Fwd: Morning Bell: Anti-Business Obama

07/09/2010 Anti-Business Obama It looks like the Obama spin machine is at it again, this time launching a concerted effort to rebut reports this week that President Barack Obama is anti-business. But given Obama's record of stoking government intervention in the private sector and creating an environment of uncertainty poisonous to business growth, hiring and expansion, it's no wonder the President is branded with an anti-business scarlet letter. The storyline began in The Washington Post, where columnist Fareed Zakaria endeavored to find out why America's 500 largest nonfinancial companies are sitting on $1.8 trillion in cash, rather than spending it on expansion (which would mean new jobs). Business leaders told Zakaria that it comes down to economic uncertainty surrounding new laws, regulations and taxes; the expansion of federal agencies' authority; and the unknown implications of Obamacare, financial reform and cap-and-trade. And the kicker? Zakaria notes that most of them had voted for Obama yet all of them now believe he is "at his core, anti-business."

Fwd: Gibbs Evades Question of Whether Obama Agrees With His Medicare Director That Health-Care System Must Redistribute Wealth

Today's Headlines Friday, July 9, 2010

Gibbs Evades Question of Whether Obama Agrees With His Medicare Director That Health-Care System Must Redistribute Wealth (CNSNews.com) – White House spokesman Robert Gibbs evaded a question on whether President Barack Obama agrees with Dr. Donald Berwick, his newly appointed director of Medicare and Medicaid, who has insisted that health-care systems must redistribute wealth. When asked directly at the July 7 White House press briefing whether Obama agreed with Berwick's comments, Gibbs would not answer the question. Instead, he parried it with jocular statements about the provenance of the quote. Financial Regulatory Bill Approved by House Gives Feds Power to Subpoena Any Record from Any Financial Institution Without Establishing Any Probable Cause (CNSNews.com) – The financial regulatory bill approved by the House would give federal bureaucrats the power to subpoena any record from any financial institution without establishing any probable cause that a crime has been committed. The bill now awaits final Senate approval. Democrats Introduce Bill to Restrict Speech of Pro-Life Crisis Pregnancy Centers by Controlling Their Advertising (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) have reintroduced legislation to regulate what they and other pro-abortion advocates claim is questionable advertising by pregnancy resource centers. The bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission to restrict advertising by the pregnancy resource centers, specifically ads that "create the impression that such person is a provider of abortion services if such person does not provide abortion services." Critics say the bill is designed to steer women away from organizations that provide alternatives to abortion. Two Congressmen, Both Democrats, Ask Obama to Dismiss His NOAA Administrator (CNSNews.com) - Reps. Barney Frank and John Tierney, both Massachusetts Democrats, say the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has shown hostility to the concerns of fishermen and should step down. Among other problems, a recent inspector-general's report found problems with the way NOAA's Office of Law Enforcement spent money raised through fines and penalties on fishermen. 'God Is Sad and God Is Mad' Over Oil Spill, Says Liberal Religious Leader (CNSNews.com) – The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico "has to convert us and change us," an evangelical preacher told reporters this week. The Rev. Jim Wallis, editor of the liberal religious magazine Sojourners, and other religious leaders recently took a three-hour tour of coastal Louisiana to examine the oil spill damage in the Gulf. Their tour was organized by the Sierra Club."None of us have done enough," Wallis says. Fair Tax Coalition to Obama: Tell IRS Not to Tax BP Compensation to Oil Spill Victims (CNSNews.com) – Don't tax the victims of the Gulf oil spill. That's the message to President Obama from fair tax activists. