Fwd: NYTimes.com: Obama: Man of the World

OPINION   | March 06, 2007 Op-Ed Columnist:  Obama: Man of the World By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF What sets Barack Obama apart is the way his training has been at the grass-roots rather than in the treetops. Copyright 2010  The New York Times Company | Privacy Policy

Fwd: Stacy, the EIB Insurance Expert

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Obama’s Union Bailout: A Good Crisis Going to Waste

-By Warner Todd Huston

Even the New York Times can't ignore the fact that Obama's latest union bailout cash isn't going to help anyone keep their jobs, and The New York Times is really good at ignoring things that make Democrats look bad.

A few weeks ago Nancy Pelosi called the House of Representatives back into a special session because there was a crisis in education, don't you know. It was a crisis that she didn't want to go to waste, naturally. As Speaker of the House she had the power — one likely to evaporate with the 2010 elections — to help Barack Obama give his union pals another $26.1 billion of the taxpayer's money and she couldn't resist the urge to fill pockets with other's people's money at least one more time.

Early in August, Pelosi triumphantly announced on her Twitter feed, "I will be calling the House back into session early next week to save teachers' jobs and help seniors & children."

We're helping old people, it's for the children, we are saving teacher's jobs. It's a crisis that we can't ignore, darn it! Yes, Rahm, it's also a crisis that we can't let go to waste.

So pass it Pelosi did. Now the feds are sending an additional $26.1 billion to "help" the aged, to save the children and to "save" teachers from being fired.

Only we aren't. At least we aren't saving many teacher's jobs for according to the NYT in most cases those that have been fired will stay fired and those that have been fired won't be rehired.

One problem with this bailout is that the money won't be ready for distribution until well into September, up to a month after many schools have already resumed for the new semester. And even for those that won't have started school yet, administrations are reluctant to just willy-nilly start rehiring teachers that they won't be able to continue paying after the bailout money runs out next year.

Many administrations just don't see the point of merely putting off the agony for a single season. School administrators are saying that they see big deficits looming for next year's budget, so they'd rather save the bailout cash for next year instead of rehiring teachers this year. And administrators also know that the money they've been used to so liberally spreading around is not going to be there next year.

"It's a real double-edged sword," Michael Drewniak, a spokesman for New Jersey Governor Chris Christie ,told the Times. "This money will not be there next year, and we're not going to get back up to the funding that they had previously been used to."

It is not much different in California.

"We're also looking at a pretty bad budget, so we may decide to hold all or some of the money for the next year," said Steve Horowitz, assistant superintendent of personnel services at the Pomona Unified School District. He added that the money might be used for bus drivers or custodians, or to roll back five furlough days for teachers.

Unassailable logic that.

So, as it happens this newest gigantic bailout is not going to save any teachers jobs, it is not going to go to re-hire recently laid off teachers, and further more it will just be used by school administrators to pad their budgets for next year causing them to put off the sort of budget reassessments that are much needed.

So why was this done? Because they unions told Pelosi that if she didn't give them this $26.1 billion bailout they might not work so hard for Democrats in this 2010 election cycle.

Just picture the scene: a thick lipped, broken nosed union "organizer" arrives in Pelosi's Capitol Hill offices and says something like, "I'd sure hate to see youse guys lose dis election, wouldn't youse? Gee, it might be swell if we got about $26.1 billion in an envelope this month to help us decide if we's gunna help youse win, eh? I tink you know what I mean?"

So, to the tune of the Sopranos theme song, Pelosi dutifully fired up her Twitter feed and began stuffing envelopes with your cash.

What a racket, eh?

http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/08/obamas-union-bailout-a-good-crisis-going-to-waste/

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Democrats abandon claim that ObamaCare will reduce cost and deficit

Abandon ship! Abandon ship! That claim that ObamaCare will save on cost that was made by double-counting medicare, cutting it by $500 million, giving only 6 years of benefits for 10 years of taxes, the doctor fix, and I could go on and on - all to show a fictitious savings from the boondoggle is now being abandoned by Democrats. The people know better. You simply can't add $30 some odd million people to a program and claim it will reduce cost, especially when the perception of something as 'free' will incentivize people to abuse the system. From Ben Smith's blog via memeorandum: New Dem message: 'Improve' health care, don't talk cost

Key White House allies are dramatically shifting their attempts to defend health care legislation, abandoning claims that it will reduce costs and deficit and instead stressing a promise to "improve it."

The messaging shift was circulated this afternoon on a conference call and PowerPoint presentation organized by Families USA — one of the central groups in the push for the initial legislation. The call was led by a staffer for the Herndon Alliance, which includes leading labor groups and other health care allies. It was based on polling from three top Democratic pollsters: John Anzalone, Celinda Lake and Stan Greenberg.

