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Friday, October 9, 2009

Tort Reform Could Save $54 Billion Dollars

lawsuit

This from Reuters:

Limiting medical malpractice lawsuits could save the U.S. government $54 billion over a decade, congressional budget analysts said on Friday in a report that could boost a Republican push to include lawsuit reform in President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul.

Still, I wouldn’t hold my breath.  Democrats have flat out admitted they’re too afraid of trial lawyers to include tort reform in any bill.

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No Flu Shots For Me, Thanks

Flu-Shot 

Let me just say that I’m not totally anti-vaccine.  However, I do think that we may be going a little overboard with it.  It is now mandatory that my kids get the chicken pox vaccine!  I don’t think they should be vaccinated against something that they can recover from easily and that makes their immune systems stronger.

As for the H1N1 vaccine, no way.  No way am I going to get vaccinated with something that was rushed through testing that quickly. 

Confirmed: Nobel Peace Prize Absolutely Meaningless

barack-obama-2 

Unbelievable.  Obama wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

I woke up to this:

Rather than recognizing concrete achievement, the 2009 prize appeared intended to support initiatives that have yet to bear fruit: reducing the world stock of nuclear arms, easing American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthening the U.S. role in combating climate change.

Luckily I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. 

The committee chairman said after awarding the 2002 prize to former Democratic President Jimmy Carter, for his mediation in international conflicts, that it should be seen as a "kick in the leg" to the Bush administration's hard line in the buildup to the Iraq war.

I’m pretty sure Bush didn’t give a crap about winning the Nobel Peace Price, he seemed a little more interested in preventing Iraq from obtaining nuclear weapons and kicking the crap out of terrorists.

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Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Obama Propaganda Machine Now in Full Gear

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Evidently Obama is not content with having CNN “fact checking” SNL skits for him and having schoolchildren on to literally sing his praises, or the hour long infomercials on ABC. Obama has now decided to declare war against even those rare stories critical of him that manage to make into the mainstream media. 

This is from Time:

…a new White House strategy has emerged: rather than just giving reporters ammunition to "fact-check" Obama's many critics, the White House decided it would become a player, issuing biting attacks on those pundits, politicians and outlets that make what the White House believes to be misleading or simply false claims…

This is just more evidence of the gigantic Obama ego.  He takes everything personally.  I think this might backfire on him, though.

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Better Late Than Never

duncan-100

Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Attorney General Eric Holder were in Chicago on Wednesday to discuss the issue with local officials, students and victims' families.

Gee, maybe he should have done something like this when he was the head of the Chicago school system and 34 students were being killed in one year.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Crony!

duncan-100 

What other reason would cause Obama to appoint a man in charge of a school system that had 34 of its students murdered in one year to be in charge of the school systems of the entire country?

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Drill Here, Drill Now

oil-rig

It’s an old topic, I know.  It doesn’t seem so urgent now that gas prices aren’t quite so high, but with recent talk of a plot to replace the dollar in oil transactions, this article in CNN Money says it should be.

Honestly, I’ve never understood the argument against drilling in ANWR and other protected places.  Let’s say we eventually run out of oil. Do these environmentalists think they are going to be able to stop the public clamoring for oil from ravaging these places to get every last drop as quickly as possible? 

Why not do it now while the need is not quite so urgent and the people worried about the effect it may have on the environment can have some say in the way it’s done. 

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Supreme Court to Hear Cross Case

cross

A lawsuit filed by the ACLU wants to remove a cross in California which has been on federal lands for 75 years because the National Park Service recently refused to erect a Buddhist symbol. 

Surprisingly, the Obama administration defends the cross and thinks it should stay.  I agree.  While I don’t think religious symbols should be popping up all over federal lands in this day and age, the cross was erected 75 years ago and has historical value. 

If I had to put money on it, I’d bet the Supreme Court lets it stay.

Buy Local!

mar09-1

So many people have started growing marijuana here in the United States, it’s starting to cut into the profits made by Mexican drug cartels.

Even the most hardcore anti-legalization people surely can’t help but feel a little good about this news.

