Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The Widening Gulf

I grew up on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It's a place I remember fondly and still have a special place in my heart for. Now, I get to see what government incompetence is doing to it, (not that I had the least bit of faith that they'd actually do anything), in the wake of the Deep Horizon disaster. Unlike other countries that have crafted contingency plans and put equipment in place for the inevitable accidents that are going to occur with oil, the US has managed to thrash about and get virtually nothing done, despite being offered aid from other countries who have experience in these matters. One of the many aspects of the current regimes failure stems from their love of labour unions. The Dutch have offered immediate aid to the US with advanced machinery and trained personnel and the US has declined. Oh, they're willing to take the equipment, but they want US union people to be trained to do the task, rather than let the Dutch just get right to work.

This type of nonsense is par for the course where the Obama regime is concerned. They are putting the interests of labour unions ahead of the people and environment of the Gulf Coast. What else could we expect, tho? Unions put the man in the White House and he's paying them back in spades, no matter the cost to the coast. And, as usual, the American press are choosing to ignore and purposefully overlook his administrations monumental failings. Thankfully, the foreign press is not so enamoured of him.

Some are attuned to the possibility of looming catastrophe and know how to head it off. Others are unprepared for risk and even unable to get their priorities straight when risk turns to reality.

The Dutch fall into the first group. Three days after the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico began on April 20, the Netherlands offered the U.S. government ships equipped to handle a major spill, one much larger than the BP spill that then appeared to be underway. "Our system can handle 400 cubic metres per hour," Weird Koops, the chairman of Spill Response Group Holland, told Radio Netherlands Worldwide, giving each Dutch ship more cleanup capacity than all the ships that the U.S. was then employing in the Gulf to combat the spill.

To protect against the possibility that its equipment wouldn't capture all the oil gushing from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, the Dutch also offered to prepare for the U.S. a contingency plan to protect Louisiana's marshlands with sand barriers. One Dutch research institute specializing in deltas, coastal areas and rivers, in fact, developed a strategy to begin building 60-mile-long sand dikes within three weeks.

The Dutch know how to handle maritime emergencies. In the event of an oil spill, The Netherlands government, which owns its own ships and high-tech skimmers, gives an oil company 12 hours to demonstrate it has the spill in hand. If the company shows signs of unpreparedness, the government dispatches its own ships at the oil company's expense. "If there's a country that's experienced with building dikes and managing water, it's the Netherlands," says Geert Visser, the Dutch consul general in Houston.

In sharp contrast to Dutch preparedness before the fact and the Dutch instinct to dive into action once an emergency becomes apparent, witness the American reaction to the Dutch offer of help. The U.S. government responded with "Thanks but no thanks," remarked Visser, despite BP's desire to bring in the Dutch equipment and despite the no-lose nature of the Dutch offer --the Dutch government offered the use of its equipment at no charge.
More at the source.

Thank goodness there are people like the Dutch, who are competent. Here's hoping that Obama and his regime finally get out of the way and let the grownups handle things. We can't stand much more of his Hope and Change. Maybe his worshipers in the environmental movement will remember this debacle when the elections roll around.

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Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Kings Largess

Obama is relishing his role as anointed saviour for the Democrats. Now come this story of his largess, otherwise known as vote buying to the rational sector.

WASHINGTON — President Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize a second $250 stimulus check to be sent early next year to an estimated 57 million Social Security recipients, veterans and people with disabilities.

In effect, the payment would be in lieu of a cost-of-living increase for Social Security beneficiaries next year. The White House request, and receptive statements from Congressional Democratic leaders, anticipated an announcement on Thursday from the Social Security Administration that there would be no cost-of-living adjustment for 2010 because the inflation rate has been negative as the recession has driven down prices.

By contrast, a year ago the cost of living adjustment was 5.8 percent, reflecting strong inflation and high energy prices.

White House officials put the cost of the checks at $13 billion. The first $250 checks went out in May as part of the $787 billion two-year stimulus package. As with that package, the officials said Mr. Obama would not ask Congress to offset the cost with other savings because the checks were intended to stimulate the economy, and budget cuts or tax increases would defeat that.