The confidential presentation, available in full here and provided to POLITICO by a source on the call, suggests that Democrats are acknowledging the failure of their predictions that the health care legislation would grow more popular after its passage, as its benefits became clear and rhetoric cooled. Instead, the presentation is designed to win over a skeptical public, and to defend the legislation — and in particular the individual mandate — from a push for repeal. 

Uh - the individual mandate is patently unconstitutional. There is no need to repeal it because it will get struck down assuming our judges still follow the US Constitution.

The presentation concedes that groups typically supportive of Democratic causes — people under 40, non-college-educated women and Hispanic voters — have not been won over by the plan. ...

...The presentation also concedes that the fiscal and economic arguments that were the White House's first and most aggressive sales pitch have essentially failed. 

"Many don't believe health care reform will help the economy," says one slide. 

The presentation's final page of "Don'ts" counsels against claiming "the law will reduce costs and deficit."

Here's that final slide:

You won't be surprised by the list of "partners"here: AARP, AFL-CIO, SEIU, Health Care for America Now, MoveOn and the National Council of La Raza, among "many others." Natch. More from Sweetness & Light, Weekly Standard, Erick's blog, Scared Monkeys, Wizbang, Betsy's Page, Hot Air, Weasel Zippers, The Other McCain, YID With LID, Right Wing News, GayPatriot and Reason Hit & Run 

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2010/08/democrats-abandon-claim-that-obamacare.html

theblogprof: Video: the best ad you will see on Ronald Reagan versus today's Democrats

http://theblogprof.blogspot.com/2010/08/video-best-ad-you-will-see-on-ronald.html

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JammieWearingFool

http://jammiewearingfool.blogspot.com/2010/08/first-there-was-jobs-saved-now-obama.html

Fwd: Despite Record Spending, Congress Failed to Fund Detention Space to Hold Captured Illegals From Terror-Sponsoring Countries

Today's Headlines Friday, August 20, 2010

Despite Record Spending, Congress Failed to Fund Detention Space to Hold Captured Illegals From Terror-Sponsoring Countries (CNSNews.com) - Even as Congress increased overall federal spending in fiscal 2010, it appropriated only enough funds for the Homeland Security Department to provide a fraction of the additional 40,000 detention spaces for illegal aliens that had been authorized by a 2004 immigration law. Because it lacked adequate detention space, DHS says it was forced over the last three years to release hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens who were being processed for deportation. DOT Asked Contractors to Post Signs 'Solely Used to Publicize' Obama's Stimulus Law, IG Report Says (CNSNews.com) – The Transportation Department imposed strict guidelines for the placement, size, and visibility of signs promoting the $862-billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus law), according to a review by DOT's inspector general released on Thursday. The IG review came in response to questions by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) about the cost and propaganda aims of the Recovery Act signs. Congressmen Urge State Department to Return Vietnam to List of Human Rights Violators (CNSNews.com) - "I fear that when the U.S. granted Vietnam normal trade relations in 2001, we lost crucial leverage that puts pressure on the Vietnamese government to improve a very poor record on human rights," Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) said at a congressional hearing on Wednesday. "Over the last year, we've seen Vietnam's record on human rights and religious freedom take a turn for the worse."  Hillary Clinton Downplays Concerns About Militants Exploiting Pakistan Emergency (CNSNews.com) – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday played down concerns that militants could take advantage of the floods in Pakistan to extend their influence, although that is exactly what some analysts say happened after the last big natural disaster in the region. Clinton implied that the concerns were being raised as part of politically motivated criticism of the Pakistani government. Congressional Budget Office Predicts 2010 Deficit Second Largest Since WWII (CNSNews.com) – The Congressional Budget Office, in its mid-year budget update, has projected that the 2010 budget deficit ($1.3 trillion) will be the second highest on record since the end of World War II, eclipsed only by the deficit of 2009 ($1.4 trillion). All told, CBO projects that the government will run up a total of $6.2 trillion in new deficits between 2011 and 2020. In Hailing End of Iraqi Combat Mission, Democrats Praise Obama, While Republicans Nod to Bush (CNSNews.com) – "[T]he drawdown of U.S. troops that began under the previous administration has been able to continue," House Republican Leader John Boehner said on Thursday. The drawdown is "evidence that the President (Obama) has fulfilled his promise to the American people to bring combat operations in Iraq to an end," DNC Chairman Tim Kaine said in his statement. Palestinian Authority Chairman Honors Another Dead Terrorist (CNSNews.com) – Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas gave a military funeral this week to the man believed to be the last surviving planner of the terrorist attack on Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Scientists Simulate Terror Attack on Boston Subway Friday Struggling Workers Increasingly Tapping 401(k) Accounts for Needed Cash No Mainstream Media Criticism of President Obama for Taking Vacation… Democrats Hope Money, Manpower Can Stem Election Losses Lack of Terror Convictions in Pakistan Undermines Law and Order Pakistan Accepts Flood Aid From India Al-Qaida in Iraq Claims Responsibility for Bombing of Army Recruits Primary Losses Blunt Palin's 'Mama Grizzly' Claws Justice Anthony Kennedy Favors Civilian Courts in Terrorism Cases 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 Sheriff, stung by 'lack of respect,' tells ICE to remove detainees from Boston jail Dems retreat on claims that health care reform will reduce cost and deficit U.S. assures Israel that Iran threat is not imminent White House's 'recovery summer' could be slipping away As job losses rise, rebound from recession called 'anemic' More disabled workers file discrimination claims in 2009 Obama's fundraising spree costs taxpayers $2 million, analyst estimates Glenn Beck/Sarah Palin rally permit approved  New conservative group harnesses tea party energy to compete with MoveOn.org  MoveOn.org complains MSNBC won't run its ad blasting Target Worried Democrats courting elderly voters as midterm elections near White House dismisses poll on Obama's faith New images indicate moon may be shrinking N.J. residents raise chickens in effort to be self-sufficient, reduce carbon footprint Screening incidents at Newark airport renew security concerns More sharks sighted in Cape Cod waters Broward County dads, grandads urged to take kids to school Monday Board rejects roadside 'Sign for Jesus' request More low-paid jobs for refugees proposed in Sweden to help them assimilate Swedish city making it harder for police to hunt for illegal aliens COMMENTARY And Now: The Stealth Obama Ocean Grab By Michelle Malkin It's not enough that the White House is moving to lock up hundreds of millions of acres of land in the name of environmental protection. The Obama administration's neon green radicals are also training their sights on the deep blue seas. They've been empowered by executive order to seize unprecedented control from states and localities over "conservation, economic activity, user conflict and sustainable use of the ocean, our coasts and the Great Lakes." And not a single hearing needed to be held. Not a single amendment considered. Not a single vote cast. Who gives a flying fish about transparency and the deliberative process?  Memo to Dems  By Rich Galen  Memorandum to Democrat Candidates for House and Senate, From the White House Political Office (the Martha's Vineyard White House), Re: This Whining Has Got to Stop. We at the White House are getting just a little tired of hearing from Democrat candidates across the country about the so-called "problems" that President Obama and our administration are causing for you and your campaigns.  Sleazy Songs of Summer By L. Brent Bozell III Ever wonder what those teenagers are listening to while wearing those i-Pod earphones? Maybe you'd rather not know. You will be horrified. Of the 22 songs topping the charts from May through June, a whopping 64 percent made at least one reference to sex, drugs or alcohol, or contained profanity.  A Remembrance of Anne  By Patrick J. Buchanan This is a condensed version of the eulogy for Anne Higgins delivered by Patrick Buchanan at St. Stephen Martyr in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 18. She was a saint who walked among us.

