Le président américain vient d’adresser une lettre «très sympathique » à Jacques Chirac, selon l’expression de ce dernier. «Je suis certain que nous pourrons au cours des quatre années à venir collaborer ensemble dans un esprit de paix et d’amitié afin de construire un monde plus sûr» , écrit le successeur de George W. Bush au prédécesseur de Nicolas Sarkozy. En évoquant le mot de « paix», Obama rend un hommage implicite à l’action de l’ancien président français qui s’était opposé à la guerre en Irak. Une intervention américaine contre laquelle le futur président américain s’était opposé comme sénateur, lors du vote au Congrès.
Which Translates to: (As good as google translate can do so…)
Barack Obama wrote to Jacques Chirac
The U.S. President has just sent a letter “very sympathetic” to Jacques Chirac, in the words of the latter. “I am confident that we can over the next four years working together in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a safer world,” writes the successor to George W. Bush’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. In mentioning the word “peace,” Obama makes implicit tribute to the action of the former French president who opposed the war in Iraq. A U.S. intervention against which the future U.S. president had opposed as a senator, in a vote in Congress.
Nice…… Barry in his first 100 days, manages to piss off the British AND the french! Great. 🙄
John Hinderaker is shocked to discover that America is not what it seems to be:
I’m stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi’s discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money. I would have considered it a bright line rule that the government can’t identify a class of unpopular people and impose a special tax on them. What’s next? A 100% income tax on registered Republicans, retroactive to last year? If Pelosi’s bill passes muster, why not?
One theory, presumably, is that since the government is contributing TARP money it can put whatever strings it wants on that money. (Including, I guess, strings imposed after the fact that would deprive employees of agreed-upon consideration for work they’ve already performed.) But that theory has been rejected in a variety of contexts. The government cannot condition its spending on a relinquishment of constitutional rights. Here’s a thought experiment: how about putting a condition (retroactively, of course) on TARP money that says no employee of any bank that receives such money (or his spouse) can get an abortion? Would Nancy Pelosi think that’s constitutional?
Wells Fargo didn’t want any TARP money, but the government forced it to take more than $5 billion worth, so Wells Fargo employees who receive bonuses would be subject to Pelosi’s proposed tax. Say you’re a teller at a Wells Fargo branch in Minnesota and you’re married to a lawyer who makes $250,000 this year. You get a $10,000 bonus for your good work during 2008. The government steals it all (90 percent federal plus 8.5 percent state plus, unless it’s included in the 90 percent, 3 percent Medicare). That is simply insane.
Welcome to the new real world John! This is what happens when Conservatives, Libertarians and those pesky independents falls for the nice speeches and sweet swagger of a man, who in all honesty has zero business being President.
Luckily for us, there some Republicans who have some brains up on the hill. The AP Reports:
Senate Republicans are drawing out a flap that has made the Obama administration squirm, applying the brakes to Democratic attempts to quickly tax away most of the bonuses at troubled insurance giant AIG and other bailed-out companies.
Sen. Jon Kyl, the Republicans’ vote counter, blocked Democratic efforts Thursday evening to bring up the Senate version of the tax bill to recoup most of the $165 million paid out by AIG last weekend and other bonuses in 2009. The House had swiftly approved its version of the bill earlier in the day.
By rushing, Kyl said, Democrats were letting populist outrage trump informed decision making in the Senate, which is supposed to be insulated from the pressures of public passion.
“I don’t believe that Congress should rush to pass yet another piece of hastily crafted legislation in this very toxic atmosphere, at least without understanding the facts and the potential unintended consequences,” Kyl said on the Senate floor. “Frankly, I think that’s how we got into the current mess.”
Senate Democrats said they will try again next week to take up the tax bill and hope to complete it before April 4, when Congress leaves for a two-week spring break. Combining the disparate House and Senate versions of the bill might have to wait until after the recess.
If the Democrats want to fix the problem, they should try turning to the moron that they put in the White House and his treasury secretary. Both of their resignations would be nice right about now. We need some real leadership, and not that idiot Harlem Globetrotter nonsense, that we have been getting since Barry took office. In other words, it’s time for “Teleprompter Boy” to hit the damned road.
