Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Welcome to the Nanny State..

Obama
(with apologies to Roger Waters)

Obama, do you think they'll drop the bomb?
Obama, do you think they'll like this song?
Obama, do you think they'll try to break my balls?
Ooooowaa Obama, should you build a wall?

Obama, glad you ran for president.
Obama now, I trust the government.
Obama, will you put them on the firing line?
Ooooowaa is it just a waste of time?

Hush, my baby. baby, dont you cry.
Obama's gonna make all of your nightmares come true.
Obama's gonna put all of his fears into you.
Obama's gonna keep you right here under his wing.
He wont let you fly, but he might let you sing.
Obama's gonna keep baby cozy and warm.
Oooo babe.
Oooo babe.
Ooo babe, of course Obama's gonna help build a wall.

Obama, is the economy good enough,
For me?
Obama, do you think that loan's dangerous,
To me?
Obama will it tear your little boy apart?
Ooooowaa Obama, will it break my heart?

Hush, my baby. baby, dont you cry.
Obama's gonna pay all of your loans off for you.
Obama won't let anything dirty get through.
Obama's gonna wait up until you get in.
Obama will always find out where you've been.
Obama's gonna keep baby healthy and clean.

And Obama's gonna make all of your cars now for you
He'll make all the payments and fix them all, too!
Obama will tell you how far you can drive
Obama will make sure that you get there alive
Oooo babe.
Oooo babe.
Ooo babe, youll always be baby to me.

Obama, did it need to be so high?

Monday, March 30, 2009

A tale of two realities...

There are two different kinds of mindsets in this world. The first consists of Those who respect the rule of law:

DEAR LEO PUSATERI,

Hi! It's Jim again, speaking for Roy and the rest of our NumbersUSA team.

This is your Action Alert on the new Dream Act crisis, so please read it all. There are several actions at the end of the letter. Please do each of them today.

Late last week we learned several pieces of our opponents' strategy for this year:

  • The Los Angeles Times reported that foundations controlled by billionaire George Soros and others have put together an $18 million war chest to push through a GENERAL AMNESTY this year.

  • The "Dream Act" amnesty for illegal alien high school grads has been reintroduced. The open borders crowd expects this least offensive (to some people) amnesty to break NumbersUSA's eight-year perfect record on defeating amnesties.

  • An aide to Harry Reid told the Los Angeles Times that the fix is in: "comprehensive immigration reform," which we know to contain a GENERAL AMNESTY FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS will be brought to the floor of the Senate this Fall. So you see, they are hoping to amnesty the kids with "Dream Act," then follow up by amnestying their parents, aunts, and acquaintances, a few months later.

Leo, it's obvious that if we don't "up our game," we're going to "get rolled."

Many first-time donors to NumbersUSA stepped have stepped forward this month to help us even the odds against the open borders lobby. But take a glance at the thermometer graphic and you'll see we still have a ways to go just to maintain our usual level of leadership and activism.

So if you have never yet made a gift to NumbersUSA, please donate now! We really need your financial help to defeat these amnesties.

Let me remind you about the "Dream Act." It's an amnesty for illegal aliens who graduate from high school in the U.S. The immigration grievance lobbies argue that it wasn't the fault of these kids that their parents brought them illegally into this country. Therefore, they say, these young people should be given an automatic path to citizenship, in-state tuition at universities, and the whole galaxy of other social benefits that only citizens are entitled to.

We object strongly! Every time someone is rewarded for breaking the law, bad things result. First, millions more persons will be tempted to illegally cross our borders, and bring their children with them. Secondly, government resources are scarce. Every subsidized slot at a state university given to an illegal alien is one less we ultimately will be able to give to a current American citizen.


And then there are those who really couldn't give a shit:
Dear Friends:

On March 26, 2009, the "Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act" was introduced in both the House and the Senate. Opponents of the Act are already starting to flood Congress with messages and phone calls, unleashing their unrestrained fury. Show them that your voice cannot be drowned out. Express your support of the DREAM Act now by sending a message to your members of Congress and urging them to cosponsor the DREAM Act!

"The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) remains committed to advancing the DREAM Act as a part of comprehensive immigration reform. We see this as the first step in the upcoming immigration debate in Congress. Our country is deprived when hardworking immigrant youth are unable to pursue a college education and contribute to our economy. These students have extraordinary potential, and we must cultivate it to address the challenges before us," said Janet MurguĂ­a, NCLR President and CEO.

It is only with your help that we will succeed. NCLR and our allies have already launched a wave of phone calls and faxes in support of the DREAM Act. Help us build more strength by sending an email to your member of Congress now! Forward this message to five of your friends.

Thank you for your support!

Sincerely,


NCLR, of course, meaning National Council of LaRaza.

Ol' Man River

Having lived in this area for the better part of 17-years, I sometimes take for granted that I live right near one of the most storied rivers in existence, the Mississippi. I took this clip with my Palm Centro camera yesterday, showing that even 150 miles or so just south of its source, the "Mighty Missisip" can still pack a punch:

Didn't meet the "Global Test"

I guess the WTC-1, the USS Cole, the embassy bombings, and 9/11 was just an inconvenient skirmish.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the Obama administration has indeed abandoned the term "global war on terror."


Clinton says that while she hasn't seen any specific orders, the new administration in Washington simply isn't using the phrase.

The term was a rallying cry for President George Bush after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. But the use of the term "global war on terror" is widely disliked overseas.

Well, I guess the last thing that Barack "Neville Chamberlain" Obama wants to do is to offend some latte-sipping smug, self-righteous euro-trash. To the likes of a liberal, that's much worse than getting three-thousand plus lives snuffed out by terrorists..err, I mean, malcontents.

I mean, perish the thought.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

The Road to Hell: Paved With Propaganda

As I sat in the comfort of my easy chair last night, with my laptop, typing away with every light in the house lit to celebrate "earth hour," it gave me comfort to know that other people were celebrating "earth hour" in similar fashion.

People like Algore:
Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" may have inspired many to participate in yesterday's "Earth Hour" by switching off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., but maybe the former vice president didn't get the memo.

Drew Johnson, the president of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research, decided to drive by Gore's mansion in Nashville at 8:48 p.m. and records that floodlights were on illuminating the driveway
leading up to the main quarter.

"I pulled up to Al's house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48 p.m. – right in the middle of Earth Hour," he wrote on his blog. "I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on."

He added: "The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion. I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees."
Well, of course Algore left the floodlights to his driveway on--how else could passers-by otherwise realize that he had turned some of the lights to his stately mansion off? I mean, it is, after all, about appearances, isn't it?

And the hypocrite enviro-whacko socialists, who want to utilize the false doctrine of "climate change" to push forward their unholy agenda of bringing America to its knees in their ushering in a new stone age, still tried to utilize yesterday as a raison de etre to push for economy-stifling U.N. resolutions (emphases added):
WWF called the event, which began in Australia in 2007 and grew last year to 400 cities worldwide, "the world's first-ever global vote about the future of our planet."

The United Nations' top climate official, Yvo de Boer, called the event a clear sign that the world wants negotiators seeking a climate change agreement to set an ambitious course to fight global warming.

