http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/good-grief-team-obama-displays-philippine-flag-upside-down-during-meeting-with-world-leaders/
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Sunday, September 26, 2010
Strange Coziness with neo-Soviet Russia
What we see before us is Vladimir Putin, dictator of Russia — murderer of journalists, liquidator of newspapers, invader of neighbors, despoiler of democracy — referring openly and "warmly" to the President of the United States as a "like-minded fellow."
By Kim Zigfeld at American Thinker
EXCERPTS:
Last week, Obama signed a pact with Putin outlining America's military relationship with Russia, recognizing shared threats and similar challenges and placing defense cooperation as a cornerstone of broader relations.
You know Vladimir Putin, of course. He's the fellow who continues to arrest opposition politicians, including former deputy prime ministers and their staff, and to assault opposition publications. He openly encourages police to crack the skulls of any opposition activists who dare to assemble in public without written police permission. Worse, he has unleashed a torrent of spies against the Western democracies, he buzzes American shores with nuclear bombers, and he seeks to roll back the destruction of the USSR at every turn. At the last Olympic games, the national anthem of the USSR was played for Russian athletes. Putin is a very proud KGB spy.
Republicans ought to realize that challenging Obama on this issue isn't just good morality — it's good politics. In July, Obama's job approval rating moved for the first time into prolonged, marked plurality-negative territory. Currently, nearly a majority of Americans say Obama is doing a poor job, while 46% approve. That's crashed from a 60-20 approval split at the start of Obama's presidency. Disapproval has more than doubled; the public senses failure and decay. It's time to give them more of the specifics.
FULL STORY
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ObamaCare at Six Months – higher taxes, higher deficits, and, ultimately, rationed care
"The American people are going to be very upset with higher taxes, higher deficits, and, ultimately, rationed care. Because that's what's going to happen under ObamaCare, as we move down the path to government-run Medicare-for-all."
Interview with Sally Pipes on ObamaCare at Six Months
By Roger Aronoff
AIM recently interviewed Sally Pipes, President and CEO of the Pacific Research Institute (PRI), a San Francisco-based think tank—and the author of the new book The Truth About ObamaCare. Ms. Pipes has been president of PRI since 1991. The Institute promotes free market solutions to issues such as the environment, education, and health care. She is a renowned expert on health care and economic issues. In 2005, she was named one of the "Top Ten Women in the Conservative Movement in America," as published by Human Events. She has written three books, including The Top Ten Myths of American Health Care: A Citizen's Guide, in 2008.
While many in the media treated the six month anniversary of the passage of the legislation as a reason for great praise and appreciation, most polls indicate that a majority of Americans disagree. According to Sally Pipes, "The American people are going to be very upset with higher taxes, higher deficits, and, ultimately, rationed care. Because that's what's going to happen under ObamaCare, as we move down the path to government-run Medicare-for-all."
Below are more excerpts from the interview, which took place on September 16th. You can listen to the entire interview, or read a transcript of it here.
"I think the two biggest things about ObamaCare are, one—his two goals were to achieve universal coverage, and to bend the cost curve down. Well, we're not going to achieve universal coverage. 23 million Americans will still be uninsured in 2019. The cost curve is not going to bend down. He originally wanted a bill that would cost $900 billion dollars over ten years. The CBO says this will be $940 billion over ten years, but I believe most of the tax increases and things do not come into effect until 2014. So between 2014 and 2024, I believe, and many other economists as well, that this legislation, if not repealed and replaced, is going to cost the American taxpayers about $2.5 trillion dollars. So we won't have universal coverage, and the cost curve is not going to go down, it's going to go up. These are going to be two of the things that are going to lead us to this single-payer government that'll run our health care system."
"If you think back, when Medicare and Medicare came into being in 1965, Medicare cost $3 billion dollars in the first year, and the precursor to the Congressional Budget Office predicted it would cost $12 billion dollars by 1990. Well, in fact, it cost $110 billion dollars. So you can't rely on statistics that come out of government because they just don't know what the increased demand for health care will be. No government program ever cost what people think it will cost."
"Of the uninsured, the President said we would be adding 30 million to the rolls of the insured, and 18 million of them will be eligible and will be put on Medicaid, the program for low income Americans. Well, I find it very interesting that 14 million are eligible for Medicaid, today, and haven't signed up. I believe it's because lower income people, who don't have insurance, would love to turn up at an emergency room—because, if you have Medicaid, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find a doctor, because doctors don't want to take these patients because the reimbursement rates are so low. This is only going to get worse, and it's also going to have a major impact on our seniors, because this legislation is going to cut Medicare by $529 billion dollars over 10 years. So as Richard Foster, Chief Actuary at Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, has said, seniors are going to have the trouble getting access to health care, and, also, they will have a very hard time finding a doctor, and one in three new Medicare-eligible people today is already having a difficult time finding a doctor."
"159 new boards and commissions are going to be established under ObamaCare—plus 16,000 new IRS agents are going to be hired to monitor our tax returns to see whether we have health insurance, or if we're going to pay a fine, by 2016, of $695 dollars. But a more important point is, during the health care debate, in February, before it was actually passed on March 23rd, the President wanted to have—he was very much in favor of the 'public option.' There isn't a public option in the final bill. Also, he wanted to have a health insurance rate exchange. Remember: He originally talked about "health care reform," but he ultimately moved to talking about 'health insurance reform.'"
"A number of regulations on insurance companies come into effect on September 23rd, which is next week. That includes reducing, and finally eliminating in 2014, annual limits or lifetime caps on an insurance company plan. It includes allowing young adults to stay on their parents' health insurance until they're age 26. It includes no co-pays or no co-deductibles for preventative care, including an annual physical, mammogram, colonoscopy, diabetes testing. All of these things are going to add significantly to the cost of insurance, and insurance companies are going to have to increase premiums. So Obama has done a great job of saying "I'm offering you, the American people, all these wonderful things." Starting in 2011, there will be new excise taxes on insurance companies, medical device companies, and pharmaceutical companies, all of which, I think, are going to destroy research and development and innovation in these areas—which, really, America is where innovation takes place, and where people come from all over the world in order to take advantage of the finest care."
