Tag: Government

The Stimulus Package explained…

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Over at The Big Picture:

Q. What is an Economic Stimulus Payment?
A. It is money that the federal government will send to taxpayers.

Q. Where will the government get this money?
A. From taxpayers.

Q. So the government is giving me back my own money?
A. No, they are borrowing it from China. Your children are expected to repay the Chinese.

Q. What is the purpose of this payment?
A. The plan is that you will use the money to purchase a high-definition TV set, thus stimulating the economy.

Q. But isn’t that stimulating the economy of China ?
A. Shut up.

Ha! Too Funny….. 😆

Feeling stimulated yet? 😛 😀 😉

(via Freedom’s Phoenix)

The Washington Post Promotes Communism

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They’re not even trying to hide it anymore.

Via the Washington Post:

The U.S. banking system is close to being insolvent, and unless we want to become like Japan in the 1990s — or the United States in the 1930s — the only way to save it is nationalization.

As free-market economists teaching at a business school in the heart of the world’s financial capital, we feel downright blasphemous proposing an all-out government takeover of the banking system. But the U.S. financial system has reached such a dangerous tipping point that little choice remains. And while Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s recent plan to save it has many of the right elements, it’s basically too late.

The subprime mortgage mess alone does not force our hand; the $1.2 trillion it involves is just the beginning of the problem. Another $7 trillion — including commercial real estate loans, consumer credit-card debt and high-yield bonds and leveraged loans — is at risk of losing much of its value. Then there are trillions more in high-grade corporate bonds and loans and jumbo prime mortgages, whose worth will also drop precipitously as the recession deepens and more firms and households default on their loans and mortgages.

Last year we predicted that losses by U.S. financial institutions would hit $1 trillion and possibly go as high as $2 trillion. We were accused of exaggerating. But since then, write-downs by U.S. banks have passed the $1 trillion mark, and now institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and Goldman Sachs predict losses of more than $2 trillion.

But if you think that $2 trillion is high, consider our latest estimates at RGE Monitor, the financial Web site we run: They suggest that total losses on loans made by U.S. banks and the fall in the market value of the assets they are holding will reach about $3.6 trillion. The U.S. banking sector is exposed to half of that figure, or $1.8 trillion. Even with the original federal bailout funds from last fall, the capital backing the banks’ assets was only $1.4 trillion, leaving the U.S. banking system about $400 billion in the hole.

Nationalization is Federal Ownership of a private industry; which is what Communist Russia did during the soviet era. It is Communism. This is the agenda of the Liberal left, the Federal ownership of the banking system. It also sets the United States up for the Biblical Mark of the Beast.

We are living in dangerous times.

From the Bible:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. (Revelation 13:1-18 KJV)

Others: The Corner, Vox Popoli

Dutch MP refused entry to by the cowardly Government in Britain

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This is a disgrace….

The Video and listen to Mr. Wilders stand up to the Liberal BBC’s baiting questions:

The Story:

A Dutch MP who called the Koran a “fascist book” has been sent back to the Netherlands after attempting to defy a ban on entering the UK.

Freedom Party MP Geert Wilders had been invited to show his controversial film – which links the Islamic holy book to terrorism – in the UK’s House of Lords.

But Mr Wilders, who faces trial in his own country for inciting hatred, has been denied entry by the Home Office.

He told the BBC it was a “very sad day” for UK democracy.

The Dutch ambassador was also at Heathrow to make clear his government’s opposition to the ban on Mr Wilders entering the UK.

via BBC NEWS  Dutch MP refused entry to Britain.

As far as I am concerned, Britain is nothing more than a Nation of terrorist sympathizers.  This is a disgrace and should be held as an example of what America will become if we allow the Liberals in America to have their way. This man put out a video exposing Islam for what it really is and now he is being persecuted for it.  Yes, the video was extreme, and yes, the framing of his argument was a bit extreme, but there is a thing called freedom of speech, and his man’s right are being violated.

In the Spirit of freedom of speech, I present, once again, Fitna:

Others: Fausta’s Blog, Riehl World View, Gateway Pundit, Atlas Shrugs and Gates of Vienna

The White House is Hiring – Liberals only need apply

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This is pretty funny.