The money would go to all Social Security beneficiaries, regardless of their income, as well as disabled veterans, those eligible for railroad retirement payments and people who receive federal and state government pensions instead of Social Security.
This is a blatant attempt on his part to buy votes. With soaring deficits and out of control spending from Congress, the fact that he would even think of spending more money is mind boggling.Then again, nothing this man does surprises me any more. His complete lack of understanding about the economy and spending is monumental. He and his cohorts in Congress see a rough time ahead, as we he get into the 2010 elections. Here's a chance to target likely voters and buy some votes, which they'll likely need. The fact that we, and our kids, shall have to pay for his vote buying scheme only adds to the issue. Maybe he could use some of his Nobel money to fund this? Naw. Bet that never occurs to him.

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Something For Nothing

As may happen quite often I return to the trio from the Great White North for inspiration and commentary. They say it much better than anyone else.



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Saturday, October 10, 2009

Taking An Axe To The First Amendment

Mr. Obama seems committed to bringing about change. Now comes news that his regime is cosponsoring a UN treaty that would be in direct conflict with our right to Free Speech.
The Obama Administration has now actually co-sponsored an anti-free speech resolution at the United Nations. Approved by the U.N. Human Rights Council last Friday, the resolution, cosponsored by the U.S. and Egypt, calls on states to condemn and criminalize “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”

What could be wrong with that? Plenty.
On its face it sounds nice. Tyranny usually does, to those who support such things. The problem with this thing is that it's in direct conflict with the highest law of the land in America. Eugene Volokh takes a gander at it and explains it better than I could.

But we still have the First Amendment, right? Legal expert Eugene Volokh, in an excellent analysis of the resolution, explains why it isn’t that easy to dismiss this. “If the U.S. backs a resolution that urges the suppression of some speech,” he explains, “presumably we are taking the view that all countries -- including the U.S. -- should adhere to this resolution. If we are constitutionally barred from adhering to it by our domestic constitution, then we’re implicitly criticizing that constitution, and committing ourselves to do what we can to change it.” He adds that in order to be consistent, “the Administration would presumably have to take what steps it can to ensure that supposed ‘hate speech’ that incites hostility will indeed be punished. It would presumably be committed to filing amicus briefs supporting changes in First Amendment law to allow such punishment, and in principle perhaps the appointment of Justices who would endorse such changes (or even the proposal of express constitutional amendments that would work such changes).”
This is change we cannot live with. I have absolutely nothing against Islam and its followers. Shoot, after 6 years in the Middle East I have a better understanding of them than many people. I refuse to condemn the totality of Islam for the horrific actions of a radicalised segment of their numbers. What I cannot countenance, tho is watching the current regime in D.C. shred the 1st Amendment in order to appease the sensitivities of the followers of Islam. Or any other religion or political belief.

The Dear Leader is taking this country down a bad pathway and it doesn't lead to a pretty place. I'm not sure he knows what his job is supposed to be. It's certainly not this.

“I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.”-Barack Obama

Protecting peoples ability to worship as they will is part of his job. Protecting their feelings, is not. We shouldn't have to remind him of this, he's supposedly an educated man.

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Friday, October 09, 2009

Having A WTF? Moment

So, I wake up this morning and find out that the corrupt organisation Stockholm has granted a Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama. Excuse me? Here we have a man who is currently prosecuting two wars and is imprisoning people without trial and he gets the prize? Fer cryin' out loud. He hasn't done anything to foster peace in the world. He went on a world apology tour and made us the laughingstock of the Middle East. Is that what counts? His envoy to the Middle East has managed to do squat since he started burning up jet fuel. What has Obama done? Nothing. *sigh*

I'm sorry, but this just reinforces the belief of all sane people that the Nobel Peace Prize is a travesty and a continuing joke. First they gave it to a terrorist and now they grant it to someone who hasn't done a damned thing to promote peace. What a way to end the week. Now we'll have to listen to the Dear Leaders followers crowing about his do nothing policies till they run out of hot air. The cult of personality has gone global.

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On A Nobel Peace Prize Kinda Day

Here's what we're dealing with, now deal with it.




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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Ratchetting Up The Fear Factor

Well, the powers that be have decided that they need a distraction from the looming deficit, the spectre of hyperinflation and an the impending takeover of the American health care system. So, what have they done? They've trotted out their old buddy H1N1, the Swine Flu, again.
Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Swine flu may hospitalize 1.8 million patients in the U.S. this year, filling intensive care units to capacity and causing “severe disruptions” during a fall resurgence, scientific advisers to the White House warned.

