time
...Congressional Democrats are hanging back, saying they could support one or another of the components of the jobs plan, but not the whole package. Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana wants to protect the oil companies to which she is beholden from losing outdated and overly generous tax breaks. Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, seemed to be preparing to bury the jobs program in Senate rigmarole. Senator Bob Casey and others threatened to slice and dice the program to death. (NYT, 9/16/2011)
Obstructionists!
Belly of the Beast
Solyndra, the solar panel company whose highly publicized failure and consequent investigation by federal authorities has flashed across headlines recently, isn't the only business to go belly up after benefiting from a piece of the $800 billion economic stimulus package passed in 2009. At least four other companies have received stimulus funding only to later file for bankruptcy, and two of those were working on alternative energy. (Foxnews.com, 9/15/2011)
The green energy sinkhole courtesy of Obama and the Left.
Stupid Is
At the 30th annual Carter Town Hall on Wednesday, former President Jimmy Carter told his audience he thought the Supreme Court decision to roll back restrictions on corporate spending in federal campaigns was "one of the stupidest rulings ever consummated or perpetrated on the American people."
The Citizens United ruling was decided 5-4 in 2010 and received criticism for allowing a flood of special interest money in politics. President Barack Obama was a major critic, saying the decision was "a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans." (Huffington Post, 9/16/2011)
How ironic that Carter - the stupidest president - has now identified the stupidest Supreme Court decision. No word from the Carter camp about the pernicious impact of union special interest money or, for that matter, contributions from billionaires like Buffett, Soros, Lewis, Spielberg, etc.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Righteous Indignation
Meritocracy
"As the e-mails indicate, there was interest in when a decision would be made because of its impact on whether an event involving the vice president could be scheduled for a particular date or not," said Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman. "But the loan guarantee decision was merit-based and made by career staffers at the Department of Energy, and the process for this particular loan guarantee began under President George W. Bush." (NYT, 9/15/2011)
A green energy company that Obama lent $500 million to goes belly-up and......it's all George Bush's fault! The Obama team are pathological in their refusal to fess up to any mistakes. Solyndra is Obama's Halliburton (only there was no malfeasance between the Bush administration and Halliburton). Republicans can now adopt the Dem's strategy of mindlessly chanting "Solyndra" in response to anything that Obama says.
Discouraging Word
The discouraging numbers spilling from the Census Bureau's poverty report this week were a disquieting reminder that a weak economy continues to spread broad and deep pain. (NYT, 9/15/2011)
Normally we get these stories about rampant poverty in America during a Republican administration (legions of homeless, starving children, etc.) The difference now is that the Times is shilling for Obama's new stimulus plan which (again) the mean old Republicans reject.
"As the e-mails indicate, there was interest in when a decision would be made because of its impact on whether an event involving the vice president could be scheduled for a particular date or not," said Eric Schultz, a White House spokesman. "But the loan guarantee decision was merit-based and made by career staffers at the Department of Energy, and the process for this particular loan guarantee began under President George W. Bush." (NYT, 9/15/2011)
A green energy company that Obama lent $500 million to goes belly-up and......it's all George Bush's fault! The Obama team are pathological in their refusal to fess up to any mistakes. Solyndra is Obama's Halliburton (only there was no malfeasance between the Bush administration and Halliburton). Republicans can now adopt the Dem's strategy of mindlessly chanting "Solyndra" in response to anything that Obama says.
Discouraging Word
The discouraging numbers spilling from the Census Bureau's poverty report this week were a disquieting reminder that a weak economy continues to spread broad and deep pain. (NYT, 9/15/2011)
Normally we get these stories about rampant poverty in America during a Republican administration (legions of homeless, starving children, etc.) The difference now is that the Times is shilling for Obama's new stimulus plan which (again) the mean old Republicans reject.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The Fist Will Run
Writing on the Wall
A little-known Republican businessman from Queens, channeling voter discontent with President Obama into an upset, won election to Congress on Tuesday from the heavily Democratic district in New York City last represented by Anthony D. Weiner. (NYT, 9/14/2011)
This is what happened. Now let's hear from DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz:
“In this district, there is a large number of people who went to the polls tonight who didn’t support the president to begin with and don’t support Democrats — and it’s nothing more than that,” she said in a telephone interview.
Now let's read just a bit farther:
Mr. Turner will become the first Republican since 1920 elected to represent the Ninth Congressional District...
Like Obama's mid-term rebuke, Dems continue to be in denial. For Repubs this is the best news of all.