We’re happy to announce that the jobs application feature is now live on WhiteHouse.gov. The Jobs Application feature enables people everywhere to apply to be considered for a political appointment in President Obama’s Administration. You can get to it by clicking on the “Jobs” link at the very bottom of each of the pages on WhiteHouse.gov.

That link will take you to a page which tells you a little bit more about the application process, with a a button at the bottom marked, “Begin Application Form.” That’s where you fill out your information, upload a resume, and tell us what kinds of positions you’re interested in. But a quick heads up – you have to complete the application in one session, and it’s going to take you about 15 minutes to do it. So before you start, you might want to print the Paper Application, gather up the information you’ll need, then sign back in.

via The White House – Blog Post – Apply for a job.

Of course, if you are White, Bitter, Clingy, Anti-Illegal immigration,  Conservative type; you need not apply. Only Black,  God-Denying, Baby Killing, Gay Enabling, Open border Advocate, Liberals need bother applying.

Video: The Obama Fraud

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An Excellent Video…..

(Via Freedom’s Phoenix)

Red State Update on Obama’s Stimulus News Conference

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Jackie and Dunlap on Obama’s first prime-time news conference. Stimulus pimpin’ and Elkhart bashin’ ensue.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has pancreatic cancer

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This is truly sad. 🙁

Via the AP:

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had surgery Thursday after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the court said.

Ginsburg, 75, had the surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She will remain in the hospital for seven to 10 days, said her surgeon, Dr. Murray Brennan, according to a release issued by the court.

The court announcement said the cancer is apparently in the early stages.

In 1999, Ginsburg had surgery for colon cancer and had chemotherapy and radiation treatment. The only woman on the court, she has been a justice since 1993.

The pancreatic cancer was discovered during a routine, annual exam late last month at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

A CAT scan revealed a tumor measuring about 1 centimeter across the center of the pancreas, the court said.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers: Nearly 38,000 cases a year are diagnosed and overall, fewer than 5 percent survive five years.

You know, politics in one thing, but real life is another. My best wishes and prayers are with the Ginsburg family and with Justice Ginsberg as well.

In the spirit of keeping things civil on this sad subject, I am shutting off comments on this posting. I just don’t need the problems with some idiot leaving an asshat comment.

God Bless the Lady. 🙁

Even more Tax Problems for Obama’s Appointments?

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This is getting to be a bit of a strange thing!

The husband of President Obama’s choice to head the Labor Department paid about $6,400 Wednesday to settle tax liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years against his business, the Obama administration said Thursday.

The disclosure came shortly before a scheduled 2 p.m. meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will vote on U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis’ nomination as Labor secretary. The hearing was postponed to give the administration time to look into the tax matter and report back to the committee, said Anthony Coley, a spokesman for Sen. Edward Kennedy, the committee chairman. Solis is a California Democrat.

At a news conference, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said of Solis: “I read the story in USA TODAY and it quotes somebody who works here. Obviously we know about the story. We reviewed her tax returns and her tax returns are in order. Her husband had an issue.”

via Husband of Rep. Solis, Labor nominee, settles tax liens – USATODAY.com.

Oy. I’m starting to really wonder about Obama selection committee. I mean, is it staffed by monkeys, or just idiotic buffoons? I mean, how the heck hard is it to find out if someone has a tax problem? Really.

Others: TalkLeft, The Swamp, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Michelle Malkin, Salon, Glenn Thrush’s Blogs, The Foundry, The Note, TPMDC, Government Bytes and Boston Globe

(via Memeorandum)

Is Obama preparing to send dissenters to prisoner camps?

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As a rule, I do not engage in this sort of this speculation. But seeing the way things are going here, it does sound a bit plausible.

Within the last few weeks since Americans witnessed the transition between a Bush Administration to an Obama Administration, some conservatives have noticed an escalation in using the US military and military-style tactics to deal with “national security concerns.” Such actions include use of army troops within US borders and the building of camps designed to house and control American citizens.

For example, in January immediately following the inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama, Newswithview.com dispatched a reporter to participate in a US Department of Defense press conference.