"The individual mandate, of course, I believe, is unconstitutional. We have seen, in Virginia, Judge Hudson ruled that the Virginia suit against the federal Department of Justice can go forward. About a month ago, in Missouri, 71 percent of voters voted in favor of banning the individual mandate. And just this past week, in Florida, federal judge Vinson said that by October 16th he's going to make a decision—but he's probably going to allow a lot of that suit, the Constitutional challenge suit which is being filed by 20 states' Attorneys General and the National Federation of Independent Business, to go forward. Ultimately, this will probably be the lawsuit [that] will have to go to the Supreme Court. I would hope that it would be overturned, and the individual mandate would be overturned, in the Supreme Court. But, of course, one can't always depend on the Supreme Court, because, in many decisions of late, they have said that if the Congress approves something, they don't want to go against what the elected representatives do. But my feeling is, we do want this to go to the Supreme Court, and if the individual mandate is ruled unconstitutional, it's going to destroy ObamaCare."
"I hope the Republicans can take the Presidency in 2012, and the Congress, so that in 2013, then there would be a great shot at repealing the whole legislation and replacing it with health care reform that will bring about competition, and reduce the number of uninsured, and make a lot of changes that, I think, the American people will be happy with—because, even today, 58 percent of people, Americans, polled, want to have this health care legislation repealed. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid went against the will of the American people and pushed this through, and not a single Republican voted for it. And, as I say, the American people were against it."
"I think the Don Berwick recess appointment was really very bad on the part of Obama. He did not keep up to his promise that he was going to bring transparency to the government. Everything is completely opaque."
"I would say the mainstream media, of course, always likes to increase the role of government in our lives, and Obama, Pelosi, and Reid believe that government can make decisions for the American people better than we can make for ourselves. It's an ideological vision that they have, and that is not the American way. This debate since January of 2009, and even before, on health care has been covered a tremendous amount. Fortunately, we have Accuracy in Media. We have Fox. We have The New York Post, The Wall Street Journal, Investor's Business Daily, a lot of talk radio. They have covered this debate very, very fairly. And then I have done a lot of media and speeches and debates on this. But if you read The Washington Post, The New York Times—I debated Howard Dean on CNBC, who's a huge single-payer fan—I think the mainstream media has definitely been biased towards government takeover of our health care. But, fortunately, as I say, talk radio, blogs—all of these things are at least educating the American people. I think that is why 58 percent of the American people would like to see this legislation repealed and replaced."
Roger Aronoff is a media analyst with Accuracy in Media, and is the writer/director of the award-winning documentary, "Confronting Iraq: Conflict and Hope." He can be contacted at roger.aronoff@aim.org.
http://usactionnews.com/2010/09/obamacare-at-six-months-higher-taxes-higher-deficits-and-ultimately-rationed-care/
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Pelosi Attends Fundraiser for Radical Joe Garcia – Tea Party Breaks Out
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) came today to Miami to raise money for far left FL-25 congressional candidate Joe Garcia at the home of Raul Martinez.
A tea party broke out.
Fact Real has more photos from the protest.
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/pelosi-attends-fundraiser-for-radical-joe-garcia-tea-party-breaks-out/
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Chicago Tribune says health costs to go up at least 12% in 2011
This is interesting, because we ran a post below asking if your health costs have already gone up, and then we noticed this article over on the Tribune's site about insurance premiums expected to increase 12% in 2011. If we understand the article correctly, this means that whatever has happened to you already, expect a [...]
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Why is America So Interested in BRAZIL?
September 26, 2010
By Ann-Marie
Brazil, the 5th largest country in the world, has become much more than a fun-loving albeit somewhat naughty tourist spot. The Obama administration and their pal George Soros have been ramping up efforts lately to help guide Brazil towards becoming a major Global World Leader. Let's explore how this is happening.
It seems Brazil has recently become a major player in world politics. All I previously knew about Brazil basically amounted to 'Carnival' in Rio de Janeiro, Samba dancing, soccer player Pele and of course the famous Brazil nut. (Which I'm not actually positive originated in Brazil…)
But lately this 5th largest country in the world has become much more than a fun-loving albeit somewhat naughty tourist spot. The political wooing of Brazil has been taking place quite awhile but recently the Obama administration has ramped up efforts to make Brazil a major Global World Leader. Let's explore how this is happening.
MILITARY: In 2005, President Bush vetoed the sale of Brazilian Super Tucano fighters to Venezuela because 'they had US avionic components.' However the Obama administration has opened all new doors in dealing with Brazil and selling military technology to them. Currently the US is in a bidding war with France to sell them 36 Boeing F-18 Super Hornets. To ease Brazil's mind that the US is serious about this military sale, Ellen Tauscher, Secretary for Arms Control, has assured Brazilian President Lula de Silva that 'the administration of President Obama "would not have the same attitude as the previous Republican administration of George Bush.' According to an article in Mercopress.com, Tauscher said:
"This is a new administration, and a new sale. We can guarantee the transfer of Boeing technology, the world's main aerospace industry corporation. And we still are the United States of America". She added that if Brazil chooses Boeing 'it will ensure that relations between both countries are even deeper and more dynamic'. The purchase with technology transfer is part of the Brazilian National Defense Strategy launched by President Lula da Silva with the purpose of increasing patrolling in the Amazon and along the 8.000 kilometers of coast, where in 2007, mega-reserves of hydrocarbons have been discovered, possibly some of the world's largest and most promising. According to the Brazilian press the aircraft contract involves six billion US dollars and is part of Brazil's aspiration of developing a strong defense industry with its own technology in the coming ten years."