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is going to the Gulf Coast next week to make sure the federal government gets its cut from any oil spill compensation checks BP issues to fishermen and others who have been idled due to the Gulf oil spill. "It is akin to kicking someone who's just been hit by a truck," said one critic. Poll: Majority Oppose Justice Department's Decision to Challenge Arizona's New Law Against Illegal Immigration (CNSNews.com) - A majority of "likely voters" in America oppose the Justice Department's recent decision to challenge Arizona's new immigration law in federal court, says a new Rasmussen poll. When respondents were asked whether they agreed or disagreed with the move to challenge the legality of Arizona's new law against illegal immigration, 56 percent of "likely voters" were opposed to the Justice Department's decision. Twenty-eight percent agreed that the DOJ should challenge the law. Sixteen percent said they were not sure. British Envoy's Eulogy to Hezbollah Cleric Removed From Foreign Office Web Site (CNSNews.com) – An online tribute in which Britain's ambassador to Lebanon praised the Hezbollah-linked Shi'ite cleric after his death this week appears to have been removed from an official Foreign Office Web site. Ambassador Frances Guy on Monday posted an entry on the site describing Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Hussein Fadlallah, who died the previous day, as the politician in Lebanon she had found most impressive and had most enjoyed meeting. China Dilutes Another U.N. Measure Dealing With North Korea's Aggression (CNSNews.com) – The Obama administration says a U.N. Security Council presidential statement condemning the sinking of a South Korean warship is "an appropriate response" to the deadly attack, even though it does not directly apportion blame. At China's insistence, the text stops short of accusing North Korea of responsibility for the March 26 sinking near the disputed maritime border between the two Koreas. Despite repeating three times that the statement was "very clear," U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice declined to directly answer the key issue of whether it blamed North Korea. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Kagan on Whether Catholic Church Could Recruit at Harvard Law (CNSNews.com) - When asked whether the Catholic Church would have been able to recruit at Harvard Law even though it does not allow female priests, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said all recruiters needed to sign a form saying they did not discriminate based on gender and sexual orientation. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Federal Ban on Homosexual 'Marriage' Is Ruled Unconstitutional in Massachusetts Republican Leaders Letting Tea Party 'Demagogues' Set Tone, Defeated Republican Lawmaker Complains Obama Attacks Sen. Harry Reid's Tea Party Opponent Obama Promotes Energy Projects, Economy – and Harry Reid -- in Nevada Legal Group Urges Homosexuals to Boycott Pentagon Survey on Don't Ask, Don't Tell Violent Protests Follow Involuntary Manslaughter Conviction of Former Transit Officer Who Killed Black Man LeBron James Dumps Cleveland for Miami Motorcycle Bomber Kills at Least 48 in Pakistan Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP Bill to ban pet sales draws a crowd at San Francisco hearing Jobs outlook for small businesses may be getting bleaker Appeals court, 2-1, says no to Obama drilling moratorium Drilling delay to boost oil imports Democrats battle independents' weakening support of Obama and Congress White House launches campaign to win corporate confidence President Obama's new slogan: 'Yes we did!' Sarah Palin releases campaign-style video China is not manipulating its undervalued currency, Treasury Dept. says Defense secretary defends Pentagon's newly tightened media policy Obama presses BP to recover more oil Rising share of college spending goes to recreation, not instruction R.I. calamari replacing Gulf oysters on New Orleans menu Gov. Christie recommends massive privatization of N.J. services Gulf oil spill inspires cocktail named the 'tar ball' COMMENTARY Is Democracy Overrated? By Patrick J. Buchanan With the disintegration of the Soviet Empire and the Soviet Union, and Beijing's abandonment of Maoism, anti-communism necessarily ceased to be the polestar of U.S. foreign policy. Seeking some new cause to give meaning to their lives, our suddenly superfluous foreign policy elites settled upon a crusade for democracy as America's new mission in the world. But why do we think that the more democratic the world is, the more secure and serene America shall be? Swapping Spies By Rich Galen I have no idea why the Obama administration was so eager to swap the 10 Russian spies for four of ours. I will give Obama the benefit of the doubt that we will learn more from our spies than the Russians will learn from their spies. Of course, the entire notion of spying on America is ludicrous in the 21st Century. The Russians don't have to plant long-term sleepers to find out what's going on here. All they need to do is aim a satellite dish and watch the cable news shows. Whitewashing Black Racism By Michelle Malkin Why haven't national media outlets reported on the vile and violent rants of the New Black Panther Party thugs whose 2008 voter intimidation tactics got a pass from the Obama administration? Simple: Radical black racism doesn't fit the Hope and Change narrative.