Armed Forces Press Service representative Donna Miles reported to news reporters, bloggers and Internet journalists that troops from the 3rd Infantry Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team were deployed to the Naval facility located in Indian Head, Maryland. Their assignment was allegedly to get hands-on training in skills they could depend on to provide “support during a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive incident, known here as a CBRNE.

via NWV News — Is the US Government Preparing to Send Dissenters to Prison Camps?.

It is a interesting report indeed. I mean, I am not totally sold in the idea, but it reeks of the Alex Jones type of nonsense. But, Obama is a far lefty, his birth certificate has still not been released. He does seem be to a far left socialist. I mean, it could be plausible.  What is the harm in asking the question?

What do you think? Comments welcomed here, please.

The Politics of fear again

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It seems that President Obama is taking a cue from now former President Bush. Seeing that his so-called and very much pork laden “Stimulus Package” is losing support, Obama took a cue from President Bush and proceeded to publish his speech that he gave yesterday, about the stimulus.

Cue the fear mongering!:

By now, it’s clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression. Millions of jobs that Americans relied on just a year ago are gone; millions more of the nest eggs families worked so hard to build have vanished. People everywhere are worried about what tomorrow will bring.

Because each day we wait to begin the work of turning our economy around, more people lose their jobs, their savings and their homes. And if nothing is done, this recession might linger for years. Our economy will lose 5 million more jobs. Unemployment will approach double digits. Our nation will sink deeper into a crisis that, at some point, we may not be able to reverse.

[….]

In recent days, there have been misguided criticisms of this plan that echo the failed theories that helped lead us into this crisis — the notion that tax cuts alone will solve all our problems; that we can meet our enormous tests with half-steps and piecemeal measures; that we can ignore fundamental challenges such as energy independence and the high cost of health care and still expect our economy and our country to thrive.

I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change. They know that we have tried it those ways for too long. And because we have, our health-care costs still rise faster than inflation. Our dependence on foreign oil still threatens our economy and our security. Our children still study in schools that put them at a disadvantage. We’ve seen the tragic consequences when our bridges crumble and our levees fail.

Every day, our economy gets sicker — and the time for a remedy that puts Americans back to work, jump-starts our economy and invests in lasting growth is now.


Wow, Hey Barry, how about 43% of tax paying Americans think that your so-called stimulus bill is a steaming pile of crap; Not just the elitists in Washington D.C., but the rest of America! You know, like the one’s in Kentucky, that are freezing to death? You know, the white conservatives, that didn’t vote for you, because they saw through your stupidity, lies and bullshit? You know, the one’s that you have basically ignored?

Nice try Barry, but your imitation of George W. Bush is quite piss poor.

Others: (Colored according to thier politics): PostPartisan, Townhall.com, The Campaign Spot, Michelle Malkin, Washington Monthly, The Opinionator, The Huffington Post, The Swamp, TalkLeft, Boston Globe, Don Surber, Reason, The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, TIME.com, AMERICAblog News, The Mahablog, Commentary, The Corner, The Foundry, AmSpecBlog, Gateway Pundit, D-Day, Riehl World View, Fox News, Soccer Dad, The Plum Line, EconoPundit, Economist’s View, Conventional Folly, American Power, Bark Bark Woof Woof, Corrente, The Washington Independent and ECHIDNE OF THE SNAKES

(Via Memeorandum)

Should we give incentive bonuses to Wall Street Watchdogs?

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I have fixed feelings about this, and I will explain why a little further down.

An Article in the New York Times Dealbook Column asks a question whether Wall Street Regulators or Watchdogs should get performance bonuses.

Maybe someone deserves a bonus.

Like someone who sniffs out the next Bernie Madoff. Or jousts with tomorrow’s gonzo bankers. Or defuses the Next Big Crisis in whatever Next Big Thing is dreamed up by Wall Street.

Someone, in short, who regulates.

It is clear that the nation’s financial regulators were no match for Wall Street last time. The financiers were always one step ahead. But maybe that isn’t surprising. The financiers, after all, have a big incentive to outsmart the financial police. It is called a bonus. Wall Street lures a lot of bright minds with money. How can federal agencies compete? They can’t.

So, of course, The Government of Singapore’s head honcho says we ought to incentivize watchdog process.