Nothing like something to make your Saturday a bit more gloomy. Knowing that the Globetrotter in chief is basically spending your Country into a economic black hole.
President Barack Obama’s budget would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade, more than four times the deficits of Republican George W. Bush’s presidency, congressional auditors said Friday.
The new Congressional Budget Office figures offered a far more dire outlook for Obama’s budget than the new administration predicted just last month — a deficit $2.3 trillion worse. It’s a prospect even the president’s own budget director called unsustainable.
In his White House run, Obama assailed the economic policies of his predecessor, but the eye-popping deficit numbers threaten to swamp his ambitious agenda of overhauling health care, exploring new energy sources and enacting scores of domestic programs.
The dismal deficit figures, if they prove to be accurate, inevitably raise the prospect that Obama and his Democratic allies controlling Congress would have to consider raising taxes after the recession ends or else pare back his agenda.
By CBO’s calculation, Obama’s budget would generate deficits averaging almost $1 trillion a year of red ink over 2010-2019.
Worst of all, CBO says the deficit under Obama’s policies would never go below 4 percent of the size of the economy, figures that economists agree are unsustainable. By the end of the decade, the deficit would exceed 5 percent of gross domestic product, a dangerously high level.
Here is the real kicker, what are the so-called “Liberal Experts” saying is the solution to the above? Spending more money! But of course!
As Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein pointed out, the numbers confirm that “the recession is worse than they thought when they did these things last time,” and thus “the more urgent it is for us to spend more money to stimulate the economy.
It is indeed a scarey time to be an American. The mental cases are running the asylum.
Bill Davidson, Managing Partner of the Detroit Pistons and 2008 Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, has passed away at the age 86.
Memorial services are planned for noon on Tuesday at the Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield.
Davidson became the second owner in Pistons history in 1974, when he purchased the franchise from the late Fred Zollner.
Bill Davidson = 1922 - 2009
Davidson also had ownership stake in Palace Sports and Entertainment, the Detroit Shock, DTE Energy Music Center, Meadow Brook Music Festival and Guardian Industries, Incorporated, one of the world’s primary manufacturers of architectural and automotive glass.
During his tenure as owner, Davidson’s professional teams won seven world championships, three in the NBA, three in the WNBA and one in the National Hockey League. Palace Sports and Entertainment owned the Tampa Bay Lightning when that franchise won the Stanley Cup in 2004.
In addition to accomplishments as a professional sports owner, Davidson was one of metro Detroit’s most notable philanthropists, responsible for more than $200 million in donations to local and international charities and universities.
Organizations and municipalities that have benefited from his generosity include the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the University of Michigan, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovet, Israel, the Karmanos Cancer Institute and Children’s Research Center of Michigan, the city of Detroit’s Parks and Recreation Department, Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem and countless others.
In 1997, Davidson was honored for his philanthropy by the Council of Michigan Foundations and also named one of America’s most generous donors by the New York Times.
I post this because I believe that it is interesting. Alex Jones has always struck me as a kook. Someone amongst the “Tin Foil Hat” crowd. However, it is something interesting to watch.
Enjoy…
What do you think? Do you think that there is any truth to this?
A gunman went on a shooting spree in two neighboring south Alabama towns Tuesday, killing nine people before he shot himself at a metals plant, authorities said. Police are investigating at least four separate shootings, all believed to be done by one gunman, whose name was not released, the Alabama Department of Safety said in a statement.
The shootings began late in the afternoon in Samson. The shooter killed five people in one home and one each in two other homes.
The gunman also shot at a state trooper’s car, striking the vehicle seven times and wounding the trooper with broken glass.
He then killed someone at a Samson supply store and another person at a service station, the safety department said.
Police pursued him to Reliable Metal Products just north of Geneva, about a dozen miles southeast of Samson, where he fired an estimated 30 rounds. One of the bullets hit Geneva Police Chief Frankie Lindsey, who was saved by his bullet proof vest, the safety department said.
The statement says the gunman then went in the plant and shot himself. His name was not released.
The gunman had worked at Reliable Metal, said state Rep. Warren Beck, a Republican whose district includes Geneva.
“My secretary heard gunfire everywhere,” he said. “This is one of the most tragic events ever in Geneva County.”