Fwd: MRC Alert: ABC, NBC and CBS Mostly Ignore Obama's Recess Appointment of Pro-Health Care Rationing Doctor to Head Medicare

 

A daily compilation edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert items are drawn from daily BiasAlert posts and distributed by the Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

 

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Thursday July 08, 2010 @ 09:15 AM EDT

1. ABC, NBC and CBS Mostly Ignore Obama's Recess Appointment of Pro-Health Care Rationing Doctor to Head Medicare
Barack Obama's decision to make a recess appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to run Medicare has been vastly ignored by the mainstream news media, despite the fact Berwick has made controversial statements favoring rationing of medical care. There was no mention of the President's decision to make the recess appointment on Tuesday night's NBC Nightly News, CBS Evening News or ABC's World News. In fact the embargo on the information continued through Wednesday morning as there were zero mentions on ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's The Early Show. Only NBC's Today show mentioned the news as Lester Holt, in an 8am news brief on the July 7 show. (On Wednesday night, ABC, CBS and NBC again skipped Berwick, but all found time to mark Ringo Starr's 70th birthday.)

2. MSNBC Guest Host Absurdly Claims: President Obama More Conservative than Reagan
So is President Obama more conservative than the late Ronald Reagan? MSNBC substitute anchor Cenk Uygur thinks so. Filling in yesterday for Dylan Ratigan on his 4 p.m. show, Uygur moderated a segment based on the preposition that President Obama's policies have actually been more conservative than those of President Reagan. "That's the silliest thing I've ever heard," former Reagan White House political director Frank Donatelli said of the claims. "It's an incomplete and distorted picture of everything," he added. Uygur is a host of "The Young Turks," a left-wing internet political podcast.

3. MSNBC Fill-In Host: Conservative Liberal Media Claims Based On Racism
Cenk Uygur, host of the left-wing internet talk show 'The Young Turks,' filled in for MSNBC host Dylan Ratigan during the 4PM ET hour on Wednesday and decried the nation's "shift to the Right." He lamented: "...when I started out I was a liberal Republican. No such thing exists anymore." He wondered why the media hadn't reported on the supposed radical shift in American politics and quickly came up with this explanation: "Why the media didn't challenge it is because they [conservatives] kept calling them the liberal media, and why did they call them that? Because during civil rights, they [the media] said 'yeah, black people and white people are the same' and the conservatives at the time said 'damn liberal media,' and, you know, that intimidated the media into not recognizing this trend."

4. ABC's Jeremy Hubbard Hints at Conspiracy: Did Palins 'Get to' Levi Johnston and Make Him Recant?
World News Now co-host Jeremy Hubbard on Wednesday didn't accept the explanation that Levi Johnston has simply decided to apologize for his bad mouthing of the Palin family. The ABC anchor hinted at darker reasons: "You know, I'm a cynic. Did the Palins get to him, do you think?" Discussing Johnston's public apology in People magazine, Hubbard began, "Did they sit him down and-" He broke off and didn't finish the thought. What was Hubbard implying? The answer went unsaid.

5. After Promoting Levi Johnston in '09, CBS Ignores His Admission of False Statements
In an interview with People Magazine on Tuesday, Levi Johnston admitted: "I publicly said things about the Palins that were not completely true." On Wednesday, the CBS Early Show failed to make any mention of the admission, despite having provided a media platform for Johnston last year by conducting exclusive interviews with him. On the April 8, 2009 broadcast, co-host Maggie Rodriguez conducted her first interview with Johnston, and introduced the segment by proclaiming: "He [Johnston], along with his mother and sister, sat down with me last night for an interview to clear up the 'lies' they say the Palins have been telling about them."

6. ABC's George Stephanopoulos Hectors Netanyahu, Saddles Israel With Responsibility for Peace
Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Wednesday repeatedly berated Benjamin Netanyahu as to what the Israeli Prime Minister will do for the peace process. Focusing almost entirely on Israel, while excluding the U.S. and the Palestinians, he hectored, "What are you prepared to do? More security autonomy for the Palestinians on the West Bank? Prisoner releases?"