Fwd: Morning Bell: We Can't Spend Our Way to Recovery

08/20/2010 We Can't Spend Our Way to Recovery When President Barack Obama was selling his economic stimulus plan to the American people, he promised that, if enacted, the legislation would prevent unemployment from rising above 8%.  $3 billion in Cash for Clunkers bailouts, $10 billion in government union bailouts, $16 billion in Medicaid bailouts, $13 billion in home buyer tax credits, and $814 billion in stimulus act spending later the nation's unemployment rate stands at 9.5%. And now the  Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that number is not going to come down any time soon. Yesterday, the CBO released its 10-year budget baseline predicting that the economy will grow at an anemic 2% next year (half the growth rate it predicted last summer) and that unemployment will remain above 9% through the rest of this year. And that wasn't even the worst news. The CBO also said the federal deficit will surpass $1.3 trillion this year, and predicted an additional $6.2 trillion in deficits over the next decade. But even these numbers are too rosy. By law the CBO only analyzes federal budgets as written ignoring almost certain policy changes that include the annual "doc fix" (stopping cuts to doctor's Medicare payments), rising discretionary spending, and tax changes. Using more realistic assumptions, The Heritage Foundation's Brian Riedl shows that: 1) annual budget deficits will never fall below $1 trillion and will reach nearly $2 trillion by 2020; 2) the national debt held by the public will pass 100% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2020; 3) by 2020 half of all income tax revenues will go to pay just the interest on our $23 trillion national debt. Even leftist economists are now admitting that this administration's borrow and spend economic plan has been a complete failure. But instead of cutting their losses, the left wants to double down ... with your tax dollars. Last month, Vice President Joe Biden told ABC News that the only problem with the Obama administration's economic policies was that they failed to spend more and drive us into debt faster. This is insanity. It must stop. To get our country back on the right track The Heritage Foundation's Solutions for America chapter on Reining in Runaway Spending and Deficits recommends:

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