Tony Tan Keng Yam, deputy chairman and executive director of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, suggested that one reason American regulators fell down on the job was that they were paid too little.

“You must have as good people working in the government in the regulatory authorities as those that are working in the private sector,” Mr. Tan said. “You do need, particularly in these very difficult times, capable people in central banks, in government, in the Treasury who can effectively supervise.”

Mr. Tan knows about this firsthand. He is a former regulator himself, and Singapore has a different view about compensation.

“We pay our politicians and our government servants very well,” he said. “We lock remuneration to the market.”

While Singapore’s watchdogs aren’t paid enough to afford private planes, some in top positions make seven-figure salaries.

At first blush, this would seem to be a great idea; however, if you think about it closely, this would not be such a good idea. Because of the following:

Some at Davos thought the bonus idea could work. But anxiety over that approach was palpable. “They already treat us like criminals,” one hedge fund manager said.

A few said giving bonuses to regulators would be like giving bonuses to the police for issuing speeding tickets. Maybe the regulators, like Wall Streeters, would start thinking about the money, rather than what is right. But maybe that’s exactly what Wall Street needs to slow down.

I must say, that I highly disagree with this idea. Why? While I believe that moderate regulation is a good idea on Wall Street; I believe that incentivizing the Wall Street watchdog process will result in a overzealous regulatory process, that will be solely based upon monitory compensation. This would be absolutely disastrous to the free market process in America. As well all know we already law enforcement that borderlines upon a police state. Doing this to Wall Street would cause a fear mentality amongst the financial sector and discourage investment.

We need regulation, not a financial police state.

The Story of John Birch

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Here is a very excellent video on the life of John Birch:

This video is by the founder of the John Birch Society, Robert Welch explaining what the John Birch Society is about:

Japan’s Economy on the verge of collapse as well.

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Russia is not the only one. Japan now is on the verge of collapse as well.

A reader chided me for not making note of the truly dreadful factory output figures released last Thursday, which showed a fall of 9.6%.

I have to confess that I have fallen into “Japan bad news” syndrome, in that I expect bad news out of Japan and therefore did not focus enough on the details. And while I do not aspire to covering every financial news story (that’s what the MSM is for), the latest figures paint a grim picture, even by our new, desensitized standards.

It wasn’t simply that December was truly awful, but it came on top of a nearly-as-bad November

via naked capitalism: Veneroso: Japan on the Edge of the Abyss.

Again, this is what happens when you inflate a money supply and create a bubble.

Yves continues:

Yves here. I only get the privilege of reading Veneroso now and again, but I cannot recall him taking a tone remotely like what follows:

I have been writing about an Asian black hole for almost two months now. I have been crying from the rooftops about an emerging depression in Japan. It has been as though a neutron bomb had gone off in the world. There was no one who seemed to notice, no one who seemed to listen.

Every week it gets worse and worse and worse. Today it was Japan….

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN DATA THIS BAD FOR ANY MAJOR ECONOMY – EVEN IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION. December industrial production came in down 9.6%, worse than the METI forecast. It is now down almost 21% year over year. METI forecasts a further 4.7% decline in February. The inventory to production ratio soared again. Maybe METI will be correct.

If it is, Japan industrial production will have fallen 28% (non annualized) in four months. It will have fallen by a third in about a year. Nothing in the history of major nations compares. A 28% decline in four months would be more than half of the entire decline in U.S. industrial production over the 3 years and nine months of the U.S. Great Depression.

It would be a greater decline in four months than in any 12 month period in the Great Depression in the U.S. We are literally looking at the unimaginable. (I am attaching the U.S. industrial production index from the Great Depression for comparison).

IT’S A DEPRESSION IN JAPAN – ALREADY – PURE AND SIMPLE.

If this is true, unless President Obama can pull some sort of a miracle out of his rather skinny ass. We are in deep trouble. The reason I say this is because we are in a Globalist Economy, whether we like it or not, and Japan’s failures are our failures as well.

I think it will get much worse, before it gets any better. 🙁

(Via Freedom’s Phoenix)

Tom Daschle has serious issues with taxes.

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Seems Senator Tom Daschle has got issues. Big Issues. 😮

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama’s secretary of health and human services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend — a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

It remains an open question as to whether this is a “speed bump,” as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.

via Political Punch: Bumps in the Road: Obama’s HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tax Questions Over Car and Driver.