7. CNN Again Omits Pro-Illegal Immigration Stance of 'Public Defender'
On Wednesday's Newsroom, CNN's Tony Harris omitted the pro-illegal immigration activism of guest Isabel Garcia, just as his colleague Suzanne Malveaux did more than two months earlier. Harris twice referred to Garcia as merely the "deputy public defender in Pima County, Arizona," and didn't mention her involvement in the beating and decapitation of a pinata effigy of Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio. The anchor brought on the activist, as well as Arizona State Senator Russell Pearce, the author of the state newly-passed anti-illegal immigration law, for two segments starting 10 minutes into the 11 am Eastern hour. After asking Senator Pearce's position on the federal government's new lawsuit against the enforcement of his law, Harris turned to the public defender: "Isabel, you've been patient. Weigh in here."

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Fwd: Morning Bell: Federal Government Overpaid $47 Billion a Year

07/08/2010 Federal Government Overpaid $47 Billion a Year Today, the White House is launching its second annual SAVE Award, which encourages federal employees to submit ideas on how to save taxpayer dollars. Federal employees will be able to rank the submissions submitted by colleagues, and then the general public will be able to vote on the top submissions later this year. Last year's contest generated more than 38,000 submissions from government employees and more than 84,000 votes. Last year's winner? A Department of Veterans Affairs employee from Colorado who suggested that VA medical centers should permit patients to take home extra bandages and medication when they are discharged. Estimated savings: $14.5 million by 2014. Not bad. But we have a better idea. How about paying federal employees what they would be worth in the private sector? Potential savings: $47 billion a year. In March, USA Today reported that Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations that exist both in government and the private sector. Instead of taking the news as an opportunity to save taxpayers money, the Obama administration pushed back against the news and dispatched Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag to defend government employee pay. Orszag told reporters: "I think the key thing to remember about that is the federal workforce is more highly educated than the private workforce. ... Basically the entire delta between private sector and public sector federal government average pay can be explained by education and experience." The problem is, this is just not true. Heritage Foundation senior labor policy analyst James Sherk has just released a paper analyzing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Current Population Survey (CPS) for 2006 through 2009. The data show that even after controlling for education and experience, federal employees get paid 22% more per hour on average than private-sector workers. And that does not include the significant non-cash benefits government workers receive. Federal employees not only can enroll in a Thrift Savings Plan that works like a 401(k), but they also get a "defined contribution" plan, which lets a worker with 30 years of experience retire at 56 with full benefits. And don't forget the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, paid leave, group life insurance and on-site child care. To be sure, many private employers offer similar benefits but not all of these at the same time. All told, while the average private-sector employee gets $9,882 in annual benefits, federal government employees get $32,115 on average. Adding cash and non-cash compensation together, federal employees earn approximately 30 to 40 percent more in total compensation than comparable private-sector workers.

Fwd: Fact Checking Sen. Kerry (D-MA)

Fact Checking Sen. Kerry (D-MA) Senator Kerry (D–MA) penned an op-ed in the Washington Post making the case that ratification of the New START Treaty is in the best interest of U.S. national security. His article is in response to former Governor Mitt Romney's (R–MA) recent op-ed calling the treaty Obama's biggest foreign policy mistake. Sen. Kerry refers to Mr. Romney's objections as "uninformed" and "political" as he engages in a "footrace to the right against Sarah Palin." Opposing this treaty is not political and there are several informed reasons to not support ratification. Missile Defense News Obama's Worst Foreign-Policy Mistake?   Iran Whines About Sanctions But Vows Defiance   Iran's Ticking Nuclear Time Bomb   Five Reasons to Hate New START   Recess Appointment for Philip Coyle 1. Missile Defense The Administration has stated from the beginning that this treaty in no way impedes upon missile defense. Then they backed off, admitting that Article V of the treaty prohibits conversion of ICBM launchers into missile defense launchers. Now, as the Senate continues to scrutinize the treaty it has become clear that the treaty as is limits ballistic missile defense test target missiles. As noted by Baker Spring, "Any missile defense target that includes the first stages of the specifically identified existing ICBMs and SLBMs or new ICBMs and SLBMs will be subject to restrictions—including the first stages of the Minuteman II and Peacekeeper ICBMs, despite the fact that they are retired." That the treaty will impede upon America's missile defense system is undeniable. 2. Less than Full Public Disclosure Senator Kerry said there is a clear public record from 10 committee hearings outlining support for treaty ratification. What has not been made available to the Senate, however, is the most important document of all, the negotiating record. The Senate has a constitutional duty to fully vet any treaty, yet this Administration has consistently denied the Senate an opportunity to do so. Releasing this document is not without precedent. It was provided to the Democratic-controlled Senate under President Reagan. Given all that is at stake, this case clearly warrants the release of the negotiating records. Click here to read the rest of the report Take Action! Support Missile Defense! A ballistic missile attack is one of the greatest threats facing our families and communities today.  Here are three ways you can take action and support missile defense in your hometown. Host your own 33 Minutes screening!  Invite members of your community, your neighbors and your friends to watch 33 Minutes and discuss the need for missile defense. We'll give you everything you need. Our 33 Minutes screening kit includes a DVD of the full-length documentary, a poster to advertise your screening, feedback cards for you and your guests to comment on the film and plenty of 33 Minutes brochures and pens!  Go to 33minutes.com for details.   forward message visit 33minutes.com Facebook Twitter YouTube The Heritage Foundation - 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC Call us at 202-546-4400 Add 33minutes@heritage.org to your address book to ensure that you receive emails from us.