Swine flu, also known as H1N1, may infect as much as half of the population and kill 30,000 to 90,000 people, double the deaths caused by the typical seasonal flu, according to the planning scenario issued yesterday by the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology. Intensive care units in hospitals, some of which use 80 percent of their space in normal operation, may need every bed for flu cases, the report said.
Swine Flu is the new terrorism for the current regime. "Advisers" making predictions such as this are doing nothing more than pimping fear in the populace. Oh, No! There's not enough vaccine. Someone save us! There won't be enough health care people to care for the ill. Oh. My. God! What about the children?

Fortunately, the same article has a ray of sunshine and a voice of reason. Too bad he wasn't an adviser.
‘Overblown’ Estimates

The estimates seem “overblown,” Gross said, given that swine-flu outbreaks in 1968 and 1957 failed to cause as many deaths, even with medical technology and disease surveillance less advanced than today.

“Influenza, you can make all the predictions you want, but it’s more difficult than predicting the weather,” Gross said yesterday in a telephone interview, after the advisory report was made public. “If influenza was a stock, I wouldn’t touch it.”
Rumour and fear around this subject are everywhere. They ignore the facts of this influenza. Extremely few people have died from it. The majority of people have had no serious symptoms. The government speaks and people panic. Can't say that I blame them, given governments past efforts in virtually every arena. Talk of mandatory vaccination of children and others runs through some quarters. The use of troops to quell unrest, in the event of a plague has been put forth. More and more scare tactics, every day to keep people reeling. It's time to take a step back. Take a breath and learn something from our comrade in arms, BW. Refuse to be afraid. (Download his ebook while you're at it!). Ignore the government. Refuse to play their game. There's time enough to resist when we actually know what they intend, if anything. We can always refuse them, that's what liberty and freedom are all about. And, now a few words from Frank Herbert.

I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.



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Monday, July 27, 2009

.Gov Giveth And .Gov Taketh Away

Got an older vehicle that the new Left and their ilk might consider a clunker? Heard about their "Cash For Clunkers" deal? You know, the one where the taxpayers subsidize you purchase of a new car, if you trade in your old one? Well, maybe you shouldn't be so fast on the pedal there. Seems like the bureaucrats running things changed the very definition of clunker before they allowed all those stolen dollars to be given out. From Jalopnik comes this bit of news.

EPA Secretly Changing MPG Numbers Ahead Of Cash For Clunkers, Screwing Consumers

Consumers hoping to trade in their old "clunkers" for new vehicles through the Cash for Clunkers (or CARS) program are discovering the EPA changed fuel economy numbers for some cars last week, making it impossible to trade them in!

New Jersey resident Jeff Chase was considering trading in his 1989 Mazda 929 for a new car and checked the government's FuelEconomy.gov website and it said it met the 18 MPG threshold to be considered a gas-guzzling clunker. He went back later to buy the new car only to discover the numbers had been changed and the combined mileage was now 19 MPG and therefore disqualified from the discount.

"The dealer that I wanted to do business with had started to write sales orders for cars but were not delivering them until the final CARS rules were set," said Jeff Chance. "They are finding out that cars that they thought were qualified as trade-ins are no longer eligible. Now these people will not be able to purchase a car."
Ah, the government. They get some peoples hopes up then dash them on the rocks of bureaucratic reality. Now, that some Hope and Change for you. Things only mean what the government says they do.

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Friday, May 29, 2009

Something Wicked This Way Comes


我想昧耳,昧心,變石頭・我想昧耳,昧心,变石头
Wo shang mei er, mei xin, bian shi tou. Please God, make me a stone. - River Tam, Serenity
We are all going to enter into a new and devastating world sooner than we wish and our children and grandchildren will be the ones bearing the burdens of today's willful ignorance. USA Today reported that the current US debt has risen another 12%, to a whopping $63.8 trillion, and the destructive spending coming from Washington and the cretins who dwell there shows no signs of slowing. The new President is more than willing to not only continue spending, but to add more trillions of dollars in debt to further his destructive socialist agenda.
The latest increase raises federal obligations to a record $546,668 per household in 2008, according to the USA TODAY analysis. That's quadruple what the average U.S. household owes for all mortgages, car loans, credit cards and other debt combined.