The event was initiated with hopes of impacting talks in Bonn this week to craft a deal to control emissions of the heat-trapping gases supposedly responsible for "global warming." The talks are due to culminate in Copenhagen this December.

"Earth Hour was probably the largest public demonstration on climate change ever," de Boer told delegates from 175 nations. "Its aim was to tell every government representative to seal a deal in Copenhagen. The world's concerned citizens have given the negotiations an additional and very clear mandate."
Again, What global warming? Will someone, somewhere go up to Yvo de Bozo and the rest of his fellow travellers, give them a good, swift slap upside the head, and tell them to knock it off with their friggin charade, already!?!

And now I see this:
In response to a question about cap and trade a couple of days ago, Obama said this:

"I actually think the science around climate change is real. It is potentially devastating. ... If you look at the flooding that's going on right now in North Dakota, and you say to yourself, 'If you see an increase of 2 degrees, what does that do, in terms of the situation there,' that indicates the degree to which we have to take this seriously."

Has Barack Hussein Obama stepped foot inside Fargo this past Winter? Has Barack Hussein Obama even bothered to look at the friggen weather channel to check on what the weather was when he made that ridiculous, assinine statement?!? I guess the clueless quiz-boy from Chicago never got the memo that Fargo, along with the rest of the great plains and the upper midwest, had one of the coldest friggen winters on record! We haven't warmed one degree globally since nineteen-friggen-ninety-eight!

The desperation of the socialist environmental movement to re-make our nation and by extension the globe into one, big third-world ghetto, devoid of identity, devoid of prosperity, and devoid of individual liberties by way of this sham is nothing less than pure evil. The example of Algore above is proof positive that the perpetrators of this shameless sham have absolutely no intention of living the draconian lifestyle they wish to foist on the rest of humanity.

For the sake of ourselves and our progeny, this sham has to stop, and it has to stop now.

We need to flood Washington, D.C. with protesters that make the Iraq war protests look like a bridge club meeting. We need to make our voices loud and clear. Make no mistake--we have to let these bozos know in no uncertain terms that we're not going to sit by idly while these clowns attempt to turn this entire nation into a third world medieval collective of thatched huts, in the name of something that doesn't exist.

In the name of all that is good, in the name of our future as a nation, we must not, to paraphrase Dylan Thomas, go quietly into that long, good night!

Make no mistake. President Barack Hussein Obama, along with his socialist fellow travellers in congress and globally, has declared war against the prosperity of this nation, and by virtue of these sham policies intends to reduce our economy, and with it our fortunes, and our futures and our lives into an unrecognizable mass of rubble.

We must take our nation back! We must defeat them in the arena of ideas. We must melt their switchboards. We must defeat them at the ballot box.

As Benjamin Franklin so famously quoted,
"We must all hang together; or most assuredly, we shall all hang separately."

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Happy Birthday..

..what may have been..
Happy Birthday

Regarding Posse Comitatus

The Posse Comitatus Act, a law designed to limit the powers of the United States military on domestic soil, was signed after the Reconstruction period of the Civil War. This law substantially limited the powers of the military for use for domestic law enforcement and other issues; this was done to prevent the occurrence of a "standing army" that would be utilized against its own citizenry.

During the 2008 campaign, then-candidate Barack Hussein Obama promised to create a Civilian Defense Corps, of which he stated,
"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."
Manly Rash reports,
Now there is more news of further civilian enhancements to the mission of the U.S. military. (Tricorn Hat Tip to Diogenes for the link)

The war-funding request the Obama administration will send to lawmakers in coming weeks will include monies to begin building an interagency “civilian response corps” to tackle a number of political, economic and developmental tasks in places like Afghanistan, the new Pentagon policy chief says.

Michele Flournoy, recently installed as the undersecretary of defense for policy, said March 27 that the war supplemental will feature “a substantial request for resources on the civilian side” of the federal government.

In comments made during a Brookings Institution-sponsored forum in Washington, Flournoy said the revamped Afghanistan strategy unveiled earlier the same day by President Obama “requires a down payment” on beefing up certain capabilities within non-Defense Department arms of the federal government.

She did not say where in the executive branch the corps would be placed, but recommended it not be in the military. She did not disclose a specific dollar amount or a number of how many civilians would be needed to fill out the envisioned response corps, and declined to speak to reporters following the event.

THAT is troubling, but not entirely surprising, given the 60+ day track record of deception, prevarication, equivocation and outright secrecy displayed by an administration that vowed to be “the most open and ethical in history.”

Carlos Pascul of Brookings - who has held key posts at the National Security Council, State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development - said the Obama administration should create a 250-person civilian team to carry out the so-called “three Ds” in places where U.S. assistance is needed. Those Ds are diplomacy, developmental and defense.

Flournoy said the civilian team will be crucial because she sees a higher probability in coming years that the military “will be asked to prevent a war than fight a war.”

Pascul said the U.S. government should resist placing the new corps under DoD, even though it might make funding easier.

The Editors at the Washington Examiner headlined and explained their take on this story thusly (emphases added):
Expanded Americorps has an authoritarian feel

By Examiner Editorial
- 3/26/09

With almost no public attention, both chambers of Congress in the past week advanced an alarming expansion of the Americorps national service plan, with the number of federally funded community service job increasing from 75,000 to 250,000 at a cost of $5.7 billion. Lurking behind the feel-good rhetoric spouted by the measure’s advocates is a bill that on closer inspection reveals multiple provisions that together create a strong odor of creepy authoritarianism.

[SNIP]

To begin with, the legislation threatens the voluntary nature of Americorps by calling for consideration of “a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people.” It anticipates the possibility of requiring “all individuals in the United States” to perform such service – including elementary school students. The bill also summons up unsettling memories of World War II-era paramilitary groups by saying the new program should “combine the best practices of civilian service with the best aspects of military service,” while establishing “campuses” that serve as “operational headquarters,” complete with “superintendents” and “uniforms” for all participants. It allows for the elimination of all age restrictions in order to involve Americans at all stages of life. And it calls for creation of “a permanent cadre” in a “National Community Civilian Corps.”

But that’s not all. The bill also calls for “youth engagement zones” in which “service learning” is “a mandatory part of the curriculum in all of the secondary schools served by the local educational agency.” This updated form of voluntary community service is also to be “integrated into the science, technology, engineering and mathematics curricula” at all levels of schooling. Sounds like a government curriculum for government approved “service learning,” which is nothing less than indoctrination.
So, is this supposed 250-person "civilian defense team," going to be Obama's "end-around" of the Posse Comitatus Act that will domestically achieve the 'One's' "security objectives" he has in mind?

The REAL Reason for the Second Amendment

Suzanna Gratia-Hupp:

When Obama Promised Transparency...

Apparently he really didn't mean transparency of government; no, silly little man--he meant that our private affairs would be more transparent--to the government!:

I suppose he had to pay back his big donors in Hollywood, didn't he?

Don't get me wrong. I'm no fan of online piracy. But paying fines up to and beyond a hundred grand for downloading a movie is a bit disproportionate to the crime. Hell, OJ walked after hacking two people to death.