I saw this last night and I thought, “Okay, no big deal.” But then I read about this:

Via Jack Tapper:

ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle’s nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle’s tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.

The report indicates that Daschle’s failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn’t report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

The Senate Finance Committee Report also notes that during the vetting process, President Obama’s Transition Team “identified certain donations that did not qualify as charitable deductions because they were not paid to qualifying organizations.  Daschle adjusted his contribution deductions on his amended returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007 to remove these amounts and add additional contributions.” This adjustment meant a reduction in the amount he contributed to charitable foundations of $14,963 from 2005 through 2007. With the unreported income from the use of a car service in the amounts of $73,031 in 2005, $89,129 in 2006 and $93,096 in 2007; the unreported consulting income of $83,333 in 2007; and the adjusted reductions in charitable contributions, Daschle adds a total of $353,552 in additional income and reduced donations, meaning an additional tax payment of $128,203, in addition to $11,964 in interest.

On January 2 of this year, Daschle filed amended tax returns to pay the $140,167 in unpaid taxes.

Oy Vey… Good luck in getting confirmed dude. I mean, not to sound crass, but; how the fuck can you forget to pay your damn taxes? It must be nice to have so much money that you cannot remember how much you have, so you can pay your taxes! I mean, I’ve got 43 bucks and some change (Not hope and change!) in my account, luckily for me, I’ve been out of work so damned long that I do not have to pay income taxes this yet. I even called to make damned sure too; anyhow, I’m just saying man, how can someone forget? Just does not make any damned sense.

Of course, if this blog takes off; I might have to start paying taxes on the income and register a business name and all. But I’m nowhere near that level, yet. I’m getting decent hits, but zero income. I mean, 10 bucks here, 3 bucks there. But nothing huge, yet.  It takes time, I suppose.

Others on the subject: The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Fox News, Washington Monthly, The Politico, Outside The Beltway, USA Today, Fausta’s Blog, Warner_Todd_Huston’s blog, QandO, RedState, TigerHawk, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Neptunus Lex, Betsy’s Page, TIME.com, Don Surber, The Moderate Voice, Glenn Thrush’s Blogs, PoliticalBase.com Blog, D-Day and AmSpecBlog and More via Memeorandum

Why does America always do stupid things like this?

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I will never, ever understand why America does stupid things like this right here, ever!

The Obama administration on Friday made an emergency contribution of more than $20 million for urgent relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, a day after the United Nations launched a flash appeal for $613 million to help Palestinians recover from Israel’s three-week military operation there.

The State Department said President Barack Obama had authorized the use of $20.3 million from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for humanitarian assistance to the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.

The money will go to U.N. agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical care and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment and restoring access to electricity and potable water, the department said in a statement.

The Israeli offensive killed nearly 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, Palestinian officials say. The assault was launched to halt years of Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.

via US puts up $20 million for Gaza relief – AP.

You want to know where this money is going to end up? In the hands of Hamas, the very terrorist organization that was attacking Israel, in the first place.  This money is supposed to be reserved for American Citizens, not for foreign countries!  You know, I find it absolutely amazing that the United States of America, would support a military attack on Gaza by Israel to defeat terrorists; only to have them send aid to the very people that Israel attacked. Not only this, our government is using money that is specifically earmarked for the people of the United States of America. This is an outrage! Someone should be complaining to the high Heavens about it!

The reason this outrages me so much is this; yeah, that money might go to American agencies approved by our Government, but ultimately, it will end up right back into the hands of the Hamas terrorists.

I will never understand why America continues to prop up those they claim are terrorists.

Former Obama Aid, Samantha Power to be appointed to Foreign Policy Job; at the White House

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Yes, you read that correctly…:

Samantha Power, the Harvard University professor who earned notoriety for calling Hillary Rodham Clinton a “monster” while working to elect Barack Obama president, will take a senior foreign policy job at the White House, The Associated Press has learned.