Tauscher said the transfer of these jets would be 'a big departure from what the US typically does, adding that "the sale would be important because 'the relation with Brazil is so prized, so significant for us."
Along these military-linked lines, an article in airlines.net says:
"Brazil topped the list of developing nations in arms-transfer agreements, signing deals worth US $7.2 billion last year, according to a recent report for the US Congress. The deal with the UAE (United Arab Emirates) would represent the first significant foray for Brazil into the Gulf since the 1980s, when its defense industry suffered a major setback at the end of the Iran-Iraq War. Brazil was a major arms supplier to Saddam Hussein's regime at the time."
And from defensenews.com, "Brazil's aim is not only to renovate its armed forces, which have long been getting by with outdated materiel, but to defend increasingly valuable natural resources and to put muscle behind an expansive foreign policy which has seen Brasilia take on an important role in the region and beyond."
So again, my question is why is the US so concerned about helping militarily build Brazil, a country whose population is made up of predominently poor people? One guess might be that it has something to do with our recent oil involvement.
BRAZILIAN OIL/ECONOMY: The US recently loaned $2 billion of YOUR money to Brazil to help their drilling efforts. This was not done so much to increase America's oil supply but rather to help with Brazil's own explorations and boost THEIR economy.
In addition to our US dollars, Brazilian oil company Petrobras loaned Brazil $64 billion for drilling. Petrobras execs said this amount is ''flexible' and will give more if needed.
Interestingly, the same administration that sternly scolded the American oil industry for deepwater drilling (and has yet to lift the moratorium on future drilling) is now supporting deep water drilling in Brazil. Oh—I'm sorry, I meant to write ULTRA-deepwater drilling. This type of drilling goes down at least 7,500 feet into the ocean—much deeper than the Deepwater Horizon drilling in the Gulf. I guess Obama's concerns about deepwater drilling only go as far as our US borders…
And of course, no one should be surprised that huge Obama supporter George Soros is heavily invested in Petrobras, donating over $1 billion into the Brazilian company. Don't worry–I'm certain Mr. Soros will make back all the money he's investing…
All this oil biz is great news for the economy of Brazil, creating jobs and money for the Socialistic country. Ironically, while trying to lift Brazil's poor economy out of the darkness Obama's moratorium on US deepwater drilling is all but killing oil ownership in America and making us even MORE dependent on foreign oil. (Anyone know where we can get some? Brazil, maybe?? ) But I digress.
BRAZIL ELECTIONS: Lastly, Brazil is in the midst of a presidential election. According to theindependent.com, the probable winner will be Workers Party candidate Dilma Rousseff, whose lovely qualifications include being a former guerilla, Marxist teacher, community activist/Labor Union leader. If she wins in next week's election, Rousseff would stand to be the most powerful woman in the world. As head of state, she would outrank Angela Merkel, Germany's Chancellor, and Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State.
It's probably worth noting that Ms. Rousseff has many famous supporters, including actor/brooder Benicio del Toros, filmmaker Oliver Stone and of course the French Socialist Party…
Thanks to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's advice, Obama won't visit Brazil until after the October elections. One reason may be because the Clinton's are friends with Brazilian president Fernando Henrique Cardoso from the opposition party, Brazilian Social Democracy, PSDB. However we can probably foresee a visit from the Obama family soon after the elections. After all, Brazil stands to be one of the most powerful countries on earth. Hugh O'Shaughnessy of theindependent.com says, "the enormous country of 200 million people is reveling in its new oil wealth. Brazil's growth rate, rivaling China's, is one that Europe and Washington can only envy."
Ann-Marie
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Take me to your leader… UFO’s have an official contact at the UN now
RWBNews: I can't type a comment. I'm laughing too hard!
http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/un-to-appoint-earth-contact-for-aliens/story-e6frfku0-1225929498742
THE United Nations was set today to appoint an obscure Malaysian astrophysicist to act as Earth's first contact for any aliens that may come visiting.
Mazlan Othman, the head of the UN's little-known Office for Outer Space Affairs (Unoosa), is to describe her potential new role next week at a scientific conference at the Royal Society's Kavli conference centre in Buckinghamshire.
She is scheduled to tell delegates that the recent discovery of hundreds of planets around other stars has made the detection of extraterrestrial life more likely than ever before – and that means the UN must be ready to coordinate humanity's response to any "first contact".
During a talk Othman gave recently to fellow scientists, she said: "The continued search for extraterrestrial communication, by several entities, sus
"When we do, we should have in place a coordinated response that takes into account all the sensitivities related to the subject. The UN is a ready-made mechanism for such coordination."
Professor Richard Crowther, an expert in space law and governance at the UK Space Agency and who leads British delegations to the UN on such matters, said: "Othman is absolutely the nearest thing we have to a 'take me to your leader' person."
However, he thinks humanity's first encounter with any intelligent aliens is more likely to be via radio or light signals from a distant planet than by beings arriving on Earth. And, he suggests, even if we do encounter aliens in the flesh, they are more likely to be microbes than anything intelligent.
Read more: http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/un-to-appoint-earth-contact-for-aliens/story-e6frfku0-1225929498742#ixzz10fTK6niZ
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Coming to a Mosque near you- your tax dollars at work
The Prez wants outreach and understanding. I understand them perfectly and want to reach out and stop them!
The FBI isn't telling us the whole–or the real–story.
