In The Midnight Hour
Minutes before the midnight deadline Thursday, President Obama approved a four-year extension of the government's Patriot Act powers to search records and conduct roving wiretaps in pursuit of terrorists. (FoxNews.com, 5/27/11)
Kudos to President Obama. How do you know that this was the right thing to do? Simple, it was opposed by Bernie Sanders and the ACLU.
Unlucky In Love
The Fannie Mae executive who hired U.S. Rep. Barney Frank’s former lover was a campaign donor and once worked for the congressman — but denies the Newton Democrat’s recommendation played a role in the controversial 1991 hiring.
Gerald McMurray, a retired Fannie Mae senior vice president, told the Herald yesterday that Frank “didn’t have any influence” in the hiring of the congressman’s former companion, Herb Moses, to a position with the mortgage giant….
McMurray acknowledged Frank vouched for Moses but said Moses got the job because of his credentials. Moses was an economist for the Department of Agriculture and had just received a master’s degree in business from Dartmouth College….
McMurray said Moses mentioned Frank during their interview. (BostonHerald.com, 5/27/11)
As an openly gay liberal, Frank is part of a protected class when it comes to the media scrutiny that would be received by a conservative. Hence Frank gets a veritable pass for his transgressions while Sarah Palin is the subject of a three part investigative report to determine if she under tipped a bellhop. You’ll never see the appellation “scandal-ridden” or “ethically-challenged” next to Barney’s name. This despite a boyfriend running a male prostitution ring out of Barney’s basement, Barney’s claim that he did not realize that his boyfriend was growing dope in their summer home, and now this.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
RedStateVT Responds
Loyal reader Global View asks – in response to RedStateVT’s Health Care Questionnaire – how the average Joe can afford health insurance premiums. Thanks for the question…here is our response. The answer is actually found in the post itself. Position yourself in life – through the good choices you make – to be able to pay for the things you need. Focus on education, training, family, friends and church. Don’t have more wives or children than you can afford. Don’t be a slacker and then bemoan your status in life. You own it. In short, make good decisions.
RedStateVT believes that the answer to health care and health insurance is actually achieved through catastrophic insurance policies. With a higher annual deductible ($10,000 or higher) the average individual or family would be motivated to do the following: become a smarter consumer of medical services, focus on preventative care including diet and exercise and not live beyond their means (e.g. don’t buy the new pick-up truck, flat screen TV or Disney vacation before you have put aside money for health care.) Very high deductible policies are available and are affordable by anyone who lives responsibly.
RedStateVT believes that the answer to health care and health insurance is actually achieved through catastrophic insurance policies. With a higher annual deductible ($10,000 or higher) the average individual or family would be motivated to do the following: become a smarter consumer of medical services, focus on preventative care including diet and exercise and not live beyond their means (e.g. don’t buy the new pick-up truck, flat screen TV or Disney vacation before you have put aside money for health care.) Very high deductible policies are available and are affordable by anyone who lives responsibly.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
All in Good Time
Widespread Panic
That roster is causing a near panic among Washington Republicans. But really, it shouldn’t. That’s because the most likely Republican contenders have a lot more going for them than you would think from watching cable TV. For one thing, they’re all former governors, and governors generally make far more compelling presidential candidates than senators, who tend to speak like parchment scrolls, or, say, former big-city mayors who are used to getting their way all the time. (Not thinking of any Republican in particular here.) Governors tend to be pragmatic in a way that voters appreciate, and they can run as outsiders to Washington, which is the only way anyone can seem to become president anymore. (The Caucus, NYT, 5/25/11)
A moment of clarity.
Bibi the Magnificent
My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this. (Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, 5/24/2011, full transcript at Newsbusters.org)
If you have not read the full transcript of Netanyahu’s speech, drop everything and do it now. It is a masterful work…and stunningly subtle in its rebuke to President Obama.
That roster is causing a near panic among Washington Republicans. But really, it shouldn’t. That’s because the most likely Republican contenders have a lot more going for them than you would think from watching cable TV. For one thing, they’re all former governors, and governors generally make far more compelling presidential candidates than senators, who tend to speak like parchment scrolls, or, say, former big-city mayors who are used to getting their way all the time. (Not thinking of any Republican in particular here.) Governors tend to be pragmatic in a way that voters appreciate, and they can run as outsiders to Washington, which is the only way anyone can seem to become president anymore. (The Caucus, NYT, 5/25/11)
A moment of clarity.