Fwd: Census Director Admits ?We May Have Duplicates?

Today's Headlines Thursday, July 8, 2010

Census Director Admits 'We May Have Duplicates' (CNSNews.com) - U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Robert Groves told CNSNews.com on Wednesday that the Census has "no way, unfortunately, of knowing whether or not homeless individuals were counted twice," and added, "we may have duplicates." As CNSNews.com reported on June 10, the Census Bureau's inspector general published a report indicating that Census workers were instructed to recount people who said they had already been counted. Obama Science Czar Called for Carbon Tax to Redistribute Wealth from Global 'North' to 'South' (CNSNews.com) – Five months before Barack Obama nominated Dr. John P. Holdren as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Holdren called for a global climate-change agreement that would allow wealth to be redistributed from countries in the global "North" to countries in the "South."  "It's important that we have a global agreement on how we are going to limit the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases going forward, and an agreement ... that will include ways to transfer some of the revenues from carbon taxes or carbon emission permits in the North to pay for reduced deforestation in the South," he told a TV interviewer. Obama's Unconfirmed 'Recess' Appointee to Run Medicare Advocated Rationing, Redistribution of Wealth (CNSNews.com) - President Barack Obama today circumvented the Senate confirmation process by granting a recess appointment to Dr. Donald Berwick to be director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid. Berwick has expressed disdain for free-market medicine and his "love" for Great Britain's government-run health-care system, while advocating health-care rationing and using the health-care system to redistribute wealth. Abbas, Fatah Say Mastermind of Munich Olympics Attack Was A Hero (CNSNews.com) – Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah organization say the man who masterminded the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972 was a hero. Mohammed Oudeh, better known as Abu Daoud, died in Syria last weekend at the age of 73. Clinton Offers Georgia A Change of Terminology, But Little Else (CNSNews.com) – In an attempt to stave off criticism that the Obama administration is too soft on Russia, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Tbilisi, Georgia, used the words her hosts wanted to hear when she expressed concerns about the invasion and occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow criticized Clinton Wednesday for her comments on the two breakaway Georgian regions. And if Georgia's leader regarded Clinton's statements as a victory, he may have missed the underlying message during her visit that the U.S. can do little beyond speak its mind. House-Passed Financial Overhaul Allows for GM-Style Bailouts of Big Banks (CNSNews.com) – The House-passed financial regulation bill would allow the government to save the profitable assets of a failing bank and spin them off into a new company – a power that mirrors the government's action in saving General Motors and Chrysler. The provision is part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which passed the House on June 29. Patching Up Differences Vital for U.S.-Israeli Security and Politics, Experts Say (CNSNews.com) – "The bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable," said President Barack Obama on Tuesday at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. That reaffirmation of U.S.-Israeli commitment is important for the political and security interests of both countries, experts said, because it comes at a time of apparent friction between the historically strong allies.   CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Kagan on Whether Catholic Church Could Recruit at Harvard Law (CNSNews.com) - When asked whether the Catholic Church would have been able to recruit at Harvard Law even though it does not allow female priests, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said all recruiters needed to sign a form saying they did not discriminate based on gender and sexual orientation. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Three Arrested in Al-Qaida Bomb Plot in Norway Arizona Governor Cancels Border Meeting After Boycott Obama Campaigning for Democrats Again in Missouri, Nevada Catholic Church Says Cuba Has Agreed to Free 52 Political Prisoners Congress Requests Dozens of 'Studies' Before Regulating the Financial Industry Pennsylvania Begins Selling Wine in Grocery Store Vending Kiosks Study: Pot Prices Would Plummet If California Legalizes It Tax on Large Government Contractors Proposed As Way of Paying for Public Campaign Finance System Federal Prosecutors Appeal 'Lenient' Sentence Given to Philadelphia Democrat Solar Plane Lands After Completing 24-Hour Flight CNN Fires Middle Eastern Editor Over Tweet Russian-U.S. Spy Swap Expected Soon Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP S.F. considers banning sale of pets except fish May soon be easier to get pot-laced brownies than sugary soda in San Francisco Some College Park, Md., residents still waiting for census to count them Pa. taxpayers will help pay for library to house Arlen Specter's papers President's recess appointment reignites debate over healthcare Happy Meals here to stay, McDonald's says First lady planning first Gulf oil spill trip Sen. Barbara Boxer touts value of incumbents Civil rights panel to pursue federal probe in Black Panther Case Mexico schools teach lessons in survival Obama tries to sell 'recovery summer' amid sluggish economy Bill allowing Native Hawaiians to form their own gov't heading for U.S. Senate vote Gov. Bobby Jindal signs guns-in-church law Backlash over national education reforms is growing in Colorado Pot advocates ask Colorado to allow medical-marijuana use for PTSD Missouri files lawsuit against federal health care law Federal officials kill geese to prevent fouling of shorefront property ACLU sues Pawtucket, RI, over drug testing of employee COMMENTARY A True Moderate Muslim And Why Obama Sides Against Him By Ben Shapiro On July 7, 2010, Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, publisher of the anti-Islamist newspaper the Weekly Blitz, strode into court in Bangladesh to argue his case. Choudhury is charged with blasphemy, treason, and sedition for attempting to fly from the Zia International Airport in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, to Tel Aviv, Israel, to attend a peace conference in 2003. Choudhury is a self-proclaimed Muslim Zionist and is ardently pro-American. But President Obama is uninterested in the Choudhury case. Why? Because Choudhury represents the true face of moderate Islam – and that isn't the kind of Muslim Barack Obama likes. He's fonder of the two-faced Muslims who pretend to oppose terror while secretly aiding and abetting it. Representation Without Taxation By Ed Feulner In the real world it makes little sense to punish success or reward failure. Yet that's exactly what the federal government's tax policy does.