Beyond that is the road to the "big brother" police state that Obama and his fellow-travellers appear to be more than willing to walk. Oh, the libs wailed and gnashed their teeth during the Bush administration's supposed warrantless wiretaps of phone conversations that took place in international-to-domestic communications between terrorist elements; but even that had a national defense rationale. This, on the other hand...

If they have the ability, without probable cause and warrants, to seize laptops for music, then they have the ability to seize your laptop for any reason.

Pole Dancing Lessons...

Why the Dover Ban must be re-instated

The Dover Ban is the executive order signed by President Bush that the media were exempt from taking pictures of flag-draped coffins of service men and women as they made their final journey home to their families via Dover, Maryland, after making the supreme sacrifice.

The Obama administration, being sensitive, kind, and caring to military families, moved to end the Dover band, saying that media pictures could once again be taken of the flag-draped coffins, but only with the permission of the fallen's family.

Sensible, right?

Think again.

Gold Star Mom Knottie makes the best case why this decision to reverse the Dover Ban is about as compassionate as salt in an open wound.

Read the whole thing.

Friday, March 27, 2009

He Knows from Whence He Speaks...

The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, that is:

STRASBOURG, France — A top European Union politician on Wednesday slammed U.S. plans to spend its way out of recession as "a way to hell."

Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose country currently holds the EU presidency, told the European Parliament that President Barack Obama's massive stimulus package and banking bailout "will undermine the stability of the global financial market."

A day after his government collapsed because of a parliamentary vote of no-confidence, Topolanek took the EU presidency on a collision course with Washington over how to deal with the global economic recession.

[SNIP]

The United States plans to spend heavily to try and lift its economy out of recession with a $787 billion economic stimulus plan of tax rebates, health and welfare benefits, as well as extra energy and infrastructure spending.

To encourage banks to lend again, the government will also pump $1 trillion into the financial system by buying up treasury bonds and mortgage securities in an effort to clear some of the "toxic assets" — devalued and untradeable assets — from banks' balance sheets.

Topolanek bluntly said that "the United States did not take the right path.".

Remember, this guy is Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, who pretty much had an "up close and in your face" relationship with the Soviet Union, and personally knows the dangers posed by 'government gone wild.'


I am so happy we have Michele!

She seems to be one of the few who are really on top of things:

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) has introduced legislation that would "bar the dollar from being replace by any foreign currency." A statement from Bachmann's website:

“Yesterday, during a Financial Services Committee hearing, I asked Secretary Geithner if he would denounce efforts to move towards a global currency and he answered unequivocally that he would," said Bachmann. "And President Obama gave the nation the same assurances. But just a day later, Secretary Geithner has left the option on the table. I want to know which it is. The American people deserve to know."

On Monday, Geithner and Bernanke both rejected the idea of a global currency in Congressional testimony. But in remarks to the Council on Foreign Relations yesterday, Geithner indicated he was open to the idea.

Bachmann is one of the few who will actually step up and ask Obama and Geithner, in effect, "What have you been smoking?!?"

One of the few voice of reason these days in the whole wilderness that is now Washington, D.C., and I'm proud to call her my congresswoman! (Youtube h/t LFR)

WAM Blogburst: AIG Exec Intimidation Orchestrated by ACORN

TSUNAMI RELEASE as featured today in W.A.M. News Room

EXPOSE! A.C.O.R.N. BEHIND PROTESTS AT AIG HOMES - Under S.E.I.U. RENT-A-MOB CONTRACT

A Glenn Beck interview with an election attorney has exposed the fact that the SEIU (Service Employees INTERNATIONAL Union) contracted the angry mob which intimidated AIG employees at their own homes this past week. According to this report, the "Muscle for Money" program, revealed by a former A.C.O.R.N.employee at hearings held last October, involves formal work contracts between the SEIU & A.C.O.R.N. in which poor persons are paid to make targeted, aggressive protests. These "protests" are then covered by the MainStreamMedia with the appearance of spontaneous events led by "everyday citizens."

Beck followed up on the mobs which terrorized AIG executives homes when he noticed the protesters were arriving in organized buses, which were rented by A.C.O.R.N. Referencing A.C.O.R.N.'s shady history, the reporter referred back to A.C.O.R.N.'s arrangements of voting booths in Nevada casinos as their instrument for assuring Obama's "win" of last year's Primary caucus in the state. A.C.O.R.N is also being investigated on criminal vote fraud complaints in several other states for related misconduct.

The "bus tour" attack on AIG families was, specifically, arranged by Connetticcut's (sp) Working Families Party as one of A.C.O.R.N. & S.E.I.U.'s many public faces. Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who has followed the underlying connections of these groups explained that the S.E.I.U. has spent tens of millions of dollars on all kinds of organizations over the last five years. Federally funded in part, and also supported by George Soros, one of A.C.O.R.N.'s multifold "campaigns" for change includes the legalization of drugs in the U.S.

As Beck noted, former A.C.O.R.N. employees repulsed by the organization's methods and associations have contributed to exposing their tactics but avoid public statements. One such witness invited on air declined, expressing fear for her two year old daughter's safety.

W.A.M. ALERT The spider-web of socialist intrigue doesn't stop there. The recent TV network attention on waves of AIG protests has been used to fuel public enmity toward corporations in order to gain Congressional passage of CARD CHECK. This union-= organizing legislation, spearheaded by the S.E.I.U, abolishes the secret ballot and would open the door for this INTERNATIONAL union to propagate intimidation tactics, similar to those above, on successful non-union companies and small businessesacross the nation.

If you, as an "ordinary citizen" (not paid by A.C.O.R.N. or the S.E.I.U.) and have not yet contacted Washingtonto block passage of this "Employee Free Choice Act" (aka CARD CHECK) link here to sign in and send your State's Senators a FREE FAX now:

CLICK HERE

Thursday, March 26, 2009

"We The People" Stimulus Package



Actually, he had me until the "mandatory service," and his proposal to ban the Electoral College. The Electoral College pre-dated the popular vote for POTUS.

The Electoral College is what keeps New York City and Los Angeles California from ruling the nation.

In the Interest of Accuracy....

What the cartoon said:

(Click for full size)

What the cartoon should have said:

(Click for full size)

'Nuff Said.

A "Hero" Among Them?

That's what these communist/socialist ne'erdowells are calling an erstwhile, room-temperature, piece of slime cop killer:
Oakland, CA--As the city prepares for a massive public funeral for four police officers slain in the line of duty, dozens took to the streets in a show of support for the man authorities say was their killer.

Organized by International People's Democratic Uhuru Movement, the march Wednesday evening took participants near a police substation within sight of the two locations where Lovelle Mixon allegedly shot the veteran officers before being slain himself.

Loved ones and supporters walked through the streets chanting, "OPD you can't hide, we charge you with genocide!" There were no officers patrolling the march route.

"I don't condone what he did, but it's bringing to light the frustrations between the community and the police," said Uhuru Movement member Kihad Deen. "This gives people a chance to speak their minds."