If Only
Not only has the science of climate change come under attack lately, so has the economics of green jobs. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/14/2011)
Usually when a journalist embarrasses themself like Krugman did just last week they take a break for a while to let things blow over. Fresh off a despicable column on 9/11 though, Krugman is immediately back. This time he pivots to global warming and green jobs and even manages to malign Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. We have a sneaking suspicion that even his friends on the Left were appalled by his 9/11 column. Perhaps to get back in their good graces he decided to bundle some favorite Left-wing issues together. It is unclear whether Krugman will allow comments....
Rally 'Round the Family
The issue brought out people to rally on both sides. The Rev. Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh calls homosexuality a “deathstyle” and has long fought against those who equate the battle for gay rights with other civil rights struggles.
But for people like Vicki Threlfall, 47, who married her partner, Molly O’Neill, also 47, in Massachusetts in 2004, it was a day to sit down with their 10-year-old daughter to try to explain it all.
“We told her that this is something about civil rights,” Ms. Threlfall said. “We said, ‘Do you remember a long time ago how African-Americans weren’t treated fairly? This is like that. There are a lot of people who are afraid and don’t know gay people.’ ” (NYT, 9/14/2011)
This is (always) how the NYT frames the issue of gay marriage: the bigoted fundamentalist preacher against the loving gay partners with child fighting the new civil rights battle.
Tasked
White House officials said the $25 billion, if approved by lawmakers, would help at least 35,000 public schools. The investment would make rural schools a priority, as well as schools financed through the Bureau of Indian Education. The money, White House officials said, could be used for a tasks such as repairs or technology upgrades. (NYT, 9/14/2011)
So just to be clear, if my community has acted responsibly and maintained our schools we likely would not get federal aid. But Obama will use tax dollars from us for improvements/upgrades to other communities who have not acted responsibly and allowed their educational infrastructure to fall into disrepair. Got it?
A little-known Republican businessman from Queens, channeling voter discontent with President Obama into an upset, won election to Congress on Tuesday from the heavily Democratic district in New York City last represented by Anthony D. Weiner. (NYT, 9/14/2011)
This is what happened. Now let's hear from DNC chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz:
“In this district, there is a large number of people who went to the polls tonight who didn’t support the president to begin with and don’t support Democrats — and it’s nothing more than that,” she said in a telephone interview.
Now let's read just a bit farther:
Mr. Turner will become the first Republican since 1920 elected to represent the Ninth Congressional District...
Like Obama's mid-term rebuke, Dems continue to be in denial. For Repubs this is the best news of all.
If Only
Not only has the science of climate change come under attack lately, so has the economics of green jobs. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/14/2011)
Usually when a journalist embarrasses themself like Krugman did just last week they take a break for a while to let things blow over. Fresh off a despicable column on 9/11 though, Krugman is immediately back. This time he pivots to global warming and green jobs and even manages to malign Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann. We have a sneaking suspicion that even his friends on the Left were appalled by his 9/11 column. Perhaps to get back in their good graces he decided to bundle some favorite Left-wing issues together. It is unclear whether Krugman will allow comments....
Rally 'Round the Family
The issue brought out people to rally on both sides. The Rev. Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh calls homosexuality a “deathstyle” and has long fought against those who equate the battle for gay rights with other civil rights struggles.
But for people like Vicki Threlfall, 47, who married her partner, Molly O’Neill, also 47, in Massachusetts in 2004, it was a day to sit down with their 10-year-old daughter to try to explain it all.
“We told her that this is something about civil rights,” Ms. Threlfall said. “We said, ‘Do you remember a long time ago how African-Americans weren’t treated fairly? This is like that. There are a lot of people who are afraid and don’t know gay people.’ ” (NYT, 9/14/2011)
This is (always) how the NYT frames the issue of gay marriage: the bigoted fundamentalist preacher against the loving gay partners with child fighting the new civil rights battle.
Tasked
White House officials said the $25 billion, if approved by lawmakers, would help at least 35,000 public schools. The investment would make rural schools a priority, as well as schools financed through the Bureau of Indian Education. The money, White House officials said, could be used for a tasks such as repairs or technology upgrades. (NYT, 9/14/2011)
So just to be clear, if my community has acted responsibly and maintained our schools we likely would not get federal aid. But Obama will use tax dollars from us for improvements/upgrades to other communities who have not acted responsibly and allowed their educational infrastructure to fall into disrepair. Got it?