Fwd: Media's Latest Stimulus Push: Spend Now, Tax Later

 

			July 7, 2010 Vol. 6 No. 27

Media's Latest Stimulus Push: Spend Now, Tax Later Krugman's 'third depression' declaration sets stage for more stimulus, paid for by proposals of a gas tax, value-added tax, national sales tax and rollback of Bush tax cuts. Facing Facts: Government is Still Less Efficient, More Incompetent Than the Private Sector 1984 Grace Commission found excess overhead, employment by government; today is no different as waste, corruption and fecklessness abound. Obama's Space Cadets Care More about Islam than NASA Media ignore new form of shuttle diplomacy that eviscerates very reason agency exists.

You can also find Dan Gainor's commentary on The Fox Forum. You can also check out BMI's editorial cartoon: Bottom Lines by Glenn Foden. Get Your Free 'I don't believe the liberal media!" bumper sticker Click here to receive your free sticker!

Fwd: Morning Bell: The Rationer-in-Chief

07/07/2010 The Rationer-in-Chief When Linda O'Boyle was diagnosed with bowel cancer, her doctors told her she could boost her chances of survival by adding the drug cetuximab to her regimen. But the rationing body for Britain's National Health Service, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), had previously ruled that the drug was not cost-effective and therefore would not be paid for by the government. So O'Boyle liquidated her savings and paid for the drug herself. But this is not allowed under NHS rules. When government bureaucrats found out that O'Boyle had purchased the drug with her own money, she was denied NHS treatment and died within months. Defenders of Britain's health care rationing system may try to claim that this tragic death is an outlier in an otherwise acceptable government run health care system. They are wrong. It is the point of the system. As socialized medicine and infanticide advocate Peter Singer has argued in The New York Times, the NICE bureaucrats must ration care or else free government health care would bankrupt the British economy. "NICE had set a general limit of £30,000, or about $49,000, on the cost of extending life for a year," Singer writes. Following this logic, Singer supported NICE's decision not to allow British citizens the kidney cancer fighting drug Sutent. As a result of this, and many other rationing decisions Britain, has one of the lowest cancer survival rates in the Western world. While 60.3% of men and 61.7% of women in Sweden survive a cancer diagnosis, in Britain the figure ranges between 40.2% to 48.1% for men and 48% to 54.1% for women. And NICE's rationing has not just hit cancer patients. Doctors have warned that patients with terminal illnesses are being made to die prematurely under the NHS rationing scheme. And according to the Patients Association, one million NHS patients have been the victims of appalling care in hospitals across Britain. Most Americans would find this harrowing. But not President Barack Obama. Yesterday he bypassed the Senate confirmation process and used a recess appointment to install Dr. Donald Berwick to be the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS is the agency that runs the Medicare and Medicaid programs). Dr. Berwick said of Britain's health care system: "Cynics beware, I am romantic about the National Health Service; I love it." And his love for Britain's health care system is not in spite of its rationing, but because of it. In 2009 Dr. Berwick told Biotechnology Healthcare: "NICE is extremely effective and a conscientious and valuable knowledge-building system. ... The decision is not whether or not we will ration care - the decision is whether we will ration with our eyes open."

Fwd: Federal Government Helped Pay Home Air-Conditioning Bills for Federal Employees, Prisoners and More Than 11,000 Dead People