Bibi the Magnificent
My friends, you don’t need to do nation building in Israel. We’re already built. You don’t need to export democracy to Israel. We’ve already got it. You don’t need to send American troops to defend Israel. We defend ourselves. You’ve been very generous in giving us tools to do the job of defending Israel on our own. Thank you all, and thank you President Obama, for your steadfast commitment to Israel’s security. I know economic times are tough. I deeply appreciate this. (Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, 5/24/2011, full transcript at Newsbusters.org)
If you have not read the full transcript of Netanyahu’s speech, drop everything and do it now. It is a masterful work…and stunningly subtle in its rebuke to President Obama.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Like A Sixties Weekend
Let the Sun Shine
From one of their first meetings, at the King David Hotel on July 23, 2008, when Mr. Obama, then the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, visited Israel, the two men have struck, at most, an intellectual bond. Mr. Netanyahu, as the leader of Israel’s conservative Likud Party, was far more comfortable with the Republican Party in the United States than with Mr. Obama, the son of a Muslim man from Kenya whose introduction to the Arab-Israeli conflict was initially framed by discussions with pro-Palestinian academics. (NYT, 5/19/2011)
Every once in a rare while a brief ray of journalistic clarity appears – like sunlight shining through a dark cloud. So if Obama was schooled by “pro-Palestinian academics” what other doctrines of liberal thought did he absorb?
Let Their People Go
Conditions in California’s overcrowded prisons are so bad that they violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday, ordering the state to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates. …..The court’s more liberal members — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — joined Justice Kennedy’s opinion. (NYT, 5/19/2011)
Next up for the little darlings: the right to vote...for the same liberals who freed them! (Victims of their crimes could not be reached for comment.)
Found: The Global Warming Theory of Anything (and Everything)
Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo, you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Ala, or the enormous outbreak a couple of weeks before that (which, together, comprised the most active April for tornadoes in U.S. history). No, that doesn’t mean a thing. (Bill McKibben, Washington Post, 5/23/2011)
Vermont’s own enviro-alarmist McKibben writes of the recent tornados which apparently were caused by global warming. (The piece is written tongue-in-cheek; hence he IS drawing the connection). Which is where the alarmists are now. It is no longer that global warming is making the planet warmer – they cannot explain what happens when it gets colder – it is that global warming can now explain ANY extreme weather! What a wonderful position to be in; you now have the long-awaited theory of everything. But wait, what is this?
This year is an extraordinary outlier," said Harold Brooks, research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma…..But when scientists examine the most complete records available and adjust for changes in how tornadoes were reported over time, "we see no correlation between global or US national temperature and tornado occurrence," Brooks said. (The Vancouver Sun, 5/23/2011)
From one of their first meetings, at the King David Hotel on July 23, 2008, when Mr. Obama, then the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, visited Israel, the two men have struck, at most, an intellectual bond. Mr. Netanyahu, as the leader of Israel’s conservative Likud Party, was far more comfortable with the Republican Party in the United States than with Mr. Obama, the son of a Muslim man from Kenya whose introduction to the Arab-Israeli conflict was initially framed by discussions with pro-Palestinian academics. (NYT, 5/19/2011)
Every once in a rare while a brief ray of journalistic clarity appears – like sunlight shining through a dark cloud. So if Obama was schooled by “pro-Palestinian academics” what other doctrines of liberal thought did he absorb?
Let Their People Go
Conditions in California’s overcrowded prisons are so bad that they violate the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday, ordering the state to reduce its prison population by more than 30,000 inmates. …..The court’s more liberal members — Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen G. Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — joined Justice Kennedy’s opinion. (NYT, 5/19/2011)
Next up for the little darlings: the right to vote...for the same liberals who freed them! (Victims of their crimes could not be reached for comment.)
Found: The Global Warming Theory of Anything (and Everything)
Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo, you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Ala, or the enormous outbreak a couple of weeks before that (which, together, comprised the most active April for tornadoes in U.S. history). No, that doesn’t mean a thing. (Bill McKibben, Washington Post, 5/23/2011)
Vermont’s own enviro-alarmist McKibben writes of the recent tornados which apparently were caused by global warming. (The piece is written tongue-in-cheek; hence he IS drawing the connection). Which is where the alarmists are now. It is no longer that global warming is making the planet warmer – they cannot explain what happens when it gets colder – it is that global warming can now explain ANY extreme weather! What a wonderful position to be in; you now have the long-awaited theory of everything. But wait, what is this?
This year is an extraordinary outlier," said Harold Brooks, research meteorologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma…..But when scientists examine the most complete records available and adjust for changes in how tornadoes were reported over time, "we see no correlation between global or US national temperature and tornado occurrence," Brooks said. (The Vancouver Sun, 5/23/2011)
Thursday, May 19, 2011
A RedStateVT Health Insurance Questionnaire
You say that you cannot afford health insurance. Please answer the following questions:
Are you aware that many companies offer health insurance as an employee benefit? Have you tried getting a job with one of these companies? Are you willing to relocate to take a job with a company that offers a health insurance benefit? If not, why not?
Are you aware that you can purchase an individual health insurance policy directly from an insurance company? Would you be willing to forgo certain things in order to afford the premiums for such a policy? For example, would you be willing to use public transportation instead of your car? Would you be willing to forgo vacations? Would you be willing to cut back on certain other discretionary expenses (e.g. eating out, entertainment, etc.)? If not, why not?
If you are married and cannot afford health insurance for you and your spouse, did you consider the necessity for health insurance before you decided to get married? If not, why not?
If you have children and cannot afford health insurance, did you consider the necessity for health insurance before you decided to have children. If not, why not?