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Free Form
Utterly Unsuitable
The president didn’t utter the word “stimulus” Thursday night — apparently it’s unsuitable for polite company — but according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the first Obama stimulus saved or created up to 3.6 million jobs and may have shaved two percentage points off the unemployment rate. (Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, 9/13/2011)
The Democrat election year answer to the moribund economy is already clear: it could be much worse! Obviously, that is just about all they can say, but it is not going to get much traction with voters. On the CBO, one thing that the Dems taught us during the Obamacare debate is that it can be gamed. It goes like this -- Dems: assume our bill will generate $100 billion in savings. Question to the CBO: how much in savings will our bill generate? CBO answer: $100 billion. Dems: see, our bill will save $100 billion!
Imprecisely
Precisely because they believe in both government and the marketplace, Democrats are always more ready to compromise. (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 9/11/2011)
A recent example of the Democrat Party's reflexive urge to compromise is Obamacare wherein they rammed through a bill that would nationalize healthcare on a party-line vote. Or is that being too harsh?
The president didn’t utter the word “stimulus” Thursday night — apparently it’s unsuitable for polite company — but according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, the first Obama stimulus saved or created up to 3.6 million jobs and may have shaved two percentage points off the unemployment rate. (Eugene Robinson, Washington Post, 9/13/2011)
The Democrat election year answer to the moribund economy is already clear: it could be much worse! Obviously, that is just about all they can say, but it is not going to get much traction with voters. On the CBO, one thing that the Dems taught us during the Obamacare debate is that it can be gamed. It goes like this -- Dems: assume our bill will generate $100 billion in savings. Question to the CBO: how much in savings will our bill generate? CBO answer: $100 billion. Dems: see, our bill will save $100 billion!
Imprecisely
Precisely because they believe in both government and the marketplace, Democrats are always more ready to compromise. (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 9/11/2011)
A recent example of the Democrat Party's reflexive urge to compromise is Obamacare wherein they rammed through a bill that would nationalize healthcare on a party-line vote. Or is that being too harsh?
Monday, September 12, 2011
Been So Long
Building a Mystery
President Barack Obama is seeking to build public support for his $447 billion jobs plan before formally sending the bill to Congress Monday. The president will promote the jobs plan, which focuses on tax cuts and new spending, during an event in the Rose Garden Monday morning. He will send the bill to Congress later in the day. Obama will be joined in the Rose Garden by teachers, police officers and firefighters, all of whom the White House says would benefit from the bill's passage. (NYT, 9/12/2011)
A.K.A. the Jobs Bill to Reward My Union Supporters Who Will Contribute to My Re-election Campaign.
He's Like a Rainbow
Green guru Al Gore is seeing red -- and might just talk himself blue. The former vice president and outspoken climate-change defender plans a 24-hour worldwide presentation called "24 Hours of Reality" to combat the country's growing disbelief in his contention that man's actions have dramatically shaped the planet's climate and caused a rash of extreme weather. (Foxnews.com, 9/12/2011)
RedStateVT warned everyone that this was coming and no one did anything about it. The former Vice President has come unhinged and now this is the result. Meanwhile from the same article .....
Public perception of climate change has steadily fallen since the "Climategate" scandal in late 2009. A Rasmussen Reports public opinion poll from August noted that 57 percent of adults believe there is significant disagreement within the scientific community on global warming, up five points from late 2009.
The same study showed that 69 percent of those polled believe it’s at least somewhat likely that some scientists have falsified research data in order to support their own theories and beliefs.
Cram-u-lus
First, instead of passing a targeted antirecession package, Congressional Democrats crammed the stimulus bill with spending on everything from Head Start and Pell Grants to high-speed rail and renewable-energy projects. The hope was that the legislation would do more than just kickstart a recovery: It would lay a new foundation for the economy, with an electric car in every garage and a Solyndra solar panel on every roof. The result, predictably, was a bill that looked less like a temporary exercise in crisis management and more like the Democratic Party’s permanent wish list. (Ross Douthat, NYT, 9/11/2011)
Great column from Douthat on Stimulus 1, even as Obama tries to stick us with Stimulus 2.
President Barack Obama is seeking to build public support for his $447 billion jobs plan before formally sending the bill to Congress Monday. The president will promote the jobs plan, which focuses on tax cuts and new spending, during an event in the Rose Garden Monday morning. He will send the bill to Congress later in the day. Obama will be joined in the Rose Garden by teachers, police officers and firefighters, all of whom the White House says would benefit from the bill's passage. (NYT, 9/12/2011)
A.K.A. the Jobs Bill to Reward My Union Supporters Who Will Contribute to My Re-election Campaign.