Today's Headlines Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Federal Government Helped Pay Home Air-Conditioning Bills for Federal Employees, Prisoners and More Than 11,000 Dead People (CNSNews.com) – According to the Government Accountability Office, the federal government helped pay the home air conditioning bills for more than 11,000 dead people, 1,100 federal employees, and 725 convicts in fiscal year 2009. The payments were made by a $5 billion program known as the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. "Our analysis of LIHEAP data revealed that the program is at risk of fraud and providing improper benefits in all seven of our selected states," reported the GAO. ICE Releases Memo Showing Agency Has Resources to Remove Only 4% of Illegal Aliens A Year (CNSNews.com) – In a June 30 memorandum, John Morton, assistant secretary of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said that enforcing civil immigration laws is vital to "our national security, public safety, and the integrity of our border and immigration controls." But Morton also said that ICE only has the resources to remove about 400,000 illegal aliens each year, a little less than 4 percent of the current population of those in the United States illegally. Awlaki's Online Propaganda Is Influencing Muslims Far From His Yemen Base (CNSNews.com) – The arrest in Singapore of a Muslim soldier who made contact online with Anwar Al-Awlaki provides further evidence that the U.S.-born cleric is making effective use of the Internet to spread extremist ideas to English-speaking Muslims. Awlaki's reach into Muslim communities in English-speaking countries has prompted increasing concern among law enforcement agencies in recent months. Kagan Rejects Suggestions By GOP Senators She Authored Language in Key ACOG Statement on Partial-Birth Abortion (CNSNews.com) - Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan would not confirm suggestions by two top Republican senators that, as a lawyer in the Clinton White House, she influenced the language of a key public policy statement on partial-birth abortion issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The 1996 statement affected the debate over a ban on partial-birth abortion. Second Amendment Supporters to Challenge Chicago's New Restrictions on Gun Ownership (CNSNews.com) – Following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling last week that individuals at the state level have a right to own handguns under the Second Amendment, city officials in Chicago proposed and passed a new ordinance that many observers consider to be among the most stringent gun-ownership regulations in the country. However, gun-rights advocates are moving quickly to challenge the ordinance and provide citizens with information on their Second Amendment rights. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Kagan on Whether Catholic Church Could Recruit at Harvard Law (CNSNews.com) - When asked whether the Catholic Church would have been able to recruit at Harvard Law even though it does not allow female priests, Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan said all recruiters needed to sign a form saying they did not discriminate based on gender and sexual orientation. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Republicans Denounce Obama Administration Over Arizona Lawsuit As Democrats Lay Low Obama Bypassing Senate, Using Recess Appointment for Medicare Chief Protest at Maine Wind Power Site Ends With Three Arrests EPA's New Clean-Air Rule Will Boost Power Prices, Close Older Coal-Fired Plants, Prompt Lawsuits Iran Offers New Haircut Guidelines for Men Federal Lawsuit Challenging Arizona's Immigration Law Focuses on Core 'Balance of Power' Issue Hawaii Governor Vetoes Same-Sex Civil Unions Bill NATO Airstrike Accidentally Kills 5 Afghan Troops States Honor