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

No Surprise: Gitmo Closure Won’t Meet Deadline

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“It's going to be difficult for us to make the Jan. 22 deadline," Holder told a group of reporters on Tuesday. "But I do think that it was the right thing to set that deadline. ... [It] has a way of fousing people's efforts, their attention, and giving people a goal.”

I guess you could look at it that way.  Or you could see this for what it really is: another idealistic promise made by Obama mugged by reality. 

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Why can't I get a credit card? - MSN Money

credit-cards 

Why can't I get a credit card? - MSN Money

This guy’s sense of entitlement when it comes to getting credit cards is half the reason the economy is in the mess its in now.  Why do people think they have some kind of right to borrow money?  Whether it’s borrowing money for a house or borrowing money in the form of credit cards, it’s not a right. 

If you make it a “right” to borrow money, then you must necessarily take away someone’s right not to lend money. 

Monday, June 29, 2009

Cry Me A River

england

Evidently we are supposed to feel sorry for this shitbag who took great pleasure in abusing and humiliating prisoners, tarnished the image of the U.S. at a time when it was most vulnerable, and provided a slew of images to further galvanize anti-american and anti-war sentiment. 

If no one wants to hire her, can you blame them?  Who could ever trust this woman?  This is exactly the type of person who would be smearing boogers on your pizza.

Monday, April 20, 2009

This Woman Has Guts!

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When a gay judge (Perez Hilton) asked Miss California about her views on gay marriage she flat out said she thinks marriage should be between a man and a woman.  Wow!  She had to have known it would cost her big time.

I’m somewhat ambivalent about the issue personally, but I have to applaud her adherence to principle. I never thought I’d admire a beauty pageant contestant.

Why the hell is a gay guy judging a female beauty pageant anyway?  Also, the audience seemed to overwhelmingly approve of her answer… interesting.

See the video here.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Best Bumper Sticker Ever

In general, I think the idea of displaying your opinions on politics, religion, etc.  to people who for the most part don’t give a damn is pretty ridiculous.

However, my wife called this morning to tell me about this one she on the way to work this morning:

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Even I had to chuckle at that one.

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Here We Go Again

Kim jong il

North Korea is once again attempting to use the threat of developing nuclear weapons as a bargaining tool with the west.  I’ll never understand why we took such drastic action against Iraq, but we don’t do anything about North Korea and Iran who seem much more blatant about their quest for nukes. 

Well, if we do decide to something about either one of them, I hope we just blow up a few facilities not stick around to rebuild their entire country.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Haha, Very Funny YouTube

upside-down-house

All their videos are upside down; April Fools prank?

If it is, it’s a dumb one.  I won’t be watching any videos until they fix that crap.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Someone Wrote A Song About Obama!

The crazy thing is that it was written in 1989.

Does Anyone Really Care What Meghan McCain Thinks?

MeghanMcCain-6-12-a_small

Well, I guess someone does because she has her own column at The Daily Beast.  I most certainly do not.

It really irks me when she talks about “our generation” and how Republicans need to reach out to them.  What the hell does she know about our generation?  She’s separated from most people in our generation by the pampered lifestyle she’s lead since she was born.  The average person in my generation could no more relate to her than they could to Paris Hilton.  Sure, she has her circle and I’m sure she can speak for them, but please stop claiming to speak for “your generation” like you know anything about them other than something you may have seen on TV.

I do think she’s hot though, and it was pretty crappy for Laura Ingraham to call her fat.

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Monday, March 9, 2009

Bush Policy on Stem Cells Driven by “Political Ideology” According to the AP

embryo

I have to disagree, if anything it was driven by religious ideology, although I’m not religious and I still think harvesting human embryo’s is wrong. 

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is ending former President George W. Bush's limits on using federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research, with advisers calling the move a clear signal that science — not political ideology — will guide the administration.

All George Bush did was protect people who are opposed to the harvesting of human embryos for scientific purposes from having to fund it with their tax money.  He didn’t outlaw it, and in fact stem cell research did receive funding during the Bush administration as long as the studies didn’t use human embryos. 