Officials familiar with the decision say Obama has tapped Power to be senior director for multilateral affairs at the National Security Council, a job that will require close contact and potential travel with Clinton, who is now secretary of state. NSC staffers often accompany the secretary of state on foreign trips.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because Power’s position, as well as that of other senior NSC positions, have not yet been announced. One official said the announcements would be made in the near future.

White House officials would not provide details of Power’s new role.

via The Associated Press: Professor who slammed Clinton will be Obama aide.

It should be noted that this woman is very highly Anti-Israel, and pro-Palestinian. Not to mention, she is a immigrant from Ireland. Could not Obama find a natural-Born American citizen to do the job?  Oh, Wait, my bad; The Democratic Party is the party of immigrants, especially the illegal kind. Not to mention the fact that the Democratic Party is the party of terrorist appeasers. So, this just goes with the territory.

Others: Power Line, Hot Air, The Atlanticist, Pajamas Media, Little Green Footballs, Outside The Beltway,  Patterico’s Pontifications and normblog

Good luck with that!

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The DC Examiner challenges President Obama:

“After a relentless expansion of big government for decades under both Republican and Democratic administrations, the nation’s economy is finally buckling under the load. In his inauguration address, President Barack Obama blamed “greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.” But Obama’s $825 billion stimulus plan contains few “hard choices”- just lots more government spending.

“The hardest choice off all is to scale back government at the local, state and federal levels and stop the seemingly inexorable growth of entitlement programs that are bankrupting the nation. But is the Obama administration up to this kind of real change?”

I hate to say it, but it’s just not going to happen.

Welcome to the new nationalized USA!

(Via the Libertarian Party Blog) (H/T IPR Blog)

Family Planning money…..under the bus!

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Obama finally capitulates.

WASHINGTON – House Democrats are likely to jettison family planning funds for the low-income from an $825 billion economic stimulus bill, officials said late Monday, following a personal appeal from President Barack Obama at a time the administration is courting Republican critics of the legislation.

Several officials said a final decision was expected on Tuesday, coinciding with Obama’s scheduled visit to the Capitol for separate meetings with House and Senate Republicans.

The provision has emerged as a point of contention among Republicans, who criticize it as an example of wasteful spending that would neither create jobs nor otherwise improve the economy.

Under the provision, states no longer would be required to obtain federal permission to offer family planning services — including contraceptives — under Medicaid, the health program for the low-income.

via Officials: Family planning money may be dropped – Yahoo! News.

I must say, I cannot criticize Obama for this one. Because I feel abortion is murder, I am glad to see that Obama is telling Democrats in Congress to dump this. This is one that I will give him credit for. The Economy can be recovered without paying for abortions or handing out condoms. I find it quite shocking that the Democrats would use a economic situation like this, to further a murderous agenda.Which furthers my belief that the Democratic Party has become the communist party and an Anti-Christian, Anti-Life party.

(Via Memeorandum)

Is President Obama trying to play the far right?

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It is to wonder….

As special envoy to the Middle East, George Mitchell heads off to the region to begin work on negotiating a cease fire between Israel and the Palestinians, President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned.

The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET, as Mitchell is in the air and on his way to the region.

Based in Dubai, Al-Arabiya estimates that it has a potential audience exceeding 23 million in the Gulf region.

via Political Punch: President Obama Does First Formal TV Interview as President with Al-Arabiya.

I have a theory about this and looking around at the Blogosphere, I can see that my theory might be correct.

I will simply say this, I have a theory that President Obama might be just trying to play the far right and the main stream conservative media for a fiddle. Because if you click the links that I just pointed to, you will see where the far right is basically flipping their collective cork over Obama going to Al-Arabiya for his first interview.

The reason why I say this is because it seems like just about every other day, President Obama says or does something that causes the far “rabid” right, as they are so called by the Liberal left; to basically go totally insane. Which makes the far right do a collective group jump up and down session, while frothing at the mouth and screaming, “He’s a terrorist! He is an Al-Qaeda Plant! He is going to destroy us all!” For perfect examples of this, click here and here. (The second link being more rabid than the first, if I do say so myself.)

To be clear, I do believe that Conservatives should be the loyal opposition and likewise criticize him for anything he does that goes against what true Conservative principles. But have a collective conniption fit over something as benign as this does nothing to further the cause of Conservatism.