Of course, your liberals will use this as excuse to have a stupid so-called assault weapons ban.
Truly a Sad story. 🙁 Say a prayer for those in this town tonight.
I think that this is a good thing, for a number of reasons.
Charles Freeman, the Obama administration’s choice to head the National Intelligence Council, has withdrawn from consideration after facing strong opposition from Senate Republicans.
Freeman is the latest in a string of Obama administration appointees and nominees to withdraw in the past few weeks.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) told The Hill that Freeman has withdrawn his nomination and that Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair agreed to accept the decision. Blair released a statement late Tuesday announcing Freeman’s decision.
The withdrawal came hours after Freeman agreed to testify before the Senate intelligence panel on Thursday to answer questions raised in recent days. All seven Republicans on the panel had sent a letter to Blair raising concerns about Freeman’s experience and objectivity.
Earlier on Tuesday Feinstein told The HIll she was keeping an open mind on Freeman’s appointment.
“I’ve talked to director Blair about it. Director Blair feels this is not a policy job, that he’s well qualified for what he wants him to do,” Feinstein said. “I feel presidents should have their choice if possible of appointments. I’ve read Mr. Freeman characterized in a number of different of ways. We’d like an opportunity to talk with him and get our own fix on these views. How strongly their held, whether in fact there is bias.”
The reason why I say this, is because of this little quote right here: (H/T HotAir.com)
MR. FREEMAN: On the question of U.S. strikes on targets on Iran or elsewhere, I simply want to register what I think is an obvious point; namely that what 9/11 showed is that if we bomb people, they bomb back.
Ed Morrisey provides that perfect reply to this, that I agree with 100%:
Uh, what? Starting in 1993, al-Qaeda conducted a series of attacks on American targets, including the World Trade Center, Khobar Towers, two American embassies in Africa, and the USS Cole. We didn’t attempt to bomb them until 1998, when we missed them entirely, thanks to a collapse in operational security. We didn’t bomb the Saudis or Yemenis at any point, the two nationalities to which Osama bin Laden can lay claim, or Egypt, where Ayman al-Zawahiri was born.
The point is here that this guy was obviously among the anti-Zionist crowd, like these guyshere.
Let me be absolutely clear, I am not a huge fan of the Evangelical Zionist crowd; whom are famous for thier doctrinal error and unholy alliances with unbelievers and unsaved, but to have someone who obviously was trying to blame Israel and America for the 9/11 attacks, was not very smart move by the Obama Administration.
So, in this case, yeah, I believe this was a good thing for this clown to remove his name for consideration. Maybe he will get a job with the American Free Press crowd, God knows, that is where he belongs. 🙄
….and before any Conspiracy theory meatballs come in here and try and chide me, feel free, with a push of one button, I can ban your stinking IP address and you won’t even be able to view this blog. So, bring it on boys, I wanna weed out the idiots. 😡
I’ve been reading the headlines today, and I’m really not in the mood, nor do I have the interest to write individual Blog postings on all the stuff happening. So, here it is, in a short snarky summary format. A short-takes posting; if you will.
President Obama lifts stem cell ban, Christians are not amused. Stem cells were unavailable for comment.
Liberal Economist Paul Krugman says the stimulus was too small. Go figure.
Crunch Con Ron Dreher says that being bi-sexual is horrifying, Gay-blade and Faux Conservative Andrew Sullivan and others are not amused.
President Obama grabs the Foreign Policy Steering wheel and gives it a good yank to the left. (surprise….surprise…)
Obama appointee Timothy Geithner is running the Treasury Department by the seat of his pants.
The Pedophiles are pissed at Andy Cuomo! Got to watch out for them angry perverts!
A hunting instructor decides to play politics, and promptly gets fired. Real smart that was…. I’m no Obama fan, but that was just dumb.
The Saudi Government lashes a woman….for being a woman. (Man, to have those laws here. 😛 😉 :D)
One of Michelle Malkin’s stooges goes out with a camera and ambushes Charlie Rangle, and the number of Republicans she’s done this to?
President Barack Obama is poised to offer an olive branch to Cuba in an effort to repair the US’s tattered reputation in Latin America.