So it seems that so far the Obama administration’s goal is to raise our taxes and then use that money to fund morally questionable activities.

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Thursday, March 5, 2009

Murder, Pure and Simple

BelkisGonzalez

While in general I am opposed to abortion, I can understand arguments in cases of rape and incest if preformed early during the pregnancy.  I don’t see how you can call this anything but murder.

An abortion clinic owner accused of delivering a live baby during a botched procedure and then throwing the infant away was arrested Tuesday, authorities said.  Williams was 23 weeks pregnant when the incident happened in 2006.

Unfortunately the woman was only arrested for practicing medicine without a license and tampering with evidence, not murder.

Supreme Court Rules Against FDA Labels Preventing Liability

medicine_sweden2

Our government seems determined to do everything in their power to ensure that drug companies are no longer a profitable enterprise.  The Supreme court just ruled that labeling prescription drugs with the warnings provided by the FDA is no longer enough to prevent liability in cases of accidents or side effects.

Drug prices are already outrageously high.  Much of that comes from over regulation, in addition to the people that can pay for them having to subsidize the people who can’t.  Now drug companies have all the drawbacks of a vast organization regulating the crap out of them with none of the benefits.

This is all part of the ongoing attempt to demonize any large company making lots of money.  They did it to the tobacco companies, but at least their product provided no benefit.  It’s a shame that liberals have stoked the class envy fires so much in this country that people’s hatred of anyone making more money than them blinds them to the fact that they are killing an industry that is essential to maintaining our standard of living.

To all the people who think profit shouldn’t be involved in medicine: I hope you enjoy the immense slowdown of medical discoveries that is sure to occur as a result.

Friday, February 27, 2009

Obama To End Iraq War in 2010

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He says we will be there only to train, advise, and conduct limited counterterrorism operations.

Surprisingly he doesn’t thank Bush for not giving up, allowing him to attribute it to “there have been real advances” in Iraq instead of that we’re getting our butts kicked and we should give up.

Everyone bashed Bush for not admitting he was wrong about the WMDs.  Obama should receive the same treatment for not admitting he was wrong about the “Surge” in Iraq.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

Obama Will Half the Deficit, After He Almost Doubles It

magictrick

He inherited a 1 Trillion dollar deficit from Bush.  This story says that by the end of the year, it will be at 1.75 Trillion.  That’s a pretty big jump.  Don’t worry though, he promises that he will cut it in half by 2013.

So basically Obama will have almost doubled the deficit in one year, while his media lackeys try to put the emphasis on his promises to half it.  How does he intend to do this, anyway?  Credit where credit is due, he’s actually planning to cut farm subsidies, but that’s only about 10 billion over 10 years.  He also plans to increase taxes on wealthier Americans.  Wealthier than who, I wonder?

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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Obama’s Speech

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Obama made his big speech last night.  He continues to surprise me.  I fully expected him to shift into a “it’s really not that bad, things are getting better” mode.  Instead, he doubled down.  His speech basically amounted to, “Don’t worry Americans, we can get out of this, but only if you let me spend A LOT more money we don’t have.”

Unsurprisingly, Jindal’s response was excellent:

"Who among us would ask our children for a loan, so we could spend money we do not have, on things we do not need?" Jindal asked. "That is precisely what the Democrats in Congress just did."

Here’s another comparison.  The democrats are like a gambling addict who just lost his paycheck at the horse races and keeps borrowing more with a gleam in his eye, knowing next time he’ll win.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Obama Taking Bill Clinton’s Advice

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Obama will make a speech today to congress in which he will try to balance a grim economic reality with a hope for the future.  This is days after he was criticized by Clinton for not sounding hopeful enough.

In all honesty, it’s more likely Obama saw the opposition he was getting from his mortgage plan, even from his once trusted ally the press, and realized he’s reached the limit of what he can scare the American public into supporting. 

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Monday, February 23, 2009

The Three Best Governors in the U.S.