He's Like a Rainbow
Green guru Al Gore is seeing red -- and might just talk himself blue. The former vice president and outspoken climate-change defender plans a 24-hour worldwide presentation called "24 Hours of Reality" to combat the country's growing disbelief in his contention that man's actions have dramatically shaped the planet's climate and caused a rash of extreme weather. (Foxnews.com, 9/12/2011)
RedStateVT warned everyone that this was coming and no one did anything about it. The former Vice President has come unhinged and now this is the result. Meanwhile from the same article .....
Public perception of climate change has steadily fallen since the "Climategate" scandal in late 2009. A Rasmussen Reports public opinion poll from August noted that 57 percent of adults believe there is significant disagreement within the scientific community on global warming, up five points from late 2009.
The same study showed that 69 percent of those polled believe it’s at least somewhat likely that some scientists have falsified research data in order to support their own theories and beliefs.
Cram-u-lus
First, instead of passing a targeted antirecession package, Congressional Democrats crammed the stimulus bill with spending on everything from Head Start and Pell Grants to high-speed rail and renewable-energy projects. The hope was that the legislation would do more than just kickstart a recovery: It would lay a new foundation for the economy, with an electric car in every garage and a Solyndra solar panel on every roof. The result, predictably, was a bill that looked less like a temporary exercise in crisis management and more like the Democratic Party’s permanent wish list. (Ross Douthat, NYT, 9/11/2011)
Great column from Douthat on Stimulus 1, even as Obama tries to stick us with Stimulus 2.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Take It To The Bridge
Droning On
Autonomous UAS and human warriors all make mistakes. Missions fail. Innocents get hurt or die. When a person screws up, he's tried and punished if guilty. Justice is served. You can't, however, take a robot to court. So who would be at fault following an errant drone strike? (AOLNews.com, 9/9/2011)
The expanded use of drone attacks is one of the bright spots of Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East. So, of course, his friends on the Left are concerned that if accidents happen in the fog of war, there will be no one to second guess and prosecute.
Demons
Best line from Ann Coulter's Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America...
"...liberals are hidebound reactionaries when it comes to recent innovations such as government pensions: It's the thousand-years-old building blocks of civilization they want to shatter. The definition of "family" and "human life" are up for grabs, but the retirement age for Social Security is written in stone tablets."
Autonomous UAS and human warriors all make mistakes. Missions fail. Innocents get hurt or die. When a person screws up, he's tried and punished if guilty. Justice is served. You can't, however, take a robot to court. So who would be at fault following an errant drone strike? (AOLNews.com, 9/9/2011)
The expanded use of drone attacks is one of the bright spots of Obama's foreign policy in the Middle East. So, of course, his friends on the Left are concerned that if accidents happen in the fog of war, there will be no one to second guess and prosecute.
Demons
Best line from Ann Coulter's Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America...
"...liberals are hidebound reactionaries when it comes to recent innovations such as government pensions: It's the thousand-years-old building blocks of civilization they want to shatter. The definition of "family" and "human life" are up for grabs, but the retirement age for Social Security is written in stone tablets."
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Overboard
Organized labor and business leaders are on board, Mr. Obama said. “We just need Congress to get on board,” he said, prompting cheers of “Four more years!” from an audience filled with members of unions for autoworkers, public employees, service industry workers and teachers. (NYT, 9/6/2011)
Previewing President Obama's speech on Thursday:
--I inherited the bad economy. (Not my fault)
--The stimulus was working until it ended and the Republicans would not approve more. (Not my fault)
--Infrastructure spending. (Jobs for my union supporters)
--Avoid teacher layoffs. (Jobs for my union supporters)
Meanwhile...
President Obama will this week be addressing a joint session of Congress that doesn't really want to hear from him about a jobs plan that he doesn't really have. (WSJ, 9/6/2011)
Previewing President Obama's speech on Thursday:
--I inherited the bad economy. (Not my fault)
--The stimulus was working until it ended and the Republicans would not approve more. (Not my fault)
--Infrastructure spending. (Jobs for my union supporters)
--Avoid teacher layoffs. (Jobs for my union supporters)
Meanwhile...
President Obama will this week be addressing a joint session of Congress that doesn't really want to hear from him about a jobs plan that he doesn't really have. (WSJ, 9/6/2011)
Monday, September 5, 2011
Whipsaw
Blessed Union
As for the unions, they are often treated in the media as advocates of arcane work rules, protectors of inefficient public employees and obstacles to the economic growth our bold entrepreneurs would let loose if only they were free from labor regulations. (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 9/4/2011)
See below....
At the same time, decades of contractual promises made to unionized workers, including no-layoff clauses, are increasing the post office’s costs. Labor represents 80 percent of the agency’s expenses, compared with 53 percent at United Parcel Service and 32 percent at FedEx, its two biggest private competitors. Postal workers also receive more generous health benefits than most other federal employees. (NYT, 9/5/2011)
No word from E.J.