The White House has moved to ease some travel and trade restrictions as a cautious first step towards better ties with Havana, raising hopes of an eventual lifting of the four-decade-old economic embargo. Several Bush-era controls are expected to be relaxed in the run-up to next month’s Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago to gild the president’s regional debut and signal a new era of “Yankee” cooperation.
The administration has moved to ease draconian travel controls and lift limits on cash remittances that Cuban-Americans can send to the island, a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of families.
“The effect on ordinary Cubans will be fairly significant. It will improve things and be very welcome,” said a western diplomat in Havana. The changes would reverse hardline Bush policies but not fundamentally alter relations between the superpower and the island, he added. “It just takes us back to the 1990s.”
Caracas – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday called upon US President Barack Obama to follow the path to socialism, which he termed as the “only” way out of the global recession. “Come with us, align yourself, come with us on the road to socialism. This is the only path. Imagine a socialist revolution in the United States,” Chavez told a group of workers in the southern Venezuelan state of Bolivar.
The controversial Venezuelan leader, who taunted the United States as a source of capitalistic evil under former president George W Bush, added that the United States needs a leader who can take it to a “higher” destiny and bring it out of “the sad role that it has been given, as a murderous, attacking power that is hated all around the world.”
Chavez said that people are calling Obama a “socialist” for the measures of state intervention he is taking to counter the crisis, so it would not be too far-fetched to suggest that he might join the project of “21st century socialism” that the Venezuelan leader is heading.
“Nothing is impossible. Who would have thought in the 1980s that the Soviet Union would disappear? No one,” he said.
“That murderous, genocidal empire has to end, and some day there has to come a leader … who interprets the best of a people who also include human beings who suffer, endure, weep and laugh,” the outspoken Chavez said.
Coincidence?or just really bad timing? You Decide.
Um…. I hope Barry is not too tired to deal with this one:
Iran has test-fired a new air-to-surface missile, Iranian media reported on Sunday, in the Islamic Republic’s latest display of its military capability.
The missile test was carried out despite the offer by the administration of new U.S. President Barack Obama to engage Iran in direct talks if it “unclenches its fist”.
Iran’s Fars News Agency said the domestically produced missile had a range of 110 km and was designed for use by military aircraft against naval targets.
“Now these jet fighters have acquired a new capability in confronting threats,” the semi-official news agency said. Iran’s Press TV initially said a long-range missile had been tested, but later also used Fars’ way of describing it.
Iran often stages war games or tests weapons to show its determination to counter any attack by foes such as Israel and the United States.
Israel and Washington accuse Tehran of trying to develop nuclear bombs. Iran says its nuclear programme is a peaceful drive to generate electricity so that the world’s fourth-largest oil producer can export more of its gas and crude.
Israel, believed to be the only nuclear-armed Middle East state, has said Iran’s nuclear plans threaten its existence and has not ruled out military action if diplomacy fails to end the dispute.
….and Yet, President Bambi wants to try and hold talks with these crazy people? I fear for our country. 🙁
I think Bush was right, as were many Republicans who said, that Obama would rather appease terrorists, than stiff arm those who promote Terrorism.
What gets me is, how Bush was lambasted for making that Statement; and at the time, I thought he was kind of off for saying that myself. Now, I believe that Bush was absolutely correct. The truth is, Iran is a country that is a supporter of terrorism. I mean, terrorism of Israel and all of its allies, including the United States.
The question is, how will President Obama respond to this? Will he ignore it or will He stand up and condemn this sort of an action?
The answer will most likely come….. When Obama is done with his nap. 🙄
Once again, I am going to link to something that is going to cause some people to think that I am a fake Conservative. If that’s what some want to do; fine, let them.
But I will say it, that I totally agree with the assessment made in this Blog entry here.
I have always believed that Abortion in itself, was murder. However, I believe it is a MORAL issue and is not, nor should it ever be a legislative issue. A very great Libertarian Senator, Barry Goldwater Sr. once said, “You cannot legislate Morality.” Our laws are a reflection of society, to push a Religious dogma or belief system off on a society; goes against everything our Constitution stands for.
Many times, I have criticized the so-called “Right to Life” groups as being border line Nazi Fascist in their ways, as is the Roman Catholic Church as well, at times.
Sometimes, I think, in the quest to be morally right, the Church, as it is referred to, comes off being very wrong.