If you feel that you do not make enough money to afford health insurance, did you study as hard as you could in school in order to better yourself and improve your odds of getting a good job? What are you doing currently to improve yourself in order to be more successful in your career, make more money, and be able to afford health insurance? Please be specific.
Do you feel that other people should pay for your health insurance? If so, why?
Are you aware that many companies offer health insurance as an employee benefit? Have you tried getting a job with one of these companies? Are you willing to relocate to take a job with a company that offers a health insurance benefit? If not, why not?
Are you aware that you can purchase an individual health insurance policy directly from an insurance company? Would you be willing to forgo certain things in order to afford the premiums for such a policy? For example, would you be willing to use public transportation instead of your car? Would you be willing to forgo vacations? Would you be willing to cut back on certain other discretionary expenses (e.g. eating out, entertainment, etc.)? If not, why not?
If you are married and cannot afford health insurance for you and your spouse, did you consider the necessity for health insurance before you decided to get married? If not, why not?
If you have children and cannot afford health insurance, did you consider the necessity for health insurance before you decided to have children. If not, why not?
If you feel that you do not make enough money to afford health insurance, did you study as hard as you could in school in order to better yourself and improve your odds of getting a good job? What are you doing currently to improve yourself in order to be more successful in your career, make more money, and be able to afford health insurance? Please be specific.
Do you feel that other people should pay for your health insurance? If so, why?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Well All Right
Ripped
While Democrats rip into oil and gas companies for failing to pay their "fair share" because of tax breaks Congress gave them, another special interest break they're not talking about is the billions of dollars worth of gold, silver, uranium and other minerals that mining companies take off federal lands for which they pay nothing. (Foxnews.com, 5/18/11)
Article goes on to explain that Nevada Senator Harry Reid is the chief protector of the mining companies. Which begs the question of whether Bernie Sanders will call for the companies to pay their fair share of taxes. We’ll wait, but we won’t hold our breath.
Fumed
On Tuesday, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and 16 members of the state’s Congressional delegation sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other regulators expressing concern that proposed Dodd-Frank rules governing derivative contracts could put U.S. banks at a competitive disadvantage to their foreign competitors …..Many Wall Street lobbyists fumed during the Dodd-Frank conference that members of their home state delegation were not fighting against proposals the lobbyists said would badly hurt U.S. banks. And the GOP staff members suggested the letter was now an attempt to woo back financial industry support after the fact. (Politico.com, 5/18/11)
Financial services….another industry that the Dems beat up on as the embodiment of all things evil. Until that is, they realized that the campaign contributions from these companies were going to dry up!
While Democrats rip into oil and gas companies for failing to pay their "fair share" because of tax breaks Congress gave them, another special interest break they're not talking about is the billions of dollars worth of gold, silver, uranium and other minerals that mining companies take off federal lands for which they pay nothing. (Foxnews.com, 5/18/11)
Article goes on to explain that Nevada Senator Harry Reid is the chief protector of the mining companies. Which begs the question of whether Bernie Sanders will call for the companies to pay their fair share of taxes. We’ll wait, but we won’t hold our breath.
Fumed
On Tuesday, Sens. Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and 16 members of the state’s Congressional delegation sent a letter to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and other regulators expressing concern that proposed Dodd-Frank rules governing derivative contracts could put U.S. banks at a competitive disadvantage to their foreign competitors …..Many Wall Street lobbyists fumed during the Dodd-Frank conference that members of their home state delegation were not fighting against proposals the lobbyists said would badly hurt U.S. banks. And the GOP staff members suggested the letter was now an attempt to woo back financial industry support after the fact. (Politico.com, 5/18/11)
Financial services….another industry that the Dems beat up on as the embodiment of all things evil. Until that is, they realized that the campaign contributions from these companies were going to dry up!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Paint By Numbers
Barrel Roll
The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care. (NYT, 5/13/11)
There is nothing the Times hates more than companies making money…….
To Recant or Not to Recant
To win a Republican nomination, a candidate has to move right, recant absolutely any past position that violates the current conservative catechism and never dare to speak the truth that solving our deficit problem will require new revenue — a.k.a. taxes. (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 5/15/11)
Dionne excoriates Republican candidates for hewing to party-line views. Democratic candidates never do this which is why John Kerry did not say that he was for the war before he was against it and why Hillary Clinton did not repudiate her previous pro-war position. Just kidding!
The nation’s major health insurers are barreling into a third year of record profits, enriched in recent months by a lingering recessionary mind-set among Americans who are postponing or forgoing medical care. (NYT, 5/13/11)
There is nothing the Times hates more than companies making money…….
To Recant or Not to Recant
To win a Republican nomination, a candidate has to move right, recant absolutely any past position that violates the current conservative catechism and never dare to speak the truth that solving our deficit problem will require new revenue — a.k.a. taxes. (E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post, 5/15/11)
Dionne excoriates Republican candidates for hewing to party-line views. Democratic candidates never do this which is why John Kerry did not say that he was for the war before he was against it and why Hillary Clinton did not repudiate her previous pro-war position. Just kidding!
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