47.MarkSanfordjindal haley-barbour1 

Mark my words, one of these three men will be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012: Mark Sanford (governor of South Carolina, Bobby Jindal (governor of Louisiana, Haley Barbour (governor of Mississippi).  All three have turned down large portions of the stimulus bill meant for their state because there were too many strings attached.

Evidently if they accepted money meant for unemployment benefits, they would have to expand the unemployment program, essentially raising taxes on businesses.

Even if they did it for political purposes, so what?  At least they care what their constituency thinks, a trait many politicians are lacking nowadays. 

Meanwhile fellow “Republican” governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he’ll gladly take their share of the loot.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Bill Clinton Says Obama Should Sound More Hopeful

bill-clinton

He said this in an interview with ABC.  Hmm, if Obama did sound more hopeful it might help to restore consumer confidence and get people spending and investing money again. 

That would be a great idea, except it’s exactly the opposite of what Obama wants.  He wants people to stay as frightened as possible so he can continue to convince them to support his dream of a massive, all powerful government ready to swoop in at a moments notice and save the day.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

I’m From the Government, I’m Here to Help

closeup of buinessman's hand holding wad of banknotes with laptop computer in background

The Obama administration continues on its crusade to convince people we need more government intervention in the financial system.  Now it’s billions to help prevent foreclosures. This is despite the fact that the number of foreclosures is starting to decline, not to mention the inconvenient truth that most people facing foreclosures are doing so because of poor decisions on their part.

So America continues to gleefully give away its freedom for the promise of financial security.  The saddest part is that it’s a false promise; with the government in charge, the only guarantee is mediocrity, not prosperity. Someone needs to ask every politician who dares to vote in favor of all these ‘bailout’ plans when they decided to give up on freedom. 

The sheep that support all this garbage need to see that when you are not free to face the consequences of bad decisions, you are not free at all.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Obama Goes Back to What He Does Best

barak_obama(006-headshot-llooking-right-med)

The fact that most people oppose the stimulus bill literally hurts his feelings.  He can’t be used to receiving criticism like this.  Lord knows he had almost none while he was running for president.  So does he go back to the drawing board and come up with something more palatable to the American public?  Of course not, he’s The One and he’ll use the sheer force of his personality to sway the masses back to his side:

Obama Promoting Agenda In Key Battleground States

Media reports are casting President Obama's trip to Denver (where he'll sign the stimulus bill this morning) and Phoenix as an attempt to boost popular support for his economic agenda. Moreover, says the Los Angeles Times, the tour "reflects a decision by the president to escape the Beltway and touch base with the rest of the country at least once a week" and a recognition "that congressional Republicans were gaining traction in the debate."

Remember when he cited his extensive experience running a presidential campaign as evidence of having the executive experience necessary to be ready on day 1 of the presidency?  Maybe the many recent stumbles and outright failures in his first few weeks of office have caused to him revert back to campaign mode like a scared child assuming the fetal position.

Obama Set to Sign Away Our Whole Economic System Today

080405_obama

I never thought that I would wish bad things for America, but today I do.  I sincerely hope that the economy makes no moves toward recovery that can in any way be twisted by the media into being a result of this Bill.  If that happens, say goodbye to America as an economic superpower and say hello to an America as just another Western European welfare state.

From its inception, America has operated under the belief that government is at best a necessary evil.  As time passed we’ve looked more and more towards the government for the answers to our problems and have successfully turned our once austere government into a massive behemoth constantly trying to intrude into our lives. 

Nothing lasts forever, and I always suspected American superiority would end this way, but I always figured it would be much more gradual.  You’ve got to hand it to Obama, he wasted no time in bringing his “change,” and boy is it a doozy.

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Monday, February 16, 2009

Gillibrand Not Backing Off of Her Pro-Gun Stance

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Sure, she may have caved when they came after her about her immigration stance, but at least she drew the line when they came after her guns.

"If I want to protect my family, if I want to have a weapon in the home, that should be my right," Gillibrand, who has two small children, said in an interview published in Monday's Newsday.