Sources close to the White House say Mr Obama and his staff have been “overwhelmed” by the economic meltdown and have voiced concerns that the new president is not getting enough rest.
British officials, meanwhile, admit that the White House and US State Department staff were utterly bemused by complaints that the Prime Minister should have been granted full-blown press conference and a formal dinner, as has been customary. They concede that Obama aides seemed unfamiliar with the expectations that surround a major visit by a British prime minister.
But Washington figures with access to Mr Obama’s inner circle explained the slight by saying that those high up in the administration have had little time to deal with international matters, let alone the diplomatic niceties of the special relationship.
Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president’s surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.
A well-connected Washington figure, who is close to members of Mr Obama’s inner circle, expressed concern that Mr Obama had failed so far to “even fake an interest in foreign policy”.
A British official conceded that the furore surrounding the apparent snub to Mr Brown had come as a shock to the White House. “I think it’s right to say that their focus is elsewhere, on domestic affairs. A number of our US interlocutors said they couldn’t quite understand the British concerns and didn’t get what that was all about.”
The American source said: “Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.
“That was the gamble these guys made at the front end of this presidency and I think they’re finding it a hard thing to do everything.”
Oh, it gets better, trust me… Too Tired?!?! Seriously? Think that’s bad?
President Obama declared in an interview that the United States was not winning the war in Afghanistan and opened the door to a reconciliation process in which the American military would reach out to moderate elements of the Taliban, much as it did with Sunni militias in Iraq.
Mr. Obama pointed to the success in peeling Iraqi insurgents away from more hard-core elements of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, a strategy that many credit as much as the increase of American forces with turning the war around in the last two years. “There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani region,” he said, while cautioning that solutions in Afghanistan will be complicated.
[…]
“I don’t think that people should be fearful about our future,” he said. “I don’t think that people should suddenly mistrust all of our financial institutions.”
As he pressed forward with ambitious plans at home to rewrite the tax code, expand health care coverage and curb climate change, Mr. Obama dismissed criticism from conservatives that he was driving the country toward socialism. After the interview, which took place as the president was flying home from Ohio, he called reporters from the Oval Office to assert that his actions have been “entirely consistent with free-market principles” and to point out that large-scale government intervention in the markets and expansion of social welfare programs began under President George W. Bush.
Sitting at the head of a conference table with his suit coat off, Mr. Obama exhibited confidence six weeks into his presidency despite the economic turmoil around the globe and the deteriorating situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He struck a reassuring tone about the economy, saying he had no trouble sleeping at night.
[…..]
Asked if the United States was winning in Afghanistan, a war he effectively adopted as his own last month by ordering an additional 17,000 troops sent there, Mr. Obama replied flatly, “No.”
Again, can someone please tell me why we elected this feckless idiot douche nozzle? I am really beginning to believe that America blew it. In a really, really, really, big way.
Those who were actually stupid enough to vote for this socialist idiot, get what is coming to them. (yes, that applies to my family too.)
I mean, this asshole is acting like this is some sort of a community organizer job. Being the President is a serious job and this idiot is not even acting remotely like a President. 😡
As much as I disagreed with President George W. Bush on Iraq, I will say this; you never, EVER heard George W. Bush complain or his staff ever say to reporters, even anonymously say that the job was making him tired! Not once.
Update: It seems that some Fascist Socialist Liberal twit keeps going around getting my video yanked. No biggie, if they yank it. I will find it elsewhere and put it up. This is America and not fascist Germany and I have the RIGHT to express my opinions about the President and his fascist polices. You liberals don’t like it? TOUGH SHIT! 😡
I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
Well, I wake up in the morning,
Fold my hands and pray that I might keep my gain.
I got a bill full of Taxes
That are drivin’ me insane.
It’s a shame the way he makes me tip the whore.
Naw, I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
I ain’t gonna work under Barry’s Law’s no more.
I ain’t gonna work under Barry’s Law’s no more.
Well, he hands you a Dollar,
Taxes you a dime,
Looks at you with a grin
While robbin’ you fuckin’ Blind,
Then he taxes you every time you open the door.
I ain’t gonna work under Barry’s Laws no more.