Others: The Moderate Voice, Eunomia, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, AmSpecBlog and Riehl World View

(via Memeorandum)

Liberal Democrat John Conyers starts Liberal Witch-Hunt against Bush Administration

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This ought to be very interesting.

via Politico.com:

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) has subpoenaed Karl Rove, the former top political advisor to President George W. Bush, to question what Rove knows about “politicization” of the Justice Department.

The Senate Judiciary Committee had subpoenaed Rove during the last Congress, but relying on an executive privilege claim by Bush, Rove refused to appear.

Conyers had previously subpoenaed former White House Counsel Harriet Miers and Josh Bolten, Bush former White House chief of staff, seeking any information they had. Conyers is also seeking White House documents related to the firing of nine U.S. attorneys.

After the White House refused to comply with the subpoenas, and Miers refused to even appear before the committee to answer the subpoena, the House Judiciary Committee sued. A federal judge backed the committee in a major win for Conyers and House Democrats, but resolution of the case has been delayed by the changeover in administrations. President Obama has vowed to comply with congressional subpoenas.

“I have said many times that I will carry this investigation forward to its conclusion, whether in Congress or in court, and today’s action is an important step along the way,” Conyers said.

Rove has until Feb. 2 to respond to the subpoena.

To me, this looks like a partisan witch-hunt. Because no proof that Karl Rove or anyone else at the White House knew about it. Just Liberal accusations.

Update:  This is not to say there was no bad conduct at the Justice Department, Monica Goodling basically admitted that she made some very unethical decisions. But to attempt to tie it to Karl Rove and to George W. Bush by Proxy; is basically a stretch. I mean, because there is no proof of it, at all. All there is, are E-mails that have been parsed to extract Liberal talking points. I mean, do the Liberals really believe that Karl Rove, of all people, is going to sing like a bird? I mean, the man’s a Bush Loyalist. He is just not going to give the Democrats what they want.

The problem is, Obama is not going to enforce this at all:

Obama and Eric Holder, the administration’s nominee for attorney general, have both said they will not try to “criminalize policy differences” with the Bush administration, especially controversial policies like authorization by the Justice Department of waterboarding.

So, it looks like Mr. Conyers is going a have a bit of trouble of getting the support of the White House on this. However, there’s this:

But many prominent Democrats, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and Sen. Patrick Leahy (Vt.), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, have said they want to pursue Bush administration officials whom they believe misled Congress.

There two ways one can look at this. It could be that Conyers will be on his own, because Pelosi won’t support it. However, on the other hand; Pelosi, Leahy and possibly other, like Wexler, might get behind this and pursue it and not have the support the White House; thereby creating a rift between Congress and the White House.

Either way, it will be an interesting story to follow, as you know, as well as I, that this will spark an outrage among the far right, especially amongst the Neo-Conservative media. Somehow, I just do not think that the Democrats in Congress want to risk a fierce blowback in the media from the Conservatives. Because any way you attempt to paint this, it will be viewed by some, as a partsian witch hunt. I just do not believe that the Democrats have the stomach for a backlash that would follow something of this nature.

Uh-Oh! – Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video

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This cannot be good, at all.

via AFP: Two ex-Guantanamo inmates appear in Al-Qaeda video

Two men released from the US “war on terror” prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba have appeared in a video posted on a jihadist website, the SITE monitoring service reported.

One of the two former inmates, a Saudi man identified as Abu Sufyan al-Azdi al-Shahri, or prisoner number 372, has been elevated to the senior ranks of Al-Qaeda in Yemen, a US counter-terrorism official told AFP.

Three other men appear in the video, including Abu al-Hareth Muhammad al-Oufi, identified as an Al-Qaeda field commander. SITE later said he was prisoner No. 333.

A Pentagon spokesman, Commander Jeffrey Gordon, on Saturday declined to confirm the SITE information.

“We remain concerned about ex-Guantanamo detainees who have re-affiliated with terrorist organizations after their departure,” said Gordon.

“We will continue to work with the international community to mitigate the threat they pose,” he said.

…and these guys aren’t exactly tickled pink about being imprisoned at Guantanamo either.

On the video, al-Shihri is seen sitting with three other men before a flag of the Islamic State of Iraq, the front for Al-Qaeda in Iraq.