Muslim Bomber: Apparently From Hezbollah; Chicago Tax Funds for Saudi Islamo-Fest
On Monday, Sami Samir Hassoun, a Chicago resident and Lebanese national, was charged in federal court for trying to blow up what he believed was a bomb in Chicago's Wrigleyville neighborhood near Wrigley Field. Hassoun is a 22-year-old Lebanese national, who has been in the U.S. for three years and is a "lawful permanent resident," which apparently means he has a green card and was on his way to getting U.S. citizenship
Also, among Hassoun's targets–in addition to poisoning our water supply and getting Mayor Richard Daley–was the Chicago Arabesque Festival, a Muslim-dominated event paid for by the City of Chicago and was co-sponsored by the Saudi Arabian and Jordanian governments. The supporters of the festival aer sunni, the bomber is a Shi'ite Muslim. An FBI informant is described as surprised that Hassoun would target "Arab people" but the Arabesque is sponsored by two Sunni governments, along with dumb American infidels, and a Shi'ite–especially one associated with Hezbollah–would have no problem hitting those targets.
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RECOVERY SUMMER! Treasury Can’t Seem To Unload Citi Stock….
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Once Again Obama Stands With the Few… 74% of Americans Believe Economy Still in Recession
In issue after issue this past year Barack Obama's positions were unpopular with the American people.
A great majority of Americans opposed Obamacare (61% want it repealed), a victory mosque at ground zero (68% oppose mosque), another failed stimulus (only 31% support the idea), suing Arizona over their immigration law (two-thirds oppose), increasing energy taxes (2 to 1 margin), trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammad in New York City (only 29% agree).
Add this to the list…
Obama announced that the recession was over this week. 74% of Americans disagree.
CNN reported:
Economic experts may believe the recession is over, but try telling that to the public.
Seventy-four percent of Americans believe the economy is still in a recession, according to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll. Only 25 percent think the downturn is over.
One-third of Americans say the recession is serious, while another 29 percent characterize it as moderate.
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/once-again-obama-stands-against-american-people-74-of-americans-believe-economy-still-in-recession/
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Predictable… SNL Cranks Give Conservative O’Donnell the Palin Treatment (Video)
Gee, who saw this coming?
The leftists at Saturday Night Live gave conservative Christine O'Donnell the Palin treatment last night on the season premiere. Heck, it worked so well on Palin they had to try it on O'Donnell.
And, their buddies at the AP were ready with their story for Sunday morning readers complete with an unflattering picture of Christine O'Donnell.
Funny how that works, huh?
Here's the humorless hit piece:
As Allahpundit said on this stale routine at HotAir:
The O'Donnell skit is the "newsworthy" bit but the gags are so predictable that you might as well skip it. How predictable? Put it this way: At one point, they actually have her in a witch's hat riding a broom. So perfunctory is it, in fact, that I wonder if they were forced to do something like this because all the good comic material had already been mined while they were on summer hiatus.
Next week the cast of SNL is going to mock the bearded Marxist she's running against.
Just kidding.
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/predictable-snl-cranks-give-conservative-odonnell-the-palin-treatment-video/
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Ahmadinejad Met With Farrakhan in New York City
Iranian Regime President secretly met with anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan in New York City this past week.
My FOX Houston reported:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's six-night visit to NYC included a secret sit-down with militant minister Louis Farrakhan, the New York Post reported Sunday.
The president shared a hush-hush meal with Farrakhan and members of the New Black Panther Party Tuesday at the Warwick Hotel on West 54th Street.
The meeting took place during Ahmadinejad's stay in NYC to address the U.N. General Assembly. He met Farrakhan, the fiery 77-year-old leader of The Nation of Islam, in the Warwick Hotel's banquet hall.
Ahmadinejad's speech Thursday, during which speculated that the U.S. was behind the 9/11 terror attacks caused outrage, caused a walk-out by U.S. delegates.
The speech was just part of the Iranian leader's bizarre six-night NYC visit.
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/ahmadinejad-secretly-met-with-farrakhan-in-new-york-city/
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NYT: Democrats campaigning from the gutter
Saying that Democrats are campaigning from the gutter gives gutters a bad name. They are campaigning from below the sewers with the C.H.U.D.s. They aren't campaigning on ramming ObamaCare down our throats by bypassing normal legislative procedures. They are not campaigning on the stimulus boondoggle. Or the auto bailouts. Or cap and trade that was passed in the House. Nope. They aren't even admitting in their campaign ads that they are Democrats! Instead, they are digging up dirt and slinging mud. Not even the old gray lady can turn a blind eye on this one. From the New York Times via the Star Tribune: Democrats' strategy: Start slinging
Gutter politics. No mention of 1) Peter's party affiliation, 2) his yea ObamaCare vote, 3) his yea stimulus vote, 4) his yea bailout vote, 5) his yea cap-and-trade vote, 6) his voting with Pelosi 95% of the time and I could go on and on. Anyone reading this with just a couple of bucks in the bank take note - every time you see a smear ad like this, go online and donate $5 to Rocky's campaign to unseat Gary Peters for such tactics:
UPDATE: More from the NYT via memeorandum: Democrats Unleash Ads Focusing on Rivals' Pasts. And that's going to change the minds of voters ticked off about the economy... how???
Democratic candidates across the country are opening a fierce offensive of negative advertisements against Republicans, using lawsuits, tax filings, reports from the Better Business Bureau and even divorce proceedings to try to discredit their opponents and save their congressional majority.November is going to be one heck of a backfire indeed. The NYT listed a few example cases. One not mentioned is the smear ads coming from the camp of our own Gary Peters (D-MI 9th):
Opposition research and attack advertising are deployed in almost every election...
...many Democrats are deploying the fruits of a yearlong investigation into the business and personal histories of Republican candidates in an effort to plant doubts about them and avoid having races become a national referendum on the performance of President Obama and his party.
...Negative ads can be successful, whether or not they are fair and fully accurate, particularly if they lure an opponent into responding or if they define a political newcomer before he can define himself. But they also carry risks, especially in a year when voters are frustrated about the economy and impatient with politics as usual.
(Steve McMahon, a Democratic consultant) added: "Anytime you get personal in campaign advertising, there's always a risk that it goes too far to be credible or it backfires altogether... It's called winning ugly. But a lot of time it backfires, because people in their communities know them."