I ain’t gonna be a slave for Barry’s Government no more.
No, I ain’t be a Slave for Barry’s Government no more.
Well, he puts a Tax Bill
in your face just for kicks.
His White House
It is made out of Bricks.
The Secret Service stands around his door.
Ah, I ain’t gonna be a slave for Barry’s Government no more.
I ain’t gonna work for Barry’s Bitch no more.
No, I ain’t gonna work for Barry’s Bitch no more.
Well, she talks to all the people
About Equality and Race and Law.
All the while the workin’ people
Are payin’ for other peoples bad calls
She’s a lying thief, but she says her honesty stands tall.
Naw, I ain’t gonna work for Barry’s Bitch no more.
I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
Well, I try my best
To do the best I can,
But everybody wants you
To pay thier bills for them.
They eat steak while you slave and I just get bored.
I ain’t gonna work on Barry’s farm no more.
Michael Steele should resign as Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman, according to a committee member from North Carolina.
In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina’s national committeewoman, said Steele is “eroding confidence” in the GOP and that members of his transition team should encourage him to step aside. Fisher added Steele’s personal e-mail address to the e-mail.
“I don’t want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn’t going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish,” Fisher wrote.
Fisher, who is one of three black members of the national committee, backed South Carolina GOP Chairman Katon Dawson, whom Steele edged out in the final round of voting to win the chairmanship in late January. She has voiced repeated opposition to Steele, sending dozens of e-mails to committee members even after Steele won election slamming him for any number of chips that have fallen awry.
I do believe that the welcome mat has just worn out for Michael Steele. I look for him to resign soon. I hate to be the one to say it, but Steele brought this on himself. When you go the “Ann Coulter”, attention whore route, you pay the price.
Most likely, he will resign, write a book, become a hero amongst the Independent Conservatives who feel that the G.O.P. does not like “Real Conservatives”. You know, like Allan Keyes? 🙄
This should be an interesting story to follow, indeed!
A grandfather today spoke for the first time of how doctors helped him see again with a pioneering ‘bionic’ eye implant.
Ron, 73, is one of only three people in the UK who have undergone the revolutionary surgery at London’s Moorfield Eye Hospital.
The pensioner, whose full name was not revealed, spoke of his joy at being able to carry out everyday tasks like sorting the washing since losing his sight in his 40s.
Another smooth move from the Harlem Globetrotter Administration. This time towards Michigan, The Detroit News laments:
President Barack Obama’s proposed cap-and-trade system on greenhouse gas emissions is a giant economic dagger aimed at the nation’s heartland — particularly Michigan. It is a multibillion-dollar tax hike on everything that Michigan does, including making things, driving cars and burning coal.
The president is asking for a system of government limits on carbon emissions. The right to emit carbon would be auctioned off to generate revenue for more government spending programs.
The president’s budget projects receipts totaling $646 billion through 2019 from the sale of these greenhouse gas permits.
The goal, according to the president’s budget outline, is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide to 14 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
Doing so will drive up the cost of nearly everything and will amount to a major tax increase for American consumers.
Such a tax will hit the Midwest particularly hard, which is why House Minority Leader John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, told the New York Times, “let’s just be honest and call it a carbon tax that will increase taxes on all Americans who drive a car, who have a job, who turn on a light switch, pure and simple.”
The carbon tax will be paid by energy companies, manufacturers and public utilities, who will pass the cost on to their consumers. Michigan will be especially targeted. It gets 60 percent of its electric power from coal plants, and the state’s economy is still reliant on heavy manufacturing such as car and truck assembly and auto parts production.
Michigan will lose as carbon tax money is shifted to states with a greater presence of high-tech and service businesses.
The proposed tax would take effect in 2012 and has the very real potential to throw the nation back into recession, if indeed the expected recovery has arrived by then. It’s impossible to raise costs for such basics as manufacturing and energy production by more than half a trillion dollars over a decade and not have the effects felt across the economy.
The nation’s gross domestic product contracted at an annualized rate of 3.8 percent in last year’s fourth quarter — the worst economic record in nearly three decades. Is this really a good time to be talking about a carbon tax? How will such talk impact investment decisions?
