Sunday, August 23, 2009

Of Astroturf and ACORN


The hard left's paid minions have been ordered to resuscitate the Democrats' dying dreams of nationalizing the health care system.

...According to a poll by the Washington Post, support for the president's healthcare reform initiative reached a new low down to 45 percent from 57 percent just three months ago.

...Saturday members of Acorn took to the streets to rally support for the reform effort.


...They say the waning support for the president's plan is re-fueling their campaign to get other Americans on board.


...According to organizers, the goal is to not back down until a bill is passed.

...There was a similar rally in Pine Bluff by Acorn members. They say they are fighting against insurance industry monopolies and for affordable options.

...Organizers hope Congress will put together a bill that has a strong public option that can compete with private insurance.

When ACORN and the SEIU start "raising awareness", it's time to keep your head on a swivel.

Two Perspectives: U.S. Public Debt


Any questions?

I confess to not having read Keynes. I have merely looked at the 11 recessions since World War II, as well as the Great Depression. In that data, there is zero evidence that government spending helps, and some evidence that it hurts...

...Bush's average level of debt was a hair below average, at least up until the beginning of this recent recession. At the end of 2007 it stood at 36.8% of GDP, pretty much where it had been for the previous several decades.

If you want to get really picky, Bush inherited a debt of 35.1% of GDP from Bill Clinton in 2000, and left Obama a debt of 40.8% of GDP in 2008 (per the CBO). There you have it -- the smoking gun! An extra 5.7% of GDP in federal debt held by the public. But most of that came in 2008, a full year of recession.

Per [the Keynesians], President Bush should have spent a lot [more] in 2008. It's the only way to get out of a recession...

...the deficit was $459 B in 2008, the largest in history up to that point in nominal dollars.

Now here is where it gets fun: Obama steps in. The very first year under Obama, 2009, the deficit is expected to be about $1.84 trillion. Here are some fun facts regarding Obama's budgets from 2009 through 2019.

* Obama's first-year deficit, the largest in history, is over four times bigger than George Bush's last deficit, which had been the largest in history up to then.
* Obama's first-year deficit is more than Bush's first seven deficits combined.
* The smallest deficit predicted under Obama's budget from 2009 through 2019 is $658 B, or 43% bigger than Bush's largest deficit, the largest in history up to then.
* Under Obama's budget, deficits exceeding one trillion dollars will occur in four years: 2009, 2010, 2018 and 2019.
* The 10-year cumulative deficit (2010-2019) under Obama's budget will be $9.3 trillion, or an average of almost one trillion per year, more than doubling what it would have been under the laws left by Bush.
* The debt held by the public in 2008, or that left by Bush for Obama, was 40.8% of GDP. In just one year under Obama, after 2009, it will be 56.8%, or the largest since 1955. By 2019 it will be 82.5%, the largest in our history except for the three years of 1945-47, the end of World War II.
* From 2000 to 2008, or the Bush years, the debt held by the public went from 35.1% of GDP to 40.8% -- a 5.7% of GDP increase. By 2016, or a similar period under Obama's budgets, it is expected to reach 77.5% -- a 36.7% of GDP increase.
* Under Obama's budget, the debt held by the public will reach 82.4% of GDP in 2019. That is more than double the average level since 1960 and more than double what Bush left in 2008...

Worse yet, these numbers ignore the "off-the-books" entitlement deficits that, by some estimates, are nearing $100 trillion.

This reckless administration and this reckless Congress are bankrupting the country and endangering the American way of life for our children and grandchildren. The "Stimulus" was a failure. The "special budget appropriations" were a disaster. The Clunkers program was a catastrophe. Health care? Should they get their hands on 20% of the economy, I think we can predict what will happen.

There is no valid, rational argument to explain Democrats' behavior. Think about that statement for a moment. And wait for 2010. Every Democrat must go.


Townhall Sign o' the Day


Hat tip: I forgot who to credit for sending me this photo (email me to update).

Larwyn's Linx: Can Congress force you to buy insurance?

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Can Congress force me to buy health insurance?: Morrissey
Busted! WH Confirms Using Contractor to Send Axelrod E-mails : JWF
Capitalism vs. Racism: Doc Zero

Marine goes nuclear on Democrats: Hot Air
Playing fast and loose with the facts: JWF
Remember when FDR praised Shintoism?: STACLU

The Czar has read all of H.R. 3200: Gormogons
'Quite Frankly, They're Stealing My Vote' : JWF
Throw Out The Democratic Health Care Sponge: LegalIns

Economy

Mistress of Disaster Jamie Gorelick At It Again: LegalIns
Why I cheer the Whole Foods boycott: Schlussel
Feds cracking down on garage sales: Fausta

Volvo and Corvette Deathwatch: Fausta
The squeegee guys of health care: AT (Lewis)
Clunkers: No One Anticipated...: Corner

Tea Party Reports

Birmingham, MI: BlogProf
St. Louis, MO: GWP
Mt. Shasta, CA: Surber

Knoxville, TN: Instapundit
Urgent: SEIU, ACORN, MoveOn may coordinate more false flag sabotage of town hall protests: ConfYank