Good luck finding many other Democrats who would utter that seemingly common sense statement.  Notice how they mention she has two small children as if it makes her a bad mother to own guns.  Isn’t that sexist or something?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Geithner to Approve Auto Company Restructuring Plans

geithner

Great.  So a guy who can’t even figure out how to pay his taxes on time is going to figure out how to get the auto companies making money again.  If it were that easy, I’m sure their execs would have figured it out by now.

Maybe they should runs these plans by some people in the private industry who actually know something about making money rather than a bunch of government lackeys.

Everyone’s heard the saying, “if you can’t do, teach.”  Well, there should be a new one, “if you can’t do, govern.”

Friday, February 6, 2009

California’s Clueless Caught Unawares By DMV Furlough

10229354A~Terminator-2-Judgement-Day-Posters

Nearly everyone who showed up to the DMV branch on Alma Avenue in San Jose had no idea it was Day One of California's furlough program, an order by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to shut down most state offices twice a month, including about 180 Department of Motor Vehicle offices, to save the cash-strapped state about $1.3 billion.

Wow.  How can you not hear about this?  I’ve been reading about it for at least a week and I live on the opposite coast.

"I think it's ridiculous," said Lynn Thurman, 58, of San Jose. "The whole situation. There is no need for this. We're supposed to be one of the richest states in the country. If we're so bad off, tell Schwarzenegger to take a pay cut."

Uhh, he doesn’t get paid in the first place lady.  Good try, though.

A San Jose man who asked not to be named said he called in sick Friday, an unpaid day, to run a handful of errands, including going to the DMV. The man said that doing business at the DMV has become increasingly difficult now that the state office no longer keeps Saturday hours.

Maybe if he had told his boss what he really planned on doing instead of lying, the boss could have filled him in about the furlough.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

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Something fishy is going on.  First Russia persuades Kyrgyzstan to shut down our base there (which they deny), and now they volunteer to let us go through them instead.  What are the odds that Obama is so wrapped up in the stimulus bill and his crappy cabinet position appointments  that he’s ignoring warning signs that something bad is brewing out there in the outside world?

Let’s hope Russia is doing this just so they can have more leverage at the bargaining table and that it’s not something more sinister.  With Putin pulling the strings over there, who knows?

What Does Reagan Have to Say About Our Current Economic Crisis?

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Well, nothing really because he is, unfortunately, no longer with us.  But, from James Pethokoukis, Reagan’s farewell speech speaks to us from the grave:

Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive and at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home. ...

You can find the rest of the speech at the link above.

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Speculation Begins On Obama’s First Supreme Court Nominee

RuthBaderGinsburg

As news of Justice Ginsbeug’s tragic diagnosis of pancreatic cancer spreads, people are already guessing at who Obama will nominate to replace her if she decides to retire early.

It wouldn’t be surprising if she did retire, as she can now do so secure in the knowledge that a liberal president will be appointing her replacement. 

An AP story already has a list of likely nominees:

• Judge Diane Wood of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago.

• Judge Kim McLane Wardlaw of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

• Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York.

• Pam Karlan, a law professor at Stanford University.

• Judge Margaret McKeown of the 9th Circuit in San Francisco.

It will be interesting to see if there will be as much stonewalling by the Republicans as there was by the Democrats to Bush’s nominees. 

Obama Setting Stricter Energy Standards On Household Appliances

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Great.  At a time when companies are losing money hand over fist, let’s make them spend even more money by forcing them to increase the energy efficiency standards on their products.  President Obama needs to realize that companies making money is what drives this economy and if he really wants to improve it he needs to start by not doing things to increase their overhead costs.

Also, let’s not forget this hypocrite’s own affinity for keeping it rather warm in the White House:

The capital flew into a bit of a tizzy when, on his first full day in the White House, President Obama was photographed in the Oval Office without his suit jacket. There was, however, a logical explanation: Mr. Obama, who hates the cold, had cranked up the thermostat.

“He’s from Hawaii, O.K.?” said Mr. Obama’s senior adviser, David Axelrod, who occupies the small but strategically located office next door to his boss. “He likes it warm. You could grow orchids in there.”