Gutter politics. No mention of 1) Peter's party affiliation, 2) his yea ObamaCare vote, 3) his yea stimulus vote, 4) his yea bailout vote, 5) his yea cap-and-trade vote, 6) his voting with Pelosi 95% of the time and I could go on and on. Anyone reading this with just a couple of bucks in the bank take note - every time you see a smear ad like this, go online and donate $5 to Rocky's campaign to unseat Gary Peters for such tactics:
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Sad history: The last U.S. bulb plant closed at midnight Sept 24, 2010
An update on this recent post: Dim bulb Dems shut lights out on American light bulb factories. The last light bulb factory closed on the morning of September 24, 2010 and even more Americans have been laid off. Want to know what shipping jobs overseas really looks like? Like this (via The Michigan View):
Compact flourescent bulbs - ones that I bought and am in no way happy with (they don't last anywhere near as long as advertised) - will be made in China. Speaking of, did I mention that CFL makers In China have mercury poisoning? It does take mercury, in the deadliest vapor form, for CFLs to operate. Anyone who has read or heard about the EPA recommendation on broken flourescent bulb cleanup knows this already. Mercury is not a good thing to have around, especially in vapor form that could be breathed into your system.
By 2012, I expect CFLs to be antiquated once LED and plasma bulbs get cheap enough. The light quality from both the LED and plasma alternatives are far better than CFLs. Both technologies are currently more expensive than CFLs, but that will change in time as the technology advances.Will it save energy. No. Let me clue you in on something: the switch won't save any energy because the prediction is based on a static premise; that is, that changing the bulbs will not alter human behavior. As a matter of fact, it has been proven that owners of fuel efficient vehicles drive more. Changing to more efficient bulbs will incentivize Americans to use more light and for a longer time. And not by a small amount either. As Henry Payne pointed out a few days ago in The Michigan View, "The Economist reports that a study published in the "Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics" by Jeff Tsao of Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico "predicts that the introduction of solid-state lighting could increase the consumption of light by a factor of ten within two decades."
By 2012, I expect CFLs to be antiquated once LED and plasma bulbs get cheap enough. The light quality from both the LED and plasma alternatives are far better than CFLs. Both technologies are currently more expensive than CFLs, but that will change in time as the technology advances.Will it save energy. No. Let me clue you in on something: the switch won't save any energy because the prediction is based on a static premise; that is, that changing the bulbs will not alter human behavior. As a matter of fact, it has been proven that owners of fuel efficient vehicles drive more. Changing to more efficient bulbs will incentivize Americans to use more light and for a longer time. And not by a small amount either. As Henry Payne pointed out a few days ago in The Michigan View, "The Economist reports that a study published in the "Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics" by Jeff Tsao of Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico "predicts that the introduction of solid-state lighting could increase the consumption of light by a factor of ten within two decades."
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The refreshing facts of what is happening this election cycle
RWBNews: With all of MSM talking about Obama and what a fine job he's doing, it's refreshing to find an article the points out facts. From the mass exodus of this Administrations senior advisors to the irresponsible behavior of the Democrat rulers in the house and senate. The Weekly Standard never fails to point out exactly what is happening and why.
BY William Kristol for The Weekly Standard http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/articles/democrats-melt-down
It would be unbecoming for us at The Weekly -Standard—we do have to uphold standards, after all!—to chortle with glee as the Democratic party melts down. It would be unkind to whoop at the top of our lungs as Obama White House big shots quit or get fired, and to cheer with gusto as the GOP leadership behaves sensibly, the Tea Party goes from strength to strength, and momentum builds towards a huge Election Day repudiation of big government liberalism.
So, instead, we'll simply point out, calmly and quietly, that the Democratic party is in meltdown, the Obama White House is in disarray, and the voters are in rebellion against both of them.
As Matthew Continetti notes above, the Democrats seem ready to let Congress adjourn without ever voting on next year's tax increases. And as the Democratic Congress has dithered, the Obama White House has crumbled. This White House will have lost, by the end of this year, a remarkably high percentage of its original senior staff members. The White House counsel, communications director, budget director, and chair of the council of economic advisers are already gone—to say nothing of the estimable Van Jones, special adviser for green jobs, enterprise, and innovation. The chief of staff, national security adviser, and top economic policy director will follow shortly. Almost all of them were oh-so-convinced they were the best and brightest, oh-so-contemptuous of others who had labored in those jobs, and oh-so-disdainful of the American people. If we were less good-hearted and generous in spirit, we would be tempted to say: Goodbye and good riddance.
Meanwhile, much to the amazement of experienced laborers in conservative and Republican causes, the Republicans aren't blowing it.
Last week, for example, House Republicans unveiled their Pledge to America. Yes, it was a little overhyped in advance, and a bit pompous in presentation. But it actually does consist of a sensible series of first steps for a GOP Congress.
The Pledge, moreover, is a step up from 1994's Contract with America. GOP strategists in 1994 seized on the idea of a "contract" as a way of bringing disillusioned Perot voters back into the tent. One source of Republican disillusion was that the first President Bush had promised not to raise taxes, and then did so. A contract was a way to make up for the failure to honor the promise to "read my lips." And the good-faith and sincere attempt to implement the contract, to the degree congressional Republicans were able to do so, went a long way to repairing the damage of the broken promise of 1990.
But still, perhaps because it was making up for a breach of trust, there was something contrived and almost desperate about the contract as an attempt to allay the suspicions of the American people. This year's pledge is a more dignified way for the people's representatives to present themselves to their fellow citizens. Its allusion to the Declaration of Independence's last sentence makes it appropriate for the year of the Tea Party. It suggests an open-ended commitment, one that goes beyond, and goes deeper, than fulfilling a contract with those who've "hired" you (to recall a locution that was popular in the era of Clinton and Perot). A contract merely limits the ability of our elected officials to do damage. A pledge does that as well, but it also supports a commitment to move forward, to act on behalf of the people in the cause of solvency, liberty, and self-government.