"We have a huge implicit mortgage on every household in America — except, unlike a real mortgage, it's not backed up by a house," says David Walker, former U.S. comptroller general, the government's top auditor.

USA TODAY used federal data to compute all government liabilities, from Treasury bonds to Medicare to military pensions.

Bottom line: The government took on $6.8 trillion in new obligations in 2008, pushing the total owed to a record $63.8 trillion.

The numbers measure what's needed today — set aside in a lump sum, earning interest — to pay benefits that won't be covered by future taxes.
Despite these numbers, which the politicians must know about, unless they are blind, deaf, dumb and illiterate, Obama and his regime plan on saddling us with a multi-trillion dollar "health care" system, as well as other programs that will push this country, and everyone in it, further into soul crushing debt. Children as yet unborn will enter the world 10's, if not 100's of thousands of dollars in debt. They will spend their lives in toil to repay a the money that politicians and their supporters saddle them with today. They shall live, work and die as debtors for the governments follies.

Even if the government were to tax everyone at 100%, this debt would never be able to be repaid. This country may be left with no other recourse than to repudiate the debts foisted on us by this and past regimes and declare bankruptcy as a nation. That is something we are likely to never recover from.

The people leading us to this fiscally irresponsible horror have no care for the future, beyond maintaining their power through the broken electoral system. They will continue their assault on us, despite the fact that The Great Leader admits that the country is broke. When and where will it end? We will either have to harden our hearts and become stones to bear this or it will end in violence when no more may be borne by the peasantry.

We may well be past the point where there are "libertarian" or "conservative" or any political solution for this. Ceasing spending alone is not the answer. That $63.8 trillion will still be out there hanging over our heads like the sword of Damocles. Only a dismantling of government, programs and entitlements will have any effect. Even that is unlikely to do the job, since people will inevitably wish for "pragmatism" and a slow dismantling, (which is unlikely, as they'll wish to maintain their power base and the bureaucracy).

I fear for my children and theirs to come. The world they will inhabit will be vastly worse than that we once inhabited. Thanks entirely to politicians and their quests for power.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Yet Another Soda Tax

First it was the governor of New York, wanting to raise more money for his dwindling coffers. Now it's the current regime and Obama who want to impose yet another tax on people and their carbonated beverages in order to help him fund his socialised medicine scheme.
Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system.

The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama wants to enact this year. Early estimates put the cost of the plan at around $1.2 trillion. The administration has so far only earmarked funds for about half of that amount.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.

Senior staff members for some Democratic senators at the center of the effort to craft health-care legislation are weighing the idea behind closed doors, Senate aides said.

The Congressional Budget Office, which is providing lawmakers with cost estimates for each potential change in the health overhaul, included the option in a broad report on health-system financing in December. The office estimated that adding a tax of three cents per 12-ounce serving to these types of sweetened drinks would generate $24 billion over the next four years. So far, lawmakers have not indicated how big a tax they are considering.
Mr. Obama and his bureaucratic cohorts are willing to add a "sin tax" on people who just want a few joyous moments with a frosty non-alcoholic beverage. This is just the opening salvo in his tax and spend health rationing plans. No doubt other onerous taxes lay in wait in the wings to fund this debacle. Fat taxes, fast food taxes, non-organic food taxes, organic food taxes and more are likely to rear their ugly heads, just to fund Obama's "health care" plans.

If they pass this one without resistance we can rest assured that they will see this as a sign of weakness and will rush to impose even more taxation measures. That's just the way these people work. Give them an inch and they want a mile. It's only a few cents, right? It's always a few cents here and there, and then pretty soon it's a whole dollar. Every soda you buy today already has embedded taxes in it that the companies have to pass along to the consumer. Fuel taxes, local, state and federal taxes, payroll taxes and a wide variety of incremental taxes that range from local to the federal levels. The politicians are counting on us not caring about " a few cents more". Well, I care.

You should, too. This taxation will be used to fund government controlled medicine. It doesn't work anywhere else in the world, why would we think that a Chicago politician would be able to do any better than anyone else? I certainly don't want the government controlling and rationing health care. They do a lousy job of it already and are more than partially responsible for most of the problems that we do see in our current system. No thanks. Keep your hands of my health care and my little pleasures in life.