Emergency Radio Chatter: White House and Hilda Solis-White

Solis

This mock conversation from the LA Times is hilarious:

HS: We had a problem on takeoff. Flew into a flock of liens.

WH: Of what?

HS: Liens. Tax liens. My husband has more than 6,000 in unpaid business taxes.

WH: That's a lot of faxes!

HS: No, not faxes. Taxes. You know, like money. That regular people pay to government.

Make sure to read the whole thing, it’s pretty funny.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

25% of Republicans View Rush Unfavorably

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No surprise here.  They did nominate John McCain after all.  I guarantee you at least half of those Republicans who view Rush unfavorably have probably never listened to him other than the non-contextual snippets played over and over by the MSM. 

Here’s my favorite part of this story:

One in 10 Democrats and independents said they'd never heard of Limbaugh or didn't have an opinion on him; only 17% of Republicans fell in that category.

Doesn’t it seem like they’re trying to make it sound like less Republicans had never heard of him than Dems and independents, when we all know one in 10 is less than 17%?

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Obama Continuing With Office of Faith Based Initiatives

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Obama is expanding Bush’s “Faith Based Initiative” program which seems to irk some on the left.

President Obama's newly revamped Office of Faith Based Initiatives is reigniting a contentious debate across the ideological spectrum over whether religious organizations that accept funds from the government should be allowed to discriminate when hiring.

Private organizations should have the right to hire or not hire anyone they want for any reason, whether religion is involved or not.  However, if you’re going to take government money, you’re going to have to play by their rules. 

Do I think that church organizations who are fundamentally opposed to homosexuality should be forced to hire them?  No, but I also don’t think they should be given money by the government.

When the government spends money on charities they are basically telling taxpayers, “You are going to donate your money to this charity, whether you like it or not.” 

I hate the fact that my tax money goes to organizations like Planned Parenthood that encourage abortions.  I can also see how people who think that homosexuality should be a societal norm would be upset that their tax money goes to fund organizations that in their eyes discriminate against gays.  Both of us could have our way if the government would step out of the charity business altogether.  Give us that little bit of tax money back and let us decide how to donate it (or not donate it) ourselves.

Unemployment at 26 Year High

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Initial unemployment claims are now the highest they’ve been in 26 years.

Is it any wonder employers are cutting jobs left and right?  They have no idea what’s going to happen next.  We have a government full of people arguing about how to “fix” things when all we really need is for everyone to slow down and take a deep breath so people can do some planning.

Everyone is betting on the economy getting worse, and no wonder. Who knows what abomination might come slouching its way out of Washington next? 

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Who Needs the Media Anyway?

080405_obama

So Obama thinks he can use his 13 million email addresses to get around some of the media scrutiny on his latest screw ups.

Because of Obama's reach -- 13 million email addresses is a stunning number -- these sorts of tactics (Daschle? Daschle who?) have the potential to quickly re-focus the American public on the economic stimulus package rather than allow people to linger on the Daschle withdrawal and what it says about Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the president's judgment more broadly.

All of that is not to say the media doesn't have a role to play. But, Obama has a unique ability to end-run the media filter and use technology to make it stick.

First of all, Obama doesn’t need to bypass the “media filter.”  The only filter the media has when it comes to Obama is a thick sheet of rose colored glass. 

Secondly, I’m not all that impressed with 13 million email addresses.  Those people are probably his most hardcore sycophants and weren’t prone to much questioning of The One in the first place.  He’s Preaching to the choir.  It sure doesn’t seem to be helping his stimulus plan, which continues to lose support from the American Public.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Stimulus Can’t Be Used in Institutions That Allow Religious Worship

Prayer

While I don’t think formal religious instruction has a place in publicly funded schools, the wording of this seems overly restrictive.

According to the bill, which the Democratic-controlled House passed despite unanimous Republican opposition, funds are prohibited from being used for the "modernization, renovation, or repair" of facilities that allow "sectarian instruction, religious worship or a school or department of divinity."