Victims of Drunken Driving With Highway Signs Al-Qaida Chief to Be Charged in N.Y. Subway Plot Obama, Netanyahu Say Their Bond Is 'Unbreakable' GOP Chairman Steele Staying Put Despite Mounting Criticism Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP Police probe death hoaxes involving three U.S. senators Arizona governor calls federal lawsuit a 'massive waste of taxpayer funds' Justice Department lawsuit against Arizona seen as net negative for Western Democrats Republican budget hawks support Obama's new deficit commission Goldman Sachs done with political donations, for now White House backs Kenyan constitution allowing abortion Colorado getting $90 million to subsidize insurance for those with pre-existing conditions Schwarzenegger signs landmark "egg" bill (cage-free hens) into law McCain favors immigration reform that would deport 'many' illegal residents Long Beach City Council votes to pursue medical marijuana tax Democrats digging harder than ever for dirt on Republicans Across the U.S., scams against senior citizens are on the rise Gwinnett hospital won't hire smokers Town of Nottingham, N.H. rescinds its gun-at-work policy COMMENTARY One Business Filed 37,375 Bad W-2 Forms -- And Is Getting Away With It By Terence P. Jeffrey A single employer filed 37,375 W-2 forms in tax year 2005 on which the Social Security Number and the name did not match -- a good indication that this employer was employing many thousands of illegal aliens — and knew it. Yet there is no indication that the federal government has taken any action to stop this employer from continuing to employ mass numbers of illegal aliens. Open-Borders DOJ vs. America By Michelle Malkin The Obama administration's lawsuit against Arizona, officially unveiled on Tuesday, is an affront to all law-abiding Americans. It is a threatening salvo aimed at all local, county or state governments that dare to take control of the immigration chaos in their own backyards. And it is being driven by open-borders extremists who have dedicated their political careers to subverting homeland security policies in the name of compassion and diversity. The Real Sin of Michael Steele By Patrick J. Buchanan "This was a war of Obama's choosing. This is not something the United States has actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in." Strictly speaking, Republican Party Chair Michael Steele was way off base when he made this remark at a closed-door meeting of party contributors in Connecticut. Yet, Steele was not entirely wrong. Today, a majority of Americans do not believe the nine-year war in Afghanistan is any longer worth the rising cost in blood and money. And by declaring it a "war of necessity" and tripling U.S. forces there, this president has made it "Obama's war" every bit as much as LBJ in 1964 and 1965 made Vietnam "Johnson's War." Kagan's Comedy Is News? By L. Brent Bozell III The shallow TV coverage of Elena Kagan's confirmation hearings illustrated once again how the shamelessly ABC, CBS, and NBC shape the political Play-Doh they offer to the American people as "news." At one point in the hearings, Kagan was asked about the Obama administration's very unfunny failure to stop the Christmas Day bomber from almost blowing up a plane as it landed in Detroit. That somehow turned into a joke about Kagan's Jewishness and how she probably spent Christmas at a Chinese restaurant. The networks made The Joke their top story. This example shows how anyone who wants to follow weighty issues of public policy, including Supreme Court jurisprudence, should never rely on network television. Sound & Fury By Rich Galen The chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, keeps making news, which most Republicans wish he would stop doing. He is missing the gene that says: Just because it comes into your head, doesn't mean it has to come out of your mouth.