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Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Government To The Extreme

What do you call it when the government goes into a business and resets all the salaries for you, even if you already have contractual obligations that you have committed to? It certainly isn't the form of government our Constitution was crafted for. In fact, it sounds downright...hmmm....what's the word I'm looking for? Starts with a C or maybe an F? Oh, well. I'm sure it'll come to me soon enough. Whatever it is, it's certainly being embraced by the Democrat majority in Washington, led by the Spitter in Chief, Barney Frank. They're actually planning on going into private companies and setting the salaries themselves, from top to bottom. The government will now determine what employees should be paid.
But now, in a little-noticed move, the House Financial Services Committee, led by chairman Barney Frank, has approved a measure that would, in some key ways, go beyond the most draconian features of the original AIG bill. The new legislation, the "Pay for Performance Act of 2009," would impose government controls on the pay of all employees -- not just top executives -- of companies that have received a capital investment from the U.S. government. It would, like the tax measure, be retroactive, changing the terms of compensation agreements already in place. And it would give Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner extraordinary power to determine the pay of thousands of employees of American companies.

The purpose of the legislation is to "prohibit unreasonable and excessive compensation and compensation not based on performance standards," according to the bill's language. That includes regular pay, bonuses -- everything -- paid to employees of companies in whom the government has a capital stake, including those that have received funds through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP, as well as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The measure is not limited just to those firms that received the largest sums of money, or just to the top 25 or 50 executives of those companies. It applies to all employees of all companies involved, for as long as the government is invested. And it would not only apply going forward, but also retroactively to existing contracts and pay arrangements of institutions that have already received funds.

In addition, the bill gives Geithner the authority to decide what pay is "unreasonable" or "excessive." And it directs the Treasury Department to come up with a method to evaluate "the performance of the individual executive or employee to whom the payment relates."

The bill passed the Financial Services Committee last week, 38 to 22, on a nearly party-line vote. (All Democrats voted for it, and all Republicans, with the exception of Reps. Ed Royce of California and Walter Jones of North Carolina, voted against it.)
Any bets that this abomination passes and gets signed into law by the Great Leader? He's already made steps to take over other industries. It's that kind of world now, not one to be proud of. And these people wonder why guns and ammo are flying off the shelves.

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Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Opening Salvo

Well, it's official now. Attorney General Eric Holder has officially announced the Obama regimes intention to the re-institute the expired "Assault Weapons Ban". Not because there is any rise in use of semi-automatic rifles in crimes in the U.S.. Nope, he wants it re-instituted because Mexico is falling apart under the strain of the failed War On Drugs.
The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today. "As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons," Holder told reporters.

Holder said that putting the ban back in place would not only be a positive move by the United States, it would help cut down on the flow of guns going across the border into Mexico, which is struggling with heavy violence among drug cartels along the border.

"I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum." Holder said at a news conference on the arrest of more than 700 people in a drug enforcement crackdown on Mexican drug cartels operating in the U.S.
Mr. Holder and Mr. Obama wish to further the infringement of our rights because a neighbouring country is falling apart. Because violence along the border is escalating and is already spilling over that border, they wish to disarm the very people who may need semi-automatic rifles for protection.

The Obama administration had best pay heed to the words of those out in the real world. Folks aren't going to take disarmament well and there will likely be repercussions. Hopefully, those repercussions will be at the ballot box and not in the streets. Firearms sales of semi-autos are already at an all time high, in anticipation of just such an announcement from the Obama administration. What do these bureaucrats think the reaction will be should they manage to pass another useless firearms ban? Sad to say, but these people are so stupid that they cannot even see beyond their own noses where this issue is concerned. They'd best get new glasses that let them see reality, rather than the world they exist in inside the Beltway.

I wonder if the NRA is regretting not opposing Eric Holders nomination now? Or are they still suffering from Beltway Blindness? And what will the response be from the Libertarian Party? Will they actually join in the fray for once?

For more on this join the discussion over at David Codrea's Examiner column. No doubt there will be lots to be said there and at Digg. This is just the warning shot, the battle is still to come.

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UPDATE: Nancy Pelosi weighs in and denies any push to reenact the AWB. Of course her lips were moving and we all know what that means.
Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat “no” when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.