Mixon's cousin, Dolores Darnell, 26, addressed the small crowd, calling him "a true hero, a soldier."

"This is the real Lovelle," she said, holding a picture of a smiling Mixon with his wife. "We do apologize for what he did to the officers' families. But he's not a monster."
Yeah. And neither was Frankenstein.

More about these commie Black Panther retreads called the Uhuru:

Lovelle Mixon’s life, like that of thousands of young African men in the impoverished neighborhoods of Oakland, was over long before he was killed by police. He faced a hopeless dead end of joblessness, poverty and criminalization by a society that would rather lock up young African men than make college or jobs available to them.

The police are not social workers; they are a military force with the assignment to carry out a violent containment policy against a whole community. The purpose of the police is to maintain power for the status quo and uphold the relations of poverty and wealth in the city.

If we want to move forward and “build bridges” as a city there is only one road to do so. We have to truly understand the calls of a community under siege and demand an immediate end to this completely failed public policy of police containment, this war without terms waged against the African community of Oakland.

So, concerned about "social justice," are we? Concerned about a policy of "violent containment," you say?

Well let me school you about the origin of your discontent. The policy of "containment" is not a police-initiated policy. This may come as somewhat of a surprise to you, but your much reviled "policy of containment" was NOT a policy initiated by Republicans.

The policy of "containment" was in fact initiated and made possible by LBJ in 1964 with the advent of "The (not so) Great Society" that served to contain and imprison the poor in a never-ending cycle of poverty.

It was perpetuated by years of separating fathers from the responsibility of raising their own children.

It was perpetuated by endless brow-beating about the glass ceiling; placed ostensibly by some mythical entity known as 'da man;' not to mention the day after day hammering by elected liberal democrat officials of the message that impoverished minorities could do nothing and would be nothing without white liberals in limousines running to their rescue, doling out the meager sub-subsistence afforded by the welfare state.

The "policy of containment" has been perpetuated as a campaign of fear by white limousine liberals and their black slavemasters (a/k/a, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, et al.); delivering empty promises and false warnings to their charges that they would starve if democrats weren't maintained in power. This was done, of course, as a means of perpetuating and "containing" a ready-pocket of democrat voters.

This "policy of containment" is even to this day being perpetuated by the present Administration as the same-old, same-old turd, polished and repackaged in a pretty pink ribbon; now labelled "Hope and Change."

In short, if Uhurus want to blame someone for their being "contained,' look no further than your friendly neighborhood liberal democrat congressman or woman.

Then blame yourselves for listening to them.

And by the way, "Hero," my ass.


Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Gottwalt Pushes Through Health Care Plan

Quite an accomplishment in today's democrat-controlled state legislature:
ST. PAUL - State Rep. Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud, today presented a health care reform bill (HF1865) that would improve how Minnesota provides health care coverage to low-income adults, while saving the state an estimated $100 million per year.

Gottwalt presented the Healthy Minnesota Plan (HMP) to the Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee, which unanimously approved the bill, moving it on to the Health and Human Services Finance Division.

The HMP would cover 84,000 Minnesota adults currently on MinnesotaCare with a more generous private market benefit package, and a deductible covered mostly by the state. The plan would pay providers market rates for the health care they deliver, eliminating cost-shifting, and opening more health care access to those enrolled in the plan.

The HMP would save state administrative costs, provide greater flexibility for the enrollee, tap into savings of large private insurance pools, and fit well with other health care reform initiatives. Gottwalt described the bill as a “demonstration project that will improve care for 84,000 Minnesotans, and save the state about $200 million in the coming biennium.”

“The plan benefits consumers, providers and the state,” Gottwalt said. “Even if Minnesota were not facing a huge budget deficit, we need to explore better ways of covering more Minnesotans in a manner that is financially sustainable and engages consumers more directly. The private market can deliver better access to high quality, cost-effective health care.”

Gottwalt said Minnesota currently spends about $7,000 per year for every adult enrollee on MinnesotaCare. He said conservative estimates show the HMP will save the state more than $1,000 per adult enrollee, or about $100 million per year ($200 million per biennium).

“The savings actually grow over time,” Gottwalt said. “We think this approach could be used to provide coverage to other public enrollees, saving even more.” Given the current state budget deficit, this is seen as a sustainable way to provide coverage to people in need while saving the state significant money.

Gottwalt said the HMP generates state savings several ways, starting with tapping into larger, private insurance pools to capitalize on more efficient administrative, education and enrollee services now provided by the state.

Also, the cost to the state for covering most of the deductible under the HMP is based on actual expenditures, not a per-member-per-month capitation payment. The Healthy Minnesota Plan Account (structured as a Health Reimbursement Account or HRA) requires the state to maintain a reserve, but not full funding up front. HF1865 does not include copays, but it is structured to be flexible in addressing cost sharing issues.

The HMP offers an even greater level of benefits than currently available under MinnesotaCare, including dental, vision and pregnancy coverages. The plan provides first-dollar coverage of primary and preventive care, all the covered benefits of MinnesotaCare, and a $5 million lifetime maximum (much stronger than MinnesotaCare's $10,000 inpatient maximum).

“Instead of being denied access to care by providers who do not get paid enough from existing Minnesota public programs, these enrollees will now be considered on par with other privately insured people,” Gottwalt said. “Also, these enrollees will have a debit card with which to pay eligible expenses within the deductible. No more being shunned for lack of a cash co-payment or deductible payment. And, unlike MinnesotaCare, the Healthy Minnesota Plan major medical coverage is completely portable; it belongs to the enrollee.”
Gottwalt has often told me that there are smarter, more cost-effective ways to deliver health care to those in need. The fact that a Republican actually got a cost-effective initiative past a democrat-controlled committee in the current political climate is no easy feat.

Congratulations, Steve!

Wednesday Hero Blogburst March 25, 2009

This Weeks Post Was Suggested By Elena

Chief Master Sergeant Paul Wesley Airey
Chief Master Sergeant Paul Wesley Airey
U.S. Air Force

"Chief Airey was an Airman�s Airman and one of the true pioneers for our service," said Gen. Norton Schwartz, Air Force Chief of Staff. "He was a warrior, an innovator� and a leader with vision well ahead of his time. His legacy lives today in the truly professional enlisted force we have serving our nation� and for that we owe him a debt of gratitude."

Chief Airey was born in Quincy, Mass., on December 13, 1923. At age eighteen, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December, 7, 1941, Airey quit high school to enlist in the Army Air Forces on November 16, 1942. He later earned his high school equivalency certificate through off-duty study. During World War II he flew as a B-24 radio operator and additional duty aerial gunner. On his 28th mission, then-Technical Sergeant Airey and his fellow crewmen were shot down over Vienna, Austria, captured, and held prisoner by the German air force from July 1944 to May 1945. During his time as a prisoner of war he worked tirelessly to meet the basic needs of fellow prisoners, even through a 90-day forced march.