Demanding
O.K., I know what the usual suspects will say — namely, that fears of regulation and higher taxes are holding businesses back. But this is just a right-wing fantasy. Multiple surveys have shown that lack of demand — a lack that is being exacerbated by government cutbacks — is the overwhelming problem businesses face, with regulation and taxes barely even in the picture. (Paul Krugman, NYT, 9/5/2011)
By our count this is Krugman's 328th column advocating more government (deficit) spending, including the old liberal chestnut - more spending on "infrastructure." What is it with Republicans? How could they not want to repair our nation's roads and bridges? The fact is, the roads and bridges get repaired when they need to be repaired. Throwing gobs of money at it - as was done with Stimulus 1 - leads inevitably to the waste that we saw. Of course, Krugman and the Left will never be honest and call what they are proposing what it really is - a gift to unions.
As far as taxes and regulations, here is our suggestion. Let's try cutting both for business and see what happens. Prediction? Hiring picks up and business booms.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Stop the Hands of Time
Higher and Higher
Nonpartisan analysts and the Congressional Budget Office have credited the first stimulus package with helping to end the recession and keep unemployment from growing even higher than it did. They say the winding down of the federal government’s help this year has contributed to the economy’s stall. (NYT, 9/3/2011)
They did? Did we miss a memo? RedStateVT is currently reading Ann Coulter's latest book - Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America. One of Coulter's most powerful tools is pointing out how liberals rewrite history to tell the story that they want to tell about themselves. We now see this above in the story of the Great Recession - Obama had the thing under control until the mean Republicans refused to go along....
Severity
The president rejected a proposed rule from the Environmental Protection Agency that would have significantly reduced emissions of smog-causing chemicals, saying that it would impose too severe a burden on industry and local governments at a time of economic distress...... The impact would have been felt heavily in a band of Midwest and Great Plains states that are not themselves major sources of ozone pollution and that will be critical 2012 electoral battlegrounds. (NYT, 9/3/2011)
Kid yourself not. Should Obama get re-elected this regulation is back. Just as we have predicted that Obama's 'evolving view' of gay marriage will become fully evolved at that same instant.
Depreciated
Citicapital, the financier of Burlington Telecom to whom the city owes more than $33.5 million, filed suit Friday in federal court seeking repossession of all equipment and millions of dollars in repayment and damages.
“BT continues to use Citibank’s equipment and vehicles unlawfully and without its permission and continues to depreciate the value of Citibank’s assets in order to generate revenue for itself,” the financial giant’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
The city-owned utility provides television, Internet and phone services to some 4,000 residents and has been in arrears for much of its existence. Burlington Telecom also violated its state license by spending cash from general city accounts to keep the utility afloat. The provider has been unable to make payments to Citicapital, and the bank responded Friday by suing the city in federal court in Burlington. (Burlington Free Press, 9/3/2011)
How exactly is Progressive Central down in Burlington going to get out of this one we wonder? Our guess is that it will be a combination of a friendly judge and liberal vilification of the mean old bankers.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Code of Living
Bubble Bath
The federal agency that oversees the mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is set to file suits against more than a dozen big banks, accusing them of misrepresenting the quality of mortgage securities they assembled and sold at the height of the housing bubble, and seeking billions of dollars in compensation. (NYT, 9/2/2011)
Meanwhile, Barney Frank - who put political pressure on Fannie and Freddie to buy up more loans - walks the Earth a free man.
Irksome
But the dynamic, which Democrats largely blame Republicans for, has irked many of them, especially on the Hill. “I think it is unprecedented of a leader in the Senate of either party to say the most important goal he has is to make the current president a one-term,” said Senator Barbara Boxer, Democrat of California. “That is about respect, that is about priorities and it is just wrong.” (NYT, 9/2/2011)
Barbara Boxer weighs in. Boxer who, of course, is well known for her civility towards President Bush. Just kidding!
To The Races
There is the persistent and deeply uncomfortable question of race. Many African-Americans, including black lawmakers, and even white Democrats, have complained that some of the disrespect for Mr. Obama stems from distaste among some whites at the idea of seeing a black man in the Oval Office. (NYT, 9/2/2011)
An African-American can never run for president. Wrong. An African-American can never get his party's nomination for president. Wrong. An African-American can never be elected president. Wrong. The Left will just never move beyond the issue of race, no matter what the facts have been. And so they have to cling to increasingly absurd arguments like an African-American president is not 'respected' by his political opponents.
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