“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Rushing To Disaster

So, both houses of Congress are set to vote on their "stimulus" package. Too bad they're going to vote on something that none of them have freakin' bothered to read! Or will have the time to read.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) predicted on Thursday that none of his Senate colleagues would "have the chance" to read the entire final version of the $790-billion stimulus bill before the bill comes up for a final vote in Congress.

“No, I don’t think anyone will have the chance to [read the entire bill],” Lautenberg told CNSNews.com.

The final bill, crafted by a House-Senate conference committee, was posted on the Website of the House Appropriations Committe late Thurday in two PDF files.

The first PDF was 424 pages long and the second PDF was 575 pages long, making the total bill 999 pages long. The House is expected to vote on this 999-page bill Friday, and the Senate either later Friday or Saturday. [Editor's note: The first PDF, as posted on the House Appropriations Committee website as of 8:20 AM Friday morning, had grown by 72 pages to 496 pages, increasing the length of the total document to 1,071 pages.]

Of the several senators that CNSNews.com interviewed on Thursday, only Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio) claimed to have read the entire bill--and he was speaking of the preliminary version that had been approved by the Senate, not the final 999-page version that the House-Senate conference committee was still haggling over on Thursday afternoon.

When CNSNews.com asked members of both parties on Capitol Hill on Thursday whether they had read the full, final bill, not one member could say, "Yes."
Why the rush? Well, as is being reported by Drudge, it's all because of Nacy Pelosi and a planned Europe junket to Italy and other parts, so she can receive an award from the Italians.
Rep. John Culberson, TX claims the "stimulus" bill must be urgently voted on today -- because Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leaving at 6:00 PM for an 8 day trip to Europe!

Culberson made the charge on Houston's KSEV radio.

Pelosi is hoping to lead a delegation to Europe; there's a meeting with the Pope and an award from an Italian legislative group.

Calls to Pelosi's spokesman went unreturned.

In the rushing, Democrats have now broken their promise to have the public see the $790 billion bill for 48 hours before any vote.

They, those people who are going to rush to vote on this measure, are going to throw us into the fire of debt for political gain. It's not like this "stimulus" is going to actually work. Quite the opposite, in fact. This will do more damage to our economy than doing nothing would. Even though it is unlikely to work in any substantive way, give your Congressional "representatives" a call or an email on this. Demand that they not vote until the bill has been read and understood. And then vote no. We, and our children cannot afford this bill.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Government Health Care Is Here

Well, the Senate has passed Obama's spending bill, along with the tons of pork. It won't do any good, in the short or long term, but that's seemingly neither here nor there. Hidden amongst the hundreds of unread pages in this disaster is something much worse than all that spending. The politicians and Obama have managed to place a national health care scheme into this bill (.pdf). One in which the government, (not you and your physician) will determine what therapy you should receive. Thousands of people will be sentenced to death by the governments health "care" Tsar and their bureaucracy.
The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

New Penalties

Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties. “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)
The worlds best health care system just became a thing of the past, unless people can somehow persuade their politicians to yank this abomination from the bill, which the Senate and House will have to agree to. Do not expect Indiana's Evan Bayh to object to this, (he voted yes). He's a strong proponent of bigger, more intrusive government, like Mr. Obama. "Universal health care" is here.

Don't get sick in the future. Unless you want some government employee deciding your health care options for you.

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Thursday, February 05, 2009

Clear And Present Danger?

So, it appears that our Glorious Leader truly wants his "stimulus package" to go through, no matter how pork laden it is. He's even gone out of his way to address the issue in the Washington Post with an article on it which is filled with scaremongering. That's a big play to make this early in his tenure.
Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.
The only problem is that his bill is laden with pork to the tune of a trillion dollars and more is being added every minute. Millions for the arts, billions for failed education policies and billions for projects that are nothing more than long ignored earmarks. And it will all be for naught as this is highly unlikely to work as he would have it. The only job growth we will see will be in the area of government and socialism, cancerous growths we can do without.

I would say that you should contact your Senators, (as I did) and demand that they vote No on this boondoggle. Unfortunately, it is likely to make no difference in how they will vote. They no longer care what you think and will either vote a party line or vote against what the majority of their constituents demand. Representative government has become a myth, one which we cling to in vain hope.