Having guided prayer and allowing people to pray individually are two different things.  A school has no right to prevent individuals praying on their own, and if that is considered “allowing religious worship,” then that clause would prevent any school from receiving funds.

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Obama Evidently Still Clueless as to What Caused Our Economic Woes

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I find it hard to believe that he can really be this dense:

Apparently referring to Republican foes of the stimulus plan, Obama said recent criticisms of it "echo the very same failed economic theories that led us into this crisis in the first place: the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems, that we can ignore fundamental challenges like energy independence and the high cost of health care, that we can somehow deal with this in a piecemeal fashion and still expect our economy and our country to thrive."

Obama added: "I reject those theories. And so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change."

Tax cuts had nothing to do with it.  The credit markets were freezing up not because companies weren’t paying enough taxes, but because they were holding onto crappy assets.  Assets that were forced on them by Democrats who made them abandon their normal risk assessments under the delusion that it is every American’s “right” to own a house.  I don’t recall seeing a guarantee to property anywhere in the constitution. 

The American people did not reject any theories when they voted for Obama, because he never offered any alternatives.  They voted for “change,” while having no idea exactly what that meant, because he never told anyone!

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First Gay Couple to Marry in Massachusetts Now Divorced

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For those who oppose gay marriage, it does seem rather ironic that two people who fought so hard to have the government recognize a promise they wished to make to each other, would go on to break that promise a few years later.

While I do think that gay marriage is probably detrimental to society, I wouldn’t be so quick to pounce on this news as if it proved it.  Let’s not forget that most heterosexual marriages end in divorce as well.

Obama Still Trying to Make Sure Everyone Stays Friendly

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Obama is making the mistaken assumption that just because people like him, they’ll go along with his policies.  Yes, you might be able to change the “tone” of Washington, but the disagreements will always be there. 

In the end though, does the tone really matter?  House Republicans gushed about Obama after meeting with him about the stimulus plan, then promptly and unanimously voted against it.  So unless making sure politicians are polite to one another is for some reason extremely important to you, who really cares about the “tone in Washington?”  This is just another example of how naive Obama really is.

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Democrats “Don’t Have the Votes” to Pass the Stimulus Bill

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This means that at least a few Democrats had to join the Republicans in opposition to it.  Congratulations to them all. 

Obama’s not going to let it go that easy though.  Like a lion trying to pick off the young and weak from the herd, he’s meeting one on one with some of the more moderate Republicans.

Also, someone better let Obama know that one percent of a trillion dollars is still a lot of money:

President Obama said, "The overwhelming bulk of the package is sound, is designed to put people back to work. ...Most of the programs that have been criticized, as part of this package amount to less than one percent of the overall package."

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Obama Set to Cap Exec Pay

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Most of us are outraged when we hear about these Wall Street Execs and their bonuses, which are so much more than we little people make, especially when they are the recipients of our tax money.  Tax money that wouldn’t be needed if they hadn’t bungled the running of their company in the first place.

In his latest effort to demonize Wall Street, Obama is expected to announce a plan capping financial compensation to the executives of companies who receive bailout money.

While my first instinct is to agree, something about this nags at me. Now more than ever, these companies are going to need the most talented people they can find to help bring them back from the brink.  This compensation cap drives the truly talented away and ensures that only the mediocre will ever run companies that have received federal funds.

Don’t worry, I have an alternate plan: stop bailing out corporate losers!

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Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Sen. Russ Feingold Calls For an Amendment for Senate Appointments

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He wants  a special election instead of just having governors appoint them. What prompted this sudden interest in the way replacement senators are picked?  No, not the fact that Blagojevich was still able to appoint a replacement for Obama seat in the Senate, despite being accused of trying to sell it in the first place.  It was because he didn’t like the fact that the Democrat governor of Illinois is going to appoint a Republican to take Judd Gregg’s spot.

To be honest, I agree that the spots should probably be filled by a special election.  I’m just surprised that he has the gall to say something now, after sitting quietly through the Blago fiasco.