“By Allah, imprisonment only increased our persistence in our principles for which we went out, did jihad for, and were imprisoned for,” al-Shihri was quoted as saying.

Something tells me that this is bring the releasing of these prisons to a screeching halt, or at least intensify the effort to screen them much better; before releasing them.

Al-Qaeda 1 – Obama 0

Of course my fellow Conservatives are all over it. The silence from the left is quite deafening.

Others: ParaPundit, Flopping Aces, Atlas Shrugs, Weekly Standard, MsUnderestimated, Gateway Pundit, RedState and Sweetness & Light

The President’s Weekly Video Address

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Related: Download the Recovery Plan Metrics Report

Transcript: (Source: The White House)

Remarks of President Barack Obama

Weekly Address

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

We begin this year and this Administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action. Just this week, we saw more people file for unemployment than at any time in the last twenty-six years, and experts agree that if nothing is done, the unemployment rate could reach double digits. Our economy could fall $1 trillion short of its full capacity, which translates into more than $12,000 in lost income for a family of four. And we could lose a generation of potential, as more young Americans are forced to forgo college dreams or the chance to train for the jobs of the future.

In short, if we do not act boldly and swiftly, a bad situation could become dramatically worse.

That is why I have proposed an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan to immediately jumpstart job creation as well as long-term economic growth. I am pleased to say that both parties in Congress are already hard at work on this plan, and I hope to sign it into law in less than a month.

It’s a plan that will save or create three to four million jobs over the next few years, and one that recognizes both the paradox and the promise of this moment – the fact that there are millions of Americans trying to find work even as, all around the country, there’s so much work to be done. That’s why this is not just a short-term program to boost employment. It’s one that will invest in our most important priorities like energy and education; health care and a new infrastructure that are necessary to keep us strong and competitive in the 21st century.

Today I’d like to talk specifically about the progress we expect to make in each of these areas.

To accelerate the creation of a clean energy economy, we will double our capacity to generate alternative sources of energy like wind, solar, and biofuels over the next three years. We’ll begin to build a new electricity grid that lay down more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines to convey this new energy from coast to coast. We’ll save taxpayers $2 billion a year by making 75% of federal buildings more energy efficient, and save the average working family $350 on their energy bills by weatherizing 2.5 million homes.

To lower health care cost, cut medical errors, and improve care, we’ll computerize the nation’s health record in five years, saving billions of dollars in health care costs and countless lives. And we’ll protect health insurance for more than 8 million Americans who are in danger of losing their coverage during this economic downturn.

To ensure our children can compete and succeed in this new economy, we’ll renovate and modernize 10,000 schools, building state-of-the-art classrooms, libraries, and labs to improve learning for over five million students. We’ll invest more in Pell Grants to make college affordable for seven million more students, provide a $2,500 college tax credit to four million students, and triple the number of fellowships in science to help spur the next generation of innovation.

Finally, we will rebuild and retrofit America to meet the demands of the 21st century. That means repairing and modernizing thousands of miles of America’s roadways and providing new mass transit options for millions of Americans. It means protecting America by securing 90 major ports and creating a better communications network for local law enforcement and public safety officials in the event of an emergency. And it means expanding broadband access to millions of Americans, so business can compete on a level-playing field, wherever they’re located.

I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan. I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my Administration accountable for these results. We won’t just throw money at our problems – we’ll invest in what works. Instead of politicians doling out money behind a veil of secrecy, decisions about where we invest will be made public, and informed by independent experts whenever possible. We’ll launch an unprecedented effort to root out waste, inefficiency, and unnecessary spending in our government, and every American will be able to see how and where we spend taxpayer dollars by going to a new website called recovery.gov.

No one policy or program will solve the challenges we face right now, nor will this crisis recede in a short period of time. But if we act now and act boldly; if we start rewarding hard work and responsibility once more; if we act as citizens and not partisans and begin again the work of remaking America, then I have faith that we will emerge from this trying time even stronger and more prosperous than we were before. Thanks for listening.

(H/T HotAir)

Others: New York Times, AmSpecBlog, Political Machine, AMERICAblog News, Political Punch, Gothamist and ONTD: Politics