Obama promises to use some of the revenues for tax relief for certain workers and some of the rest for subsidies for alternative energy. But that won’t make up for the damage this huge new tax will do to the economy, especially in Michigan.
I would be willing to bet that many people here in Michigan, who voted for the magic moon bat are having a bad case of buyers regret today. This is what happens when you run a Presidential Administration that caters to special interests on the far, far, left and basically tells the rest of the Country to go to hell.
The liberals once made a movie called “Who Killed the Electric Car?” Pretty soon those same Liberals will be making a movie called “Who Killed the Detroit Auto Industry?”
The ripple effect of Government Socialism spreads:
Asian stock markets slumped Monday amid resurgent concerns that a recovery in the global economy is unlikely to materialize until next year and worries about the global financial sector following fresh government bailouts for the insurance giant American International Group and Citigroup.
The Nikkei 225, Japan’s benchmark index, was down 4 percent and the Kospi in South Korea fell 3.6 percent, while the key index in Hong Kong sagged 3.8 percent. Singapore’s stock market fell 3.3 percent, and the markets in Australia and Taiwan dropped 2.8 percent. Stocks in mainland China declined least, falling 0.2 percent by Monday afternoon.
Stock in banks like Mitsubishi UFJ and Mizuho Financial Group were more than 4 percent lower in Tokyo because of fears about the health of the global banking system, after the United States government moved to take a larger stake in the ailing banking giant Citigroup and was set to give an additional $30 billion in taxpayer money to AIG.
And in Hong Kong, trading in HSBC was suspended in the wake of reports that the British bank will announce on Monday that it is tapping investors for about £12 billion, or about $17 billion.
“It’s pretty despondent everywhere,” said Dwyfor Evans, a strategist at State Street Global Markets in Hong Kong. “Okay, there are signs that some of the leading indicators have stabilized to some extent, but it’s at a very, very low level, and we’re not seeing corporate investment picking up, or consumers starting to spend again – in other words, the traditional mechanisms by which economies come out of a recession are absent at this time.”
While Barack Obama might be the President that saved the working class family in America, he might very well go down as the President who destroyed the free market capitalist system in America and around the World. Although, I will admit, that he did have help. Bill Clinton’s polices, along with the inaction of the Republican Congress of 2003, did nothing to stop this mess.
The bad part about is, I and everyone else will be most likely dead before it is all straightened out.
ABC Radio Network spokesman Louis Adams said Harvey died Saturday at his winter home in Phoenix, Ariz., surrounded by family. No cause of death was immediately available.
Harvey, who was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla., was married to the late Lynne Cooper of St. Louis who died less than a year ago. They had one son, Paul Jr.
He was a news commentator and talk-show pioneer whose staccato style made him one of
Paul Harvey - Broadcasting Icon
the country’s most familiar voices. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of “The Rest of the Story,” Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his “News and Comment” for ABC Radio Networks.
In a statement, ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson calls Harvey “one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history.”
He began his radio career in 1933 in Tulsa, while he was still in high school, his Web site said.
Paul Harvey News consisted of more than 1,200 radio stations and 400 Armed Forces Network stations that broadcast around the world and 300 newspapers, his biography reported.
A virus that weakened his vocal cord forced him off the air in 2001. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday.
My Grandfather, on my Mom’s side used to listen to Paul Harvey, when she was a little girl. What a loss, a legend in broadcasting is now gone. Harvey was a Conservative, it showed in his broadcasts. Here are two clips of Harvey in his prime from 1963, right before Kennedy was assassinated:
President Obama explains how the budget he sent to Congress will fulfill the promises he made as a candidate, and assures special interests that he is ready for the fight. (this video is public domain)
Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Washington, DC
Two years ago, we set out on a journey to change the way that Washington works.
We sought a government that served not the interests of powerful lobbyists or the wealthiest few, but the middle-class Americans I met every day in every community along the campaign trail – responsible men and women who are working harder than ever, worrying about their jobs, and struggling to raise their families. In so many town halls and backyards, they spoke of their hopes for a government that finally confronts the challenges that their families face every day; a government that treats their tax dollars as responsibly as they treat their own hard-earned paychecks.
That is the change I promised as a candidate for president. It is the change the American people voted for in November. And it is the change represented by the budget I sent to Congress this week.