Chief Airey held the top enlisted from April 3, 1967 to July 31, 1969. During his tenure he worked to change loan establishments charging exorbitant rates outside the air base gates and to improve low retention during the Vietnam Conflict. Chief Airey also led a team that laid the foundation for the Weighted Airman Promotion System, a system that has stood the test of time and which is still in use today. He also advocated for an Air Force-level Senior Noncommissioned Officer Academy. His vision became reality when the academy opened in 1973, becoming the capstone in the development of Air Force Senior NCOs. Chief Airey retired August 1, 1970. He continued advocating for Airmen�s rights by serving on the boards of numerous Air Force and enlisted professional military organizations throughout the years. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for the Airmen Memorial Museum, a member of the Air Force Memorial Foundation and the Air University Foundation.

On the north wall of the Air Force Memorial in Washington D.C., Chief Airey�s thoughts on Airmen are immortalized, "When I think of the enlisted force, I see dedication, determination, loyalty and valor." The Air Force Association honored Airey with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Chief Airey passed away on March 11, 2009 at his home in Panama City, Florida


These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.
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Were the tinfoil hatters right?

Remember all the wild talk about the CFR, the Bildebergers, the black helicopters, one-world government and one-world currency?

Man, I'd hate to admit it, but maybe those survivalists hunkered down in their Montana enclaves had something going.

In a way it's no surprise, given from whence Geithner and Obama came. To remake the U.S. into something totally new; something the Founders nor you or I would ever recognize.. The only motive I can come up with.

Thing is, this crap has been coming now for years; the tinfoils have been warning us about it, and we kept on dismissing them as a bunch of lunatics.

Only tinfoil is now becoming mainstream.

From here.
Categories: White House

Geithner 'open' to China proposal

Geithner, at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the U.S. is "open" to a headline-grabbing proposal by the governor of the China's central bank, which was widely reported as being a call for a new global currency to replace the dollar, but which Geithner described as more modest and "evolutionary."

"I haven’t read the governor’s proposal. He’s a very thoughtful, very careful distinguished central banker. I generally find him sensible on every issue," Geithner said, saying that however his interpretation of the proposal was to increase the use of International Monetary Fund's special drawing rights -- shares in the body held by its members -- not creating a new currency in the literal sense.

"We’re actually quite open to that suggestion – you should see it as rather evolutionary rather building on the current architecture rather than moving us to global monetary union," he said.

"The only thing concrete I saw was expanding the use of the [special drawing rights]," Geithner said. "Anything he’s thinking about deserves some consideration."

The continued use of the dollar as a reserve currency, he added, "depends..on how effective we are in the United States...at getting our fiscal system back to the point where people judge it as sustainable over time."

President Obama flatly rejected the notion of a new global currency at last night's press conference.

UPDATE: Evidently sensing a gaffe, moderator Roger Altman told Geithner that it would be "useful" to return to the question, and asked if he foresaw a change in the dollar's centrality.

"I do not," Geithner said, adding several forceful promises, including, "We will do what's necessary to say we're sustaining confidence in our financial markets."

Every day I read the news lately is yet another day that tops the previous in bewilderment-provoking, downright scary stuff.

So if you'll excuse me, I'm off to get some tinfoil. And some seeds.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

MN SD-15 BPOU Convention

Well, we got some fresh blood in the leadership of MN SD 15 BPOU (Basic Political Organizational Unit, for those of you in Rio Linda); not that I'm complaining about the old blood.. My hat's off to Jeff Johnson and Josh Behling, who both did a bang-up job helping our BPOU; especially during the unprecedented turnout that was experienced at last winter's BPOU caucus, in which by all accounts over 1,000 SD 15 Republican faithful showed up to make a difference.

We will certainly miss Jeff's and Josh's leadership and expertise, especially in integrating our BPOU into the electronics age. On top of that, it would be difficult to find two nicer guys if you searched the world over with binoculars.

As of now, Jeff Radcliffe and newcomer Rick Vanden..(gads, can't remember the last name--sorry Rick) will co-chair SD15; Barbara Banaian (yes, King's wife), will be SD 15B vice chair, Dan Ochsner will be 15A vice chair, Dorothy Thompson will remain on as treasurer, and yours truly (yes, me) was elected as the new SD 15 secretary. Additionally, I was elected as an alternate delegate for State Central.

There were some surprises in store tonight, as well; specifically, I was honored as a recipient of two recognition awards; one a "suitable for framing" award from Michele Bachmann for Congress campaign, and another beautiful wooden plaque for service to SD-15 and "toward the cause of conservatism." Fellow SCBA bloggers Gary Gross and King Banaian were given similar awards. Truth be told, I was at once flabbergasted and honored, as I have never before received such recognition.

Another surprise was that my 18-year old son, Leo III, who was basically at his first BPOU meeting as a voting-aged citizen, ran for State Central delegate. He got up and gave a speech, the whole nine yards, saying that he was no longer going to sit on the sidelines, and that he wanted to make a difference.

Even though he was not elected, to say that I was proud of him this evening would be a gross understatement.

He is a fine young man, and is destined, as he says, to make a difference in his lifetime.

From Chavez' Mouth to Obama's Ears.

Remember when in the not so distant past, an act like this was considered unconscionable in the United States of America?
Reporting from Bogota, Colombia, and Caracas, Venezuela -- Amid deepening shortages of food and household supplies, President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday ordered the seizure of a Venezuelan unit of U.S. agriculture giant Cargill, the latest in a series of takeovers of foreign-owned companies.

In a speech during a ministers' council meeting broadcast over state-run television, Chavez also threatened to seize control of privately owned Polar, the country's largest food conglomerate and brewer. The actions came less than three weeks after Chavez won a referendum that will allow him to run for unlimited terms as president.

"If you want to take on the government, you'll find out that this revolution is for real," Chavez said, directing his comments to the family that owns a controlling interest in Polar.
Impossible in the United States, you say? Think again:
U.S. Seeks Expanded Power to Seize Firms

The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document.

The government at present has the authority to seize only banks.

Giving the Treasury secretary authority over a broader range of companies would mark a significant shift from the existing model of financial regulation, which relies on independent agencies that are shielded from the political process. The Treasury secretary, a member of the president's Cabinet, would exercise the new powers in consultation with the White House, the Federal Reserve and other regulators, according to the document.

The administration plans to send legislation to Capitol Hill this week. Sources cautioned that the details, including the Treasury's role, are still in flux.

Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is set to argue for the new powers at a hearing today on Capitol Hill about the furor over bonuses paid to executives at American International Group, which the government has propped up with about $180 billion in federal aid. Administration officials have said that the proposed authority would have allowed them to seize AIG last fall and wind down its operations at less cost to taxpayers.

Aside from the fact that I'm having a hard time trusting a guy to run a multi-billion dollar corporation that can't even be trusted to fill out his income taxes, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would live to see the day when the government of the United States of America would, as the headline suggests, be so ravenous with power as to indiscriminately seek to seize and to nationalize private-sector businesses!

When George W. Bush was president, the Left of this nation was particularly fond of utilizing the bromidic term, "fascist" when speaking of his administration; without any accompanying evidence that it was anywhere near the truth.