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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Another Brick In The Wall

So, President Obama has his hand picked people going through the process of gaining their positions of power and one of the most important of them is a bad one. A really bad one.
Eric Holder, Obama’s nominee for attorney general, is hostile to civil liberties. He has previously expressed veiled support for using the misnamed “Fairness Doctrine” to squelch “conservative critiques” and “conservative media,” such as Fox News (which Holder believes is anything but “Fair and Balanced,” contrary to its slogan). The “Fairness Doctrine” is designed to shut down conservative Talk Radio.

Holder also has advocated hate-crimes legislation to prosecute people whom state prosecutors refuse to prosecute because of a lack of evidence. To justify broadening federal hate-crimes law, he cited three examples where state prosecutors refused to prosecute, citing a lack of evidence. In each, a federal jury acquitted the accused, finding them not guilty.
This doesn't even touch on his naked hatred of the 2nd Amendment and gun owners. This man is the worst of all possible worlds for libertarians and, especially for gun owners and yet there has been almost no opposition to his taking the reins at DoJ. Senator John Barrasso, (R-Wyoming) is seemingly the only one standing on his principles and opposing the nomination of Holder.

One question we do need to be asking is who else stands in opposition to this man? It's certain that the Libertarian Party doesn't. They're remarkably silent on the issue. The same cannot be said of their former Presidential candidate, Bob Barr. He has come out fully in favour of the man (.pdf) who sent armed marauders to kidnap Elian Gonzalez and who freed Puerto Rican terrorists at the behest of Bill Clinton. As things go in the LP Bob Barr speaks for the party. This means that the LP, by extension and the words of their chosen spokesperson supports placing this man in power. Silence is support.

The LP, now dominated by "pragmatists" and neo-Libertarians, stands in direct opposition to libertarian aims and goals. The time has come for them to repudiate the Republican in their midst who now acts as the face and mouth of the party. What has the LP become that they lend their tacit support to a man such as Holder? Who will stand to answer for their spokesman? No-one. Like Pilate they wash their hands and turn away. If the Libertarian Party won't stand in opposition to bad politicians then who will?

(Hat Tip to David Codrea for doing the yeoman's work)

UPDATE: Looks like the LP is playing catch up. Better late than never, I guess. Of course they didn't bother to mention any of his other egregious faults. Looks like they're falling down in the research department.

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Tuesday, January 20, 2009

All Hail The King

Well, the day of anointing is upon and the teeming masses have gathered in the Beltway cesspool to witness the investiture of the 44th Great Leader. While he and his followers will spend the day celebrating his ascension to the throne, (aided in this by the media who are even now broadcasting the event non-stop over the airwaves), others, such as myself will try to avoid the event. Well, I guess we can let them have their day, since we could hardly stop the even, in any case.

Instead we can look to tomorrow, when the latest in rulers will truly begin to flex his political muscles and begin to inflict his agenda, (and that of his cohorts) upon us. It's already starting, to tell the truth. Gun control advocates have taken an early start and begun their latest assault upon our right to self defence. The supporters of socialism have already begun crafting their newest deficit busting "bailout" and releasing the remaining monies from the last one, in hopes of having it ready to be signed and enacted by Mr. Obama as soon as he ascends to the throne.

Lest we forget the Chosen Ones words during, and after the campaign, a "national service" bill has already been introduced by the Great and Powerful Ted. It's certainly far reaching, too! Moreso than the original crafted by the LightBringer.
The plan is aimed at encouraging volunteerism, from kindergarten-aged children to retirees. Employers would be eligible for tax breaks if they allow employees to take paid time off for full-time national service, while retirees would be eligible for "Encore Fellowships" subsidizing public service work.
Of course, if certain people have their way he'll have a great deal of time in which to pursue these goals. One of his fellows in Congress would like nothing better than to see the repeal of the 22nd Amendment in order to make his rule permanent. Ah, the Left....you can always count on them to go the extra mile.

Yep, We're in for some serious Hope and Change over the next few years. I don't see much Hope for Change to less government and more respect for the rights of the individual, tho. That's an unlikely scenario given the stage that's being set for us. I sure hope libertarian folk are ready for what's coming.

Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo Stato

Guess we'll have to get used to it.