It looks as if 2010 will be a bigger electoral landslide than 1994, and more significant as well. But the true significance of 2010 will be to lay the groundwork for an even bigger victory in 2012—a victory that would allow President Obama to follow the example of so many of his senior staff, and depart the White House sooner than he once expected.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/print/articles/democrats-melt-down
swenbwr
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Snap out of it, America, man-on-the-street video exposes the effectiveness of public education
RWB News: This is a sad example of the dumbing down of America. Just once I wish these guys would catch me on the street.
"Americans are Not Stupid — With Subtitles"
Click here to view the embedded video.
swenbwr
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White House Sees Tax Cut Action After Election
WASHINGTON (AP) — One of President Barack Obama's chief advisers says the White House will figure out a way to get middle-class tax cuts extended after the election.
David Axelrod says the administration will continue to push the tax cuts despite stiff resistance from Republicans.
Axelrod tells ABC's "This Week" that "one way or the other, we're going to get it done."
He says Republicans are holding firm to an "untenable position," and they won't be able to explain to the public why they're holding up the tax cuts for the middle class.
Republicans want to extend all of George W. Bush's income tax cuts permanently. Democrats are proposing to keep the rates where they are for individuals making up to $200,000 and for families earning up to $250,000.
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7000 ICE officers give thumbs down to Obama ICE director
As the Obama Administration plans to implement a 'back-door' amnesty plan for illegal aliens, 7000 of the officers who are responsible for the enforcement of immigration law have given a vote of 'no confidence' to Obama's ICE director John Morton, and assistant director Phyllis Coven.The group also revolted against the concept of 'sanctuary cities.'Due to the fact that they have seen first-hand the widespread corruption in the organization and the absolute refusal of Obama appointees to obey the nation's immigration laws, the 7000 field officers of ICE...
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-national/7000-ice-officers-give-thumbs-down-to-obama-ice-director
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Video: “The Daily Show” humiliates union for using … non-union picketers
Hypocrites.
It's almost a week old but so brutal that we can't let it pass unposted (and no, I'm not saying that because of this). What's more painful here, the UFCW rep's palpable discomfort in admitting that they're paying people to walk the line for them or the fact that it took "The Daily Show" to [...]
http://hotair.com/archives/2010/09/26/video-the-daily-show-humiliates-union-for-using-non-union-picketers/
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New Black Panthers and Farrakhan dined with Ahmadinejad Tuesday
RWBNews: The NBP, those thugs that the DOJ dropped charges on, dined with the international thug. So, we have the thugs that made a video laughing about the Obama Administration giving them a pass to breaking laws during the Presidential election dining with the thug that told the UN that the USA planned 9/11 to start a mid-east war. We have a President that does everything except put Imam in front of his name and no one is investigating anything? Do I have this right? I SAID, DO I HAVE THIS RIGHT?!?!?!?!!!!
By Brad Hamilton for the NYPost http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/jad_monster_ball_Z7Km37ydJJJHSxgrxPtfbJ
It was a strange week for the loony strongman from Iran.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's six nights in New York featured a secret sit-down with militant minister Louis Farrakhan, heckling in a hotel bar, and a fear of being rubbed out that bordered on paranoia.
The president shared a hush-hush meal with Farrakhan and members of the New Black Panther Party Tuesday at the Warwick Hotel on West 54th Street.
The meeting of the podium smackers took place in a banquet room, where the fiery leaders presumably exchanged theories on what's wrong with the world.
On Thursday night, Sudanese diplomats trying to get in to see Ahmadinejad at the Hilton Manhattan East, on 42nd Street, squared off with security and a pushing match ensued. Two well-dressed women in their 40s came in, sat at the hotel bar and ordered drinks.
One of them caught the attention of the president's security detail, which had set up a station in the hotel lobby. She was soon surrounded by eight angry Iranians, who ordered her to leave. She refused.
A manager tried to calm things down. Suddenly, the woman stood up and pointed at the Iranians, yelling, "You stoned my sister! You're murderers!"
Paranoia was on parade at the Hilton the moment the president checked in on Saturday, Sept. 18. His team took six floors to themselves in the hotel's south tower, overlooking Tudor City, about 90 rooms in all. More than 20 were just for security.
Still, Ahmadinejad, who wore the same tacky suit and shirt all week, took every precaution. He never set foot in the lobby. Bulletproof glass was installed over room windows. When he left for meetings at the Iranian Mission, on Third Avenue, or the United Nations, he departed by an employee entrance, the path covered in a white tent — a veritable tunnel to his vehicle. His head was covered with a white cloth. No one saw him on the street.
The entourage dined in but not on room service. Meals — mostly lamb, shish kebabs, spiced ground meat and basmati rice — were prepared by a Persian restaurant and carried in by Secret Service agents.
A source said the spicy grub made "the whole hotel stink like hell."
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Video: Sesame Street now teaching socialism
Moonbat Congresscritters like Rep John Sarbanes already advocate brainwashing our children with the radical green agenda. Why not just thrown in socialist redistribution of wealth to boot? Spread the wealth around? The liberals behind Sesame Street have taken the lead in exposing our kids to a corrosive ideology that has utterly failed wherever it was tried:
HT: moonbattery. Also, the same Sesame Street is exposing our kids to the sexualization of women, as if there isn't enough of that to be had throughout the airwaves (via HotAir):
Also this SS spoof of the HBO series True Blood, known for its hypersexual undercurrent:
That last video via The Daily Fill: What The Hell Is Happening On Sesame Street? The Muppets Do True Blood For Kids. And let's not forget Grouch trashing FoxNews a few months ago:
It's official. Sesame Street is now located in Chicago:
And it's bad for your kids. Let's recall the some of the communist goals from 1963:
HT: moonbattery. Also, the same Sesame Street is exposing our kids to the sexualization of women, as if there isn't enough of that to be had throughout the airwaves (via HotAir):
Also this SS spoof of the HBO series True Blood, known for its hypersexual undercurrent:
That last video via The Daily Fill: What The Hell Is Happening On Sesame Street? The Muppets Do True Blood For Kids. And let's not forget Grouch trashing FoxNews a few months ago:
It's official. Sesame Street is now located in Chicago:
And it's bad for your kids. Let's recall the some of the communist goals from 1963:
17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.Sesame Street is doing its part.