I wonder if they knew they were going to get the real thing when they voted for Barack Hussein Obama:
In 1933, Mussolini created the Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale (IRI) with the special aim of rescuing floundering companies. By 1939 the IRI controlled 20% of the Italian industry through government-linked companies (GLCs), including 75% of pig iron production and 90% of the shipbuilding industry.

Mussolini also adopted a Keynesian policy of government spending on public works to stimulate the economy. Between 1929 and 1934, public works spending tripled to overtake defense spending as the largest item of government expenditure.[44]

And Chavez thought that he was the only fascist in the Western Hemisphere.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

CBS To Obama: "Are You Punch Drunk?" Obama yucks it up while the economy burns.

Even folks at CBS have come to one of those Slap-on-the-forehead-"What-the-hell-did-we-get-ourselves-into" moments (emphases added):

In a wide ranging interview broadcast Sunday night, Obama was pressed by Steve Kroft on "60 Minutes" for at times laughing or smiling while discussing the global economic crisis.

[Kroft]"You're sitting here. And you're laughing. You are laughing about some of these problems," Kroft told the president. "Are people going to look at this and say, 'I mean, he's sitting there just making jokes about money?' How do you deal with -- I mean: explain ... Are you punch-drunk?"

[Obama]"No, no. There's gotta be a little gallows humor to get you through the day," Obama replied, with a laugh.

Yep... all these folks are just yucking it up all the way to the unemployment line, aren't they, Barry?

I'm sure they're just rolling on the sidewalk, roaring with laughter, as their possessions are removed from their foreclosed homes.

And all Americans who saw their retirement nest eggs reduced via the 2000 point drop in the Dow in the two and three-quarter months since you took office are no doubt laughing hysterically.

Funny as a crutch, Barry.

...And you gotta really appreciate from whence this comes...

Even Hugo Chavez, a fellow traveller, recognizes we've elected an empty suit:

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela called President Obama “ignorant” on Sunday, saying he has a lot to learn about Latin America.

Mr. Chávez said he had been ready to name a new ambassador in Washington, but put it on hold after the new American president accused him of “exporting terrorism” and being an obstacle to progress in the region.

“At least one could say, ‘poor ignorant person,’ ” Mr. Chávez said on his weekly television and radio program, adding that Mr. Obama “should read a little bit so that he learns about the reality.”

Mr. Chávez said: “If Obama respects us, we’ll respect him. If Obama tries to keep disrespecting Venezuela, we will confront the North American empire.”
Hmm... where did I hear that one before?

Oh yeaaaahhh

Khamenei said there has been no change even in Obama's language compared to that of his predecessor.

"He (Obama) insulted the Islamic Republic of Iran from the first day. If you are right that change has come, where is that change? What is the sign of that change? Make it clear for us what has changed."

Still, Khamenei left the door open to better ties with America, saying "should you change, our behavior will change too."
Wait a minute... I thought once you fruitcakes elected Obama, the sea levels would lower, the air would waft of unicorn farts, and all the world leaders would embrace the Obammessiah, just as you did; and we'd all hold hands all over the world in a big group hug, while we sang a rousing round of "Kumbaya."

Instead (as conservatives expected all along) we have third world tinhorn dictators, who wouldn't know what human rights were if they came and bit them on the ass; dictating to us how we should act.

Isn't. That. Special.

Well, Obama has laid waste to the economy, and has had epic policy and other blunders on the foreign stage in Great Britain, Iran, and now Venezuela.

His work being done here, where can he look next?

Hey, the Taliban sure look like they can use some hopenchange!

The Real "Little Eichmanns"


...can be found within the human embryo harvesting industry:
A major research project is to be announced this week that will culminate in three years with the first transfusions into human volunteers of "synthetic" blood made from the stem cells of spare IVF embryos. It could help to save the lives of anyone from victims of traffic accidents to soldiers on a battlefield by revolutionising the vital blood transfusion services, which have to rely on a network of human donors to provide a constant supply of fresh blood.
Hmmm... I wonder just how many of those human embryos, yes, human lives, "volunteered" for this.

There's something very ghoulish about people destroying innocent life so that they could improve the quality of their own lives.

Oh, there are the usual culture-of-death liberals who will argue to their dying day that these tiny lives are nothing more than a collection of cells; are sub-human, and as such are quite expendible.

After all, it becomes easy to kill when the recipient of your deed is stripped of his or her humanity, doesn't it?

I'm sure that the operators of Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sachsenhausen will likewise vouch for that fact.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

What Happens When a Clueless Empty Suit is Elected POTUS?



You get an embarrassment for the entire Country:


Friday, March 20, 2009

W.T.F?

Murtha has gotten an award... from the Navy?
The U.S. Navy awarded U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., its Distinguished Public Service Award, triggering an Internet campaign to have Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter withdraw it.

Murtha, who publicly accused U.S. Marines of cold-blooded murder in a firefight in Haditha, Iraq, and was caught on camera in the Abscam scandal appearing to negotiate a bribe, was honored by the Navy for his "selfless devotion to the Nation's Sailors and Marines."

The award credits him with making sure the military services "were provided the resources necessary to effectively conduct the Global War on Terrorism."

"His courageous leadership, vision, and loyalty to the men and women of the Department of the Navy greatly contributed to their quality of life and helped create the most modern and highly trained fighting force in history," the honor said.
This is like giving Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge an award for his humane treatment of the Hmong. I don't know, Maybe Winter saw fit to hand ol' Jihad Jack an award because it was Marines that he threw under the bus? Or was it some quid-pro-quo and some palm-greasing PR gesture, knowing that Murtha holds the purse strings for the stuff the Navy needs?

At any rate, this better be some really twisted joke. I know at least twelve Marines and their families who I'm sure don't find this amusing at all.

If you're as disgusted with this as I am, please sign this petition.

**UPDATE***

As of this writing, there are 17,934 signatories asking this honor be revoked.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

The Constitution Is Effectively Dead.

So sayeth the sages in the U.S. House of Representatives in passing HR 1586, which imposes a whopping

…90% tax to only the portion of a bonus that, in combination with other income, increases an employee’s adjusted gross income to a level above $250,000 ($125,000 for married couples filing individually) in the taxable year when the bonus was received. Therefore, employees with adjusted gross incomes of less than $250,000 (including bonuses) would not be impacted.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought ex-post facto laws were done away by the Constitution in 1798:


An ex post facto law is a law passed after the occurrence of an event or action which retrospectively changes the legal consequences of the event or action.

The fact alone that the authors of TARP and the stimulus bill are the ones who allowed the bonuses in the first place and wrote them in the legislation is in itself outrageous.

If this were done on a straight party-line vote, it would have been heinous enough, yet understandable, because democrats don’t give a whit about and/or are clueless regarding Constitutional principles, anyway.