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Sunday, January 11, 2009

The Gun Show Phenomenon

Well, as is my wont I ventured out yesterday to the Indy 1500 Gun and Knife Show. What a surprise it was, too. The crowds were amazing. Easily 3-4 times the usual number of people were visiting the show. I've never seen it so crowded. Apparently, Mr. Obama's election has inspired numerous people to exercise their 2nd Amendment Rights. The prices reflected a sellers market, too. Ammo that I would have normally bought was up $50 more per case than the last time I purchased. Why? Well, from my discussions with the sellers it boiled down to one thing. They didn't know if they'd be able to restock their supplies of ammo for certain calibres. The fear of gun and ammo bans is palpable in the market.

Many of the sellers have also raised the prices on their EBR's and other "evil" rifles to match. Handguns seem to be maintaining their prices, altho a few of the regulars have added a buck or two, here and there. All in all it's seemingly a good time to be doing business in the firearms market. For the moment, at any rate. In the future many of these folks could well find themselves out of business and that's why they're trying to move their existing inventory. No sense in getting stuck with something you'll never be allowed to sell.

The folks buying were a mixed bag, too. Lots of first time buyers and many more women according to the sellers at the show. All motivated by an uncertain future where Mr. Obama and the new regime are concerned. Even I laid in a couple of necessary things that are likely to come under any future ban from the incoming regime.

All is not gloom and doom on this front, tho. I managed to meet a few fellow bloggers at the show, as well. All of whom run well known and popular blogs in the 2nd Amendment community. Mike Vanderboegh was there, promoting the Sypsey Street Irregulars and his upcoming book, "Absolved". David Codrea, from War On Guns slogged his way through the snow from Ohio to attend. Mike H from "What McAuliffe Said" was in attendance, as well. The Western Rifle Shooters main man was also there. So many notable gun bloggers in one place must have generated more than the normal ATF reports, it was practically a convention. It was certainly nice to finally meet so many of the people whom I read on a daily basis and who do such a good job of keeping folks informed and motivated. I do look forward to the next time and hope they all have safe trips home.

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Thursday, December 04, 2008

Coming Clean

At last one of the legions of Obama followers has decided to come clean where their anti-2nd Amendment/Victim Disarmament is concerned.

Nobody can accuse Obama of campaigning dishonestly on the issue of gun control. The nation's first modern urban president repeatedly explained that his understanding of the Second Amendment included the need for restrictions aimed at reducing gun violence, especially in the cities. In a sign that he intended to win on the issue by shooting straight with voters, he even mentioned his gun-control agenda during his Denver acceptance speech, challenging the idea that gun control was a third rail that guaranteed defeat in states like Ohio and Virginia.

As codified in his urban policy platform, Obama consistently advocated for increasing law enforcement's ability to trace guns by reinstituting tracking legislation repealed by the Bush administration; closing the famous "gun show loophole" that allows gun buyers to avoid background checks; mandating additional safety features on U.S.-manufactured guns; and resurrecting the expired ban on assault weapons and making it permanent.

Now, all of us gun owners already knew the score and had mentioned it more than once, but it's always nice to be validated. This guy even goes so far as to point out the personae dramatica in the upcoming drama.
Not only do Obama and Biden have strong gun control records, the incoming attorney general is a one-man gun control lobby unto himself. As deputy A.G. in the Clinton administration, Eric Holder advocated federal licensing requirements for handguns, a three-day waiting period on some gun sales and rationing handgun sales to no more than one per month. More recently, he signed an amicus brief in support of the District of Columbia's handgun ban when it came before the Supreme Court. The conservative site newsmax.com calls Holder a "gun control nightmare."
It's too bad that things are likely to become rather nasty when this issue does rear its ugly head. Oh, well. That's why they call it the law of unintended consequences.

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Sunday, November 09, 2008

Change You Can Count On

It seems as if the Ministry of Truth in the new Obama regime has decided to retruth their Change.gov site, since everyone discovered their plans for us. As of today all that remains of their proposed agenda is this.

The Agenda

President-Elect Obama and Vice President-Elect Biden have developed innovative approaches to challenge the status quo in Washington and to bring about the kind of change America needs.

The Obama Administration has a comprehensive and detailed agenda to carry out its policies. The principal priorities of the Obama Administration include: a plan to revive the economy, to fix our health care, education, and social security systems, to define a clear path to energy independence, to end the war in Iraq responsibly and finish our mission in Afghanistan, and to work with our allies to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, among many other domestic and foreign policy objectives.

Who, other than the Obama regime puts up a website, tears it down and memory holes it in the course of a couple of days? No-one who intends to tell the truth.

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