During the campaign, I promised a fair and balanced tax code that would cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, roll back the tax breaks for those making over $250,000 a year, and end the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas. This budget does that.
I promised an economy run on clean, renewable energy that will create new American jobs, new American industries, and free us from the dangerous grip of foreign oil. This budget puts us on that path, through a market-based cap on carbon pollution that will make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy; through investments in wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient American cars and American trucks.
I promised to bring down the crushing cost of health care – a cost that bankrupts one American every thirty seconds, forces small businesses to close their doors, and saddles our government with more debt. This budget keeps that promise, with a historic commitment to reform that will lead to lower costs and quality, affordable health care for every American.
I promised an education system that will prepare every American to compete, so Americans can win in a global economy. This budget will help us meet that goal, with new incentives for teacher performance and pathways for advancement; new tax credits that will make college more affordable for all who want to go; and new support to ensure that those who do go finish their degree.
This budget also reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession. Given this reality, we’ll have to be more vigilant than ever in eliminating the programs we don’t need in order to make room for the investments we do need. I promised to do this by going through the federal budget page by page, and line by line. That is a process we have already begun, and I am pleased to say that we’ve already identified two trillion dollars worth of deficit-reductions over the next decade. We’ve also restored a sense of honesty and transparency to our budget, which is why this one accounts for spending that was hidden or left out under the old rules.
I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy. Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington. I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families. I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries. In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak. My message to them is this:
So am I.
The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people. I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November. That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I’ll be fighting for in the weeks ahead – change that will grow our economy, expand our middle-class, and keep the American Dream alive for all those men and women who have believed in this journey from the day it began.
A video showing a King County Sheriff’s deputy pummeling a 15-year-old girl in a holding cell was released Friday over the strenuous objections of the officer’s attorney.
The case goes beyond police misconduct, County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a prepared statement.
“It’s about criminal misconduct. And that’s why he needs to be prosecuted,” he said.
The video of the Nov. 29 incident was disclosed Friday, one day after Deputy Paul Schene, 31, pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor assault in King County District Court.
Schene, an eight-year veteran, works out of Precinct 4, which covers SeaTac, Burien and high crime areas in White Center and Skyway.
He is the third sheriff’s deputy since 2006 to face charges on allegations of excessive force. All three are from the Burien precinct.
A detective assigned to the girl’s case discovered the video Dec. 1 and immediately forwarded it to supervisors.
The Seattle P-I requested a copy of the holding cell video and all reports from the incident under the state’s open records law. A judge on Thursday denied a request from Schene’s attorney to bar the video from public disclosure.
“We take this very seriously and we’re very concerned about this,” sheriff’s Sgt. Jim Laing said Friday. An internal investigation would begin after the criminal case is finished.
Several years ago, Schene shot and killed an unarmed, mentally disturbed man following a traffic stop that degenerated into a “knock-down, drag-out” fight. The shooting was ruled “justifiable.” Shortly after that incident, he was stopped for driving under the influence (apparently of prescription medication). He was given a deferred sentence and placed on probation, so that he could continue to bless the people of King County with his singular professionalism.
Let’s hope this dirty cop gets what is coming to him. Jail time and and removal from the police force, permanently. 😡
The mayor of a small Southern California city says he will resign after being criticized for sharing an e-mail picture depicting the White House lawn planted with watermelons under the title “No Easter egg hunt this year.”
Los Alamitos Mayor Dean Grose issued a statement Thursday saying he is sorry and will step down as mayor at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Grose came under fire for sending the picture to what he called “a small group of friends.” One of the recipients, a local businesswoman and city volunteer, publicly scolded the mayor for his actions.
Grose says he accepts that the e-mail was in poor taste and has affected his ability to lead the city. Grose said he didn’t mean to offend anyone and claimed he was unaware of the racial stereotype linking black people with eating watermelons.
While I feel that the said email was extremely stupid. I find it quite ironic, considering what I blogged about last night, that this guy is resigning. The gents over at Chicago Boyz are saying “Name that Party!“, and Moonbattery says, “what about freedom of speech?” Good question. Let a black person make all sort of nasty racist slams to a white person, and that’s okay, but let a white person mock a black person, and all hell breaks loose. It just so damned ironic.