21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
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SEIU operative in TX caught in massive voter fraud
Keep in mind that SEIU = ACORN. The AP painted the best narrative it could, hiding from the headline the fact that this was an SEIU/ACORN hack (via memeorandum): Citizens' Group Helps Uncover Alleged Rampant Voter Fraud in Houston. That citizen's group? The tea party - just a few patriotic citizens that decided to take on the system:
When Catherine Engelbrecht and her friends sat down and started talking politics several years ago, they soon agreed that talking wasn't enough. They wanted to do more. So when the 2008 election came around, "about 50" of her friends volunteered to work at Houston's polling places.Being witnesses was one thing. Having hard evidence another. So they took action and formed "True the Vote" and began collecting publicly available voting data, even though at first they didn't know exactly what to look for, to prove that voter fraud was occurring there. But the data gave them a strategy:
"What we saw shocked us," she said. "There was no one checking IDs, judges would vote for people that asked for help. It was fraud, and we watched like deer in the headlights."
You won't be surprised by 2 things here: 1) the fraud was occurring in a poor and predominantly black district, ans 2) charges of racism were hurled in a split second:
"The first thing we started to do was look at houses with more than six voters in them" Engelbrecht said, because those houses were the most likely to have fraudulent registrations attached to them. "Most voting districts had 1,800 if they were Republican and 2,400 of these houses if they were Democratic . . .
"But we came across one with 24,000, and that was where we started looking."
It was Houston's poorest and predominantly black district, which has led some to accuse the group of targeting poor black areas. But Engelbrecht rejects that, saying, "It had nothing to do with politics. It was just the numbers."Because of the overwhelming task of sifting through the data of 886 precincts containing 1.9 million voters, they called for an got resources and a bunch of volunteers. The scale of the fraud then came to light:
The SEIU hack, of course, said that there "had been mistakes made," dismissing the fact that it couldn't be possibly anything other than deliberate at that scale. The Harris voter registrar, Leo Vasquez, had this to say:"Vacant lots had several voters registered on them. An eight-bed halfway house had more than 40 voters registered at its address," Engelbrecht said. "We then decided to look at who was registering the voters."
Their work paid off. Two weeks ago the Harris County voter registrar took their work and the findings of his own investigation and handed them over to both the Texas secretary of state's office and the Harris County district attorney.
Most of the findings focused on a group called Houston Votes, a voter registration group headed by Steve Caddle, who also works for the Service Employees International Union. Among the findings were that only 1,793 of the 25,000 registrations the group submitted appeared to be valid. The other registrations included one of a woman who registered six times in the same day; registrations of non-citizens; so many applications from one Houston Voters collector in one day that it was deemed to be beyond human capability; and 1,597 registrations that named the same person multiple times, often with different signatures.
For those libs out there that still hold onto the pathetic claim that there is no proof of voter fraud, there is. It's just that it now seems to take citizens rather than the authorities in our ruling class (that have totally dropped the ball) to weed it out. More from Right Wing News, Gateway Pundit, Weasel Zippers and Doug Ross
"The integrity of the voting rolls in Harris County, Texas, appears to be under an organized and systematic attack by the group operating under the name Houston Votes."
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Redistributing wealth with the Gulf Coast Claims Facility
In a story from yesterday's Mobile Press-Register:
Business owners and public officials in Baldwin County say they are alarmed by reports of employees receiving more money for oil spill claims than owners of the businesses they work for.
It is just another aspect of their biggest problem with Ken Feinberg's Gulf Coast Claims Facility — that business owners near Baldwin County's once-lucrative beaches get checks that cover only a fraction of losses suffered after the oil spill began keeping tourists at bay.
David Wright is an extreme example. The owner of an Elberta company that builds high-end homes for people who plan to either retire or vacation on the coast, Wright had to lay off his 15 workers when his customers canceled contracts after the April 20 spill.
Rob Manney, a supervisor on Wright's crew, said he got checks totaling 80 percent of his personal claim with Feinberg's operation.
Wright's business claim was denied.
"How do you pay an employee and not the business?" Wright asked. "It's anti-business."
Feinberg did not respond to requests for comment made to his media representative.
Feinberg says that the GCCF is not under the direction of BP or the regime. That, obviously, is a bunch of shit. There is only one reason why Wright's employees are getting claims checks and business owners like Wright are not—it's class discrimination. "Bourgeoisie" business owners like Wright are the people who create the jobs that drive this economy. But to the Obama regime, men like Wright are guilty of building wealth on the sweat and blood of their employees. So, when the opportunity arises to "make it right," they do so. They deny legitimate claims submitted by business owners while approving the claims of the businesses' employees.
I am no fan of the $20 billion slush fund. It's just another way for the regime to pick winners and losers. Or, in this case, to pick those who suffer a little and those who suffer a lot.
The regime's complete ineptitude in responding to the disaster—as documented in the Deepwater Horizon Incident Timeline on this blog—shows that it is incapable of managing any significant enterprise or effort. It inevitably allows politics to color its decision-making process, and shamefully allows ideology to pollute what should be a straightforward process of settling claim.