But the thing about it is, the measure passed by a 328-90 margin, meaning that many REPUBLICANS likewise threw the Constitution under the bus today. The following is a list of 84 Republicans who at the very least, need to get schooled regarding Constitutional Law:

  1. Representative Donald Young (AK)
  2. Representative Michael Rogers (AL)
  3. Representative Robert Aderholt (AL)
  4. Representative John Boozman (AR)
  5. Representative Walter Herger, Jr (CA)
  6. Representative Tom McClintock (CA)
  7. Representative Howard McKeon (CA)
  8. Representative Edward Royce (CA)
  9. Representative Jerry Lewis (CA)
  10. Representative Ken Calvert (CA)
  11. Representative Mary Bono Mack (CA)
  12. Representative Dana Rohrabacher (CA)
  13. Representative Brian Bilbray (CA)
  14. Representative Michael Castle (DE)
  15. Representative Ander Crenshaw (FL)
  16. Representative Virginia Brown-White (FL)
  17. Representative Clifford Stearns (FL)
  18. Representative John Mica (FL)
  19. Representative Gus Michael Bilirakus (FL)
  20. Representative C.W. Bill Young (FL)
  21. Representative Adam Putnam (FL)
  22. Representative Vern Buchanan (FL)
  23. Representative Tom Rooney (FL)
  24. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL)
  25. Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart (FL)
  26. Representative Mario Diaz-Balart (FL)
  27. Representative Thomas Latham (IA)
  28. Representative Peter Roskam (IL)
  29. Representative Mark Kirk (IL)
  30. Representative Judy Biggert (IL)
  31. Representative Timothy Johnson (IL)
  32. Representative Donald Manzullo (IL)
  33. Representative Aaron Schock (IL)
  34. Representative John Shimkus (IL)
  35. Representative Joe Donnelly, Sr. (IL)
  36. Representative Jerry Moran (KS)
  37. Representative Edward Whitfield (KY)
  38. Representative Steven Guthrie (KY)
  39. Representative Goeff Davis (KY)
  40. Representative Harold Rogers (KY)
  41. Representative Anh Cao (LA)
  42. Representative John Fleming (LA)
  43. Representative Rodney Alexander (LA)
  44. Representative William Cassidy (LA)
  45. Representative Peter Hoekstra (MI)
  46. Representative Vernon Ehlers (MI)
  47. Representative David Camp (MI)
  48. Representative Frederick Stephen Upton (MI)
  49. Representative Mike Rogers (MI)
  50. Representative Candice Miller
  51. Representative Roy Blunt (MO)
  52. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO)
  53. Representative Dennis Rehberg (MT)
  54. Representative Walter Beaman Jones, Jr (NC)
  55. Representative Jeff Fortenberry (NE)
  56. Representative Frank LoBiondo (NJ)
  57. Representative Christopher Smith (NJ)
  58. Representative Leonard Lance (NJ)
  59. Representative Rodney Frelingheysen (NJ)
  60. Representative Christopher Lee (NY)
  61. Representative Jean Schmidt (OH)
  62. Representative Michael Turner (OH)
  63. Representative Patrick Tiberi (OH)
  64. Representative Greg Walden (OR)
  65. Representative Charles Dent (PA)
  66. Representative Todd Platts (PA)
  67. Representative Henry Brown, Jr. (SC)
  68. Representative David Roe (TN)
  69. Representative John Duncan, Jr. (TN)
  70. Representative Zach Wamp (TN)
  71. Representative Joe Barton (TX)
  72. Representative Michael McCaul (TX)
  73. Representative Lamar Smith (TX)
  74. Representative Kenny Merchant (TX)
  75. Representative Robert Wittman (VA)
  76. Representative James Randy Forbes (VA)
  77. Representative Robert Goodlatte (VA)
  78. Representative Eric Cantor (VA)
  79. Representative Frank Wolf (VA)
  80. Representative Cathy McMorris-Rogers (WA)
  81. Representative David George Reichert (WA)
  82. Representative Paul Ryan (WA)
  83. Representative Thomas Petrie (WI)
  84. Representative Shelly Capito (WV)

This list does not include a number of linguini-spined Republicans who did not vote at all on the measure.

This is what happens when a bunch of people who were elected to uphold and defend the Constitution either 1. Never read it; and/or 2. Don’t give a whit about what’s in it.

Perhaps a mandatory class in Constitutional law before being eligible to run for office would be a good first step.

In the meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has given a message to Americans loud and clear: We no longer have Constitutional protections against ex-post facto laws, nor do we have Constitutional protections against bills of attainder (A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) is an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial).

In other words, kiss the Constitution goodbye. Other than a document of genius and historical significance, it has today been rendered worthless.

It is my fervent hope that the employees of AIG that will be the recipients of this tragedy will take their cases before the Supreme Court. They, unfortunately, are are our last line of defense.

DFL to MN Taxpayers: Bend Over and Take it Like a Man

From an email from MN 15A Representative Steve Gottwalt on today's DFL legislative hijinx:
Frankly, I'm disappointed. Today, as Minnesota's unemployment rate hit 8.1 percent, House Democrats proposed $4.4 billion in tax increases on struggling Minnesotans. As I've emphasized before, we must focus on economic recovery by helping businesses retain and create more jobs. Raising taxes by $4.4 billion is an absolute job killer! You can't say you're for jobs and in favor of tax increases. It's like saying you're for eggs, but you want to strangle the chickens. They also clipped tax
aids and credits and workforce funding that help create jobs and economic opportunity

To make matters worse, House Democrats plan to cut veterans and public safety funding, cut health and welfare spending, and offer no increase in education funding. They propose a $1.77 billion education funding shift that's almost $500 million larger than the governor's proposal they criticized just days ago. The Senate Democrats want to cut education funding 7 percent. Education Minnesota, is not pleased.

We waited half a legislative session for this set of budget targets, and still do not have a detailed budget proposal from the majority.

Here are the basics of the House Democrats' budget targets released today:

* No increase in K-12, early childhood or higher education spending
* An education funding shift $500 million larger than the governor's
proposal
* Less Health and Human Services spending than the governor in 2010-11
* Cuts to veterans and public safety
* $4.4 billion worth of tax increases (no details yet on the new taxes)

FY 2010-11
$843 million in reductions
$1.77 billion K-12 payment shift (73/27) -- actually, a cut to our districts
$1.5 billion in tax increases
$750 million in federal deficit "stimulus" money

FY 2012-13
$2.1 billion in reductions
$148 million K-12 payment shift
$2.9 billion in tax increases
No federal deficit "stimulus" money
So the Minnesota DFL wants to raise taxes--during an economic recession leaning on the edge of depression. Yeah. That oughta help.

Sorta like trying to fix a headache with a sledgehammer to the skull.

The governor, who will certainly veto this bill, and the Minnesota House Republicans who will hopefully sustain the veto are the only ones standing in the way of this tax, tax and tax some more "final" solution. I say "final" solution because it will deal our already fragile economy yet another blow--a death blow from which it may take years, if ever, to recover.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Murtha: "See This? This is the Constitution!"

Murtha: As arrogant as ever!



Yes, Jihad Jack, Murtha--that is the Constitution in your grubby, slimy, greasy, blood-stained hands. That is the Constitution that you so cavalierly discarded when you played judge, jury and executioner to the Marines in Haditha, including Lt. Colonel Chessani, Sgt. Wueterich, and Lance Corporal Justin Sharratt, whose father is a contributor to this blog. That very Constitution that you held in your hand is the one you put in the chipper shredder as you threw these gallant Marines under the bus for your own sorry-assed political gain.