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ibleedcrimsonred/OvJu/~3/uh48WeLsS7o/redistributing-wealth-with-gulf-coast.html
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"The establishment media reveals itself, not as the people’s watchdog against irresponsible governme
The MSM elected Obama, not We the People. They lied to the American people to get an unqualified radical that hates this country elected as President. Via moonbattery:
That's the bigger picture. A subset of that is the MSMs continued lies on the national debt. Karl opines (via Instapundit) on the MSMs lies, especially that of omission on fiscal policy:
That's the bigger picture. A subset of that is the MSMs continued lies on the national debt. Karl opines (via Instapundit) on the MSMs lies, especially that of omission on fiscal policy:
our unsustainable financial situation led to the creation of a Tea Party movement — one of the biggest political developments in America over the past two years. It would seem to be the perfect news peg for ongoing media coverage of our government's fiscal irresponsibility. Of course, it didn't work out quite that way, did it? Instead, the establishment media ignored, then attacked the Tea Party movement — first as astroturf, then as racist, as Birthers, as hypocritical (for not having formed when the problem was less dire, and for gullibly expecting the government to make good on current entitlement promises or reform them before adding new ones), etc. The establishment media's coverage of the Tea Party often seems devoted to discussing anything other than the issues at the heart of the movement.
Answer: BECAUSE THEY ARE LIBERALS! They sympathize and promote the liberal Democrat agenda by any means necessary, and that means flat out lying to the rest of us in the hope that enough shlubs still exist in America that will eat what they spoon feed rather than check the 'facts' themselves in the new media. Unfortunately, they are right. This is how they got the community organizer-in-chief elected.
Thus, the establishment media reveals itself, not as the people's watchdog against irresponsible government, but as the irresponsible government's guard dog against the people. It is ground zero for manufacturing center-left consent. After all, how could the establishment have seriously discussed passing the trillion-dollar ObamaCare behemoth, when so much of the funding comes from "reductions" in Medicare and Medicaid spending that is unsustainable in the first instance? How could the media have gone along with the laughable CBO estimate that ObamaCare will reduce the deficit (based on assumptions the CBO admits are unrealistic), if they had to take our ginormous public debt seriously? How could they float an economy-crushing cap-and-tax scheme to combat global warming, or climate change, or climate disruption, or whatever it's being called today, if everyone was forced to acknowledge how far government has already promised beyond its means?
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Losing Hope: Confessions of an Obama Supporter
Greg Smith used to campaign for Barack Obama full-time. Now he needs convincing that things will get better. (Photo: NY Post)
Greg Smith, 46 from New York, has supported Barack Obama since the now-president announced his bid for the White House in 2007. But three years later the diehard Obamaniac has a sober admission: he's losing hope.
In 2007, the New York Post featured Smith's story — he was a converted Clinton supporter that left his work as a hotel doorman to campaign for Obama. Obama read the story and asked Smith to introduce him at a campaign event and also tell his story. He did, began campaigning for Obama full-time, and even was present backstage during the Democratic National Convention speech in Denver.
Obama won the election. Life was great — hope and change were alive. But now, reality has set in, and Smith — back at his old job – wonders aloud to the Post what happened:
Two years later, I'm living a more sober reality.
My life is not better. I'm a college graduate and I still can't get a good job.
I'm back working as a doorman at a Manhattan hotel earning peanuts because my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer and I need the health insurance again.
I share the same sentiments of Velma Hart, the woman who confronted Obama at a town hall last week, saying she was tired of defending him. The idea of leaving New York is even on the table.
Obama has let professional politicians take over the White House — and our dream of change.
I know it's childish to expect solutions to happen overnight. Obama inherited a big old mess, and I don't expect him to have everything figured out after 18 months.
But we're only human and we want to see some visible change.
I'm trying to keep up my hope — but I'm afraid that instead of being that guy who knocked on doors in Denver, I'm now the person who needs convincing.
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Figures. Marxists & Democrats Will March Shoulder-to-Shoulder at Oct. 2 Rally
Figures. The Marxists and Democrats will march shoulder-to-shoulder at their astroturfed October 2nd rally.
Gulag Bound reported, via Free Republic:
The "peace director" of the October 2 "One Nation Working Together" rally says that the U.S. should immediately withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, military aid to Israel should be ended, and that Iran has the right to develop nuclear weapons as long as the U.S. has them. He also says that Marxists are invited to participate at his upcoming rally.
Michael McPhearson, one of the key organizers of the event and former executive director of Veterans for Peace, tells Accuracy in Media, "I'm not all that concerned if you're a Republican, Democrat, or Marxist or Communist, whatever," he said. "I just want us to work together to make our country better. That's what I look at—not if you're a socialist."
The October 2 rally in Washington, D.C. is designed to counter the Tea Party, a grass roots movement of citizens devoted to limited government, and the recent "Restoring Honor" rally in the nation's capital sponsored by Fox News personality Glenn Beck.
Questioned on the involvement of communist groups, McPhearson shot back, "What is radical? We are trying to bring everybody together under one tent. In the United States everybody has a voice and speaks their opinion." He said the Tea Party has its own share of controversial people.
McPhearson's Facebook page highlights President Obama as being among his favorites. (Clicking on "Barack Obama" takes you to the President's own Facebook page).
McPhearson's role in the October 2 event, which is being advertised as featuring hundreds of thousands of people gathering at the Lincoln Memorial "to demonstrate our re-commitment to change," is so important that the "peace and anti-war voice" of the rally has its own "One Nation Working for Peace" website.
More… Communist, Pro-Terrorist, Anti-Israel Groups Sponsor NAACP's 'One Nation' Counter Rally
http://gatewaypundit.firstthings.com/2010/09/figures-marxists-democrats-will-march-shoulder-to-shoulder-at-oct-2-rally/
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Boehner: Dems Have Time for Comedy, Not Tax Cuts, in Congress
Democrats found time to bring a comedian to Capitol Hill, but refuse to have a vote on preventing tax increases at the end of the year, House Minority Leader John Boehner said Sunday, lamenting Congress' plan to skip a vote on extending Bush-era tax cuts into next year.
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