Then you have the chutzpah to pull it out of your pocket and tell reporters, PA-12 voters, and the American people that that same Constitution gives you the right to do as you please like you're some kind of friggin' emperor?

I can't wait til this PMA investigation comes through, Jihad Jack. I can't wait to see you in handcuffs and leg-irons as you're frog-marched into a federal courtroom. I can't wait for the day when you're introduced to your new roommate, Bubba at the Federal Penn. Hope you have plenty of vaseline handy.

Yep, Jihad Jack, that day can't come too soon in my book.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Congress as Dictator? A Tale of Two Charles

Chuckie Schumer says that he'll tax the AIG bonuses at 100 percent?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and fellow Democrats on Tuesday warned American International Group Inc that its employees should return bonuses or face a massive tax bill that would return most of the money to the federal government.

"We expect that you will report back to Congress on your efforts to recoup these payments in short order," Reid and nine other Senate Democrats wrote in a letter to AIG CEO Edward Liddy, who is to testify before Congress on Wednesday.

In a speech on the Senate floor, Democrat Charles Schumer, a signee of the letter, noted AIG lost nearly $100 billion last year and is now being propped up by U.S. taxpayer funds. He said providing performance bonuses to employees of the insurance giant "defines 'Alice in Wonderland' business practices ... it boggles the mind."

Schumer called on the AIG employees to return the bonuses.

"If they don't we plan to tax virtually all of it," he said.

Pardon my vague memory, but isn't there something in the Constitution that prohibits "ex post facto" laws?

I thought so.

And now let's turn our attention to another Charles; specifically, Republican Senator Charles Grassley:

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley suggested that AIG executives should accept responsibility for the collapse of the insurance giant by resigning or killing themselves.

The Republican lawmaker's harsh comments came during an interview Monday with Cedar Rapids, Iowa, radio station WMT. They echo remarks he has made in the past about corporate executives and public apologies, but went further in suggesting suicide.

"I suggest, you know, obviously, maybe they ought to be removed," Grassley said. "But I would suggest the first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them if they'd follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I'm sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide.
If incompetence and malfiesance are grounds for suicide, might I suggest that congressional members lead by example; starting first with the architects of this mess; specifically Chris Dodd (whose amendment in the bill actually made it possible for AIG to issue bonuses) & Barney Frank?

They have all gone off the deep end.

But so you don't weep, might I suggest a chuckle and take a gander at First Thoughts, where they compare the hysterics in Congress with Ron Burgundy and the gang ("My, that escalated fast!").

A De-Facto Slam Against the 2nd Amendment?

The Federal Government, under the Obama administration, is now systematically making it increasingly difficult, if not impossible, to buy ammunition for firearms:
A recent government policy change has taken a bite out of the nation's already stressed ammunition supply, leaving arms dealers scrambling to find bullets for private gun owners.

Georgia Arms is a company that for the last 15 years has been purchasing fired brass shell casings from the Department of Defense and private government surplus liquidators. The military collects the discarded casings from fired rounds, then sells them through liquidators to companies like Georgia Arms that remanufacture the casings into ammunition for the law enforcement and civilian gun owner communities.

But earlier this month, Georgia Arms received a canceled order, informed by its supplier that the government now requires fired brass casings be mutilated, in other words, destroyed to a scrap metal state.

The policy change, handed down from the Department of Defense through the Defense Logistics Agency, cuts a supply leg out from underneath ammunition manufacturers.

The policy has compelled Georgia Arms, for example, to cancel all sales of .223 and .308 ammunition, bullets used, respectively, in semi-automatic and deer hunting rifles, until further notice. Sharch Manufacturing, Inc. has announced the same cancellation of its .223 and .308 brass reloading components.

"They just reclassified brass to allow destruction of it, based on what?" Georgia Arms owner Larry Haynie asked WND. "We've been 'going green' for the last dozen years, and brass is one of the most recyclable materials out there. A cartridge case can be used over and over again. And now we're going to destroy it based on what? We don't want the civilian public to have it? It's a government injustice."

[SNIP]

WND contacted the Defense Logistics Agency, the Department of Defense's largest combat support agency, several times seeking comment or explanation for the policy change but received none.

The National Rifle Association confirmed to WND that the DLA had been instructed to require the scrapping of the brass casings but declined further comment at this time.

Other gun advocates, however, have sounded off on the issue, eyeing the change in government policy with suspicion and filling the blogosphere with speculation that the effects of the policy change may be deliberate.
Remember, this is a defense department initiated policy. And just who is in charge of the Defense Department? I'll give you one guess.

And before you go accusing me of donning a tinfoil hat, consider this:
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign has worked to assure uneasy gun owners that he believes the Constitution protects their rights and that he doesn’t want to take away their guns.

But before he became a national political figure, he sat on the board of a Chicago-based foundation that doled out at least nine grants totaling nearly $2.7 million to groups that advocated the opposite positions.

The foundation funded legal scholarship advancing the theory that the Second Amendment does not protect individual gun owners’ rights, as well as two groups that advocated handgun bans. And it paid to support a book called “Every Handgun Is Aimed at You: The Case for Banning Handguns.”
You see, during his socialist "community organizer" days, Barack Hussein Obama wasn't just home baking cookies. To say that his anti-Constitution proclivities of the past have no bearing on present and future policy decisions is the thought process of a fool.

Slowly and surely, Obama and his merry team of "change" artists are trashing the Constitution and transforming the United States into something that we, nor our founders, would never recognize.

***UPDATE***

This from Georgia-Arms.com

A hardy congratulation is due to our loyal customers, our good friends, and our fellow shooting enthusiasts through out this great nation! Due to the diligent and overwhelming effort of many thousands of you, calling, writing, and emailing our elected officials, DOD Surplus, LLC, has rescinded its prior directive that ALL small arms spent casings be mutilated rather than recycled. This was a huge victory for common sense and we would like to thank each and every person who made an effort and played a role in correcting this mistake. We at Georgia Arms are proud of everyone who took the time and had the courage to stand up for our rights. We believe, that by your outpouring of anger and dismay, you not only extended our liberty and freedoms but also took a stand for economic common sense in a time when we know our government should be trying to reduce costs at all levels rather than throwing money away for some politically correct reason or the other. Again, our hat is off to everyone who helped and thanks to God as well. We will roll up our sleeves and go back to work; we have 223’s and 308’s to build!

While this is certainly good and welcome news, now is not the time to rest on our laurels.

The Obama Administration un-did this policy only because it was brought to light that it was happening.

Look for more underhanded Obama tactics that have the effect of usurping our Constitutional rights in the future. Right now Obama and the Pelosi-crats are crafting legislation that would change the bar of what would be considered "public interest" for radio station licensure as an end-around to passing the "fairness" doctrine. If he can't get his agenda passed through front door legislation, he'll certainly try to use the back door.

The price of freedom, dear readers, is blood, and vigilance.