Media

The NY Times Draws a Map for al-Qaeda: Boot
Some day, Yale's prince will come: Kramer
To Hell with the Political Class: PJM (Clouthier)

Reporter covering Rifqa Bary case loves the hijab!: Jawa
Obama's Karmic Freight Train: AT (Joyce)
White House Confirms It Used US Taxpayer Dollars to Sell Obamacare!: GWP

Thank you, Fox News!: Aces

World

Undermining Democracy in the Name of Human Rights: AT (Levy)
92% Discount -- for Some: Surber
Libyan Leader Gaddafi Praises Brown for Lockerbie Terrorist's Release: GWP

Obama and the Holy Land: AT (Glick)
Was Rifqa Bary's Father Planning on Fleeing the Country with his threatened daughter?: Atlas
Who Is Demonized and Who Is Lionized?: Rubin

SciTech

Net neutrality: Back in the spotlight for debate: CNet

Cornucopia

Friday Funnies: AT (Lifson)

Okay, You Don't Like the Term 'Death Panels' . . .   [Mark Steyn]
. . . so how about "life-and-death panels"?

Dany Mercado, a leukemia patient from Kitchener, Ontario, is cancer-free after getting a bone marrow transplant at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

Told by Canadian doctors in 2007 he couldn't have the procedure there, Mercado's family and doctor appealed to Ontario health officials, who agreed to let him have the transplant in Detroit in January 2008.

Swastikas


Earlier this month, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi compared taxpayers protesting socialized medicine to Nazis, claiming they are "carrying swastikas and symbols like that to a town meeting on health care."

Do tell.

So those who served this country: the retired police officers, firefighters, emergency personnel... even veterans who actually fought the Nazis... are somehow illegitimate?

So those Americans are themselves Nazis?

That is rich, coming from the party that embraces socialists, communists, illegal aliens, convicted felons and even the dead as voters.

Executive Summary: Pelosi is a couple of notches below a disgrace.


Linked by: McClatchy Watch. Thanks!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

The official "I am sorry I voted for Obama" website debuts, aims at 4 million signatures


In March I wrote a satirical post entitled "We're Sorry" -- Obama voters express their regrets.


I described the scores of ex-Obama supporters who had contacted me, apologizing for their support of President Training Wheels.


Well, it turns out that I had predicted the future. Now, there really is an official "I am sorry I voted for Obama" website.

Consider it a support group for the disillusioned.

I would recommend forwarding the URL of this site to your friends, family members and associates who voted for Fauxbama.

The current signature count is 1,500. They're aiming at getting 4,000,000. I think they're being conservative (no pun intended).

Let's help them get five million.


Hat tip: Christie.

Bolt


Fox has the video of his record-breaking run.

Papa B said he used to run like that back in high school which, by my estimation, was when John Quincy Fillmore was President.

Letter to Pelosi


Papa B forwards a genuine snail-mail letter sent to Speaker of the House Nancy "Stretch" Pelosi (D-CA).




Larwyn's Linx: No Health Reform Without Tort Reform

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Did ACLU blow CIA officers’ cover?: Malkin
Palin: No health care reform without tort reform: Morrissey
Transparency: Obama, Holder stonewall on Panthers: Ace

Stimulus hits a pothole: Steyn
Bureaucracy Expansion Act of 2009: LegalIns
FL judge puts halt to Rifqa Bary's slow motion honor killing: Jawa

H.R. 3200, Pages 901-1,107; Gormogons
Altmire: no majority among House Dems for health bill: Hill

Economy

Obamageddon in 2012?: Obamageddon
Misery Index Continues to Climb: GWP
Corporate shills for hope and change: Malkin

Unemployment rate by state: CA at 11.9%: Zero Hedge
Tort reform? Who needs tort reform?: Protein
Meet Rahm Emanuel's Brother: Zeke the Bleak: PJM (Blumer)

Climate & Energy

AP sea surface temp article 'factually incorrect', 'raises alarmism to ridiculous levels': Watts
The long, sad history of AP's climate reporting (starring Seth Borenstein): Depot

Media

So what's the deal with Gibbs?: Gormogons
Tom Ridge Meets Meghan McCain: LegalIns
If he loses Krugman...: Blatt

Uh Oh.: Protein Wisdom
Air America: Obama is a liar!: RedState

World

Day of Prayer: What the Hell?: GWP
Enjoy Your Rewards: Kesler
Canada's top doc slams his system, Obamacare: GWP

'Smart diplomacy' in action: JWF
Rifqa Barry wins -- direct from courtroom!: Odysseus

SciTech

Jawa pwns Taliban: Jawa

A Good Cause

Bike Raffle to Benefit Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund: Bubba

...the silver-tongued salesman sails on. Why be scared of a government health program? After all, says the president, "Medicare is a government program that works really well," and if "we're able to get something right like Medicare," we should have more "confidence" about being able to do it for everyone.

On the other hand, says the president, Medicare is "unsustainable" and "running out of money."

By the way, unlike your run-of-the-mill politician's contradictory statements, these weren't made a year or even a week apart, but during the same presidential speech in Portsmouth, N.H. At any rate, in order to "control costs," Obama says we need to introduce a new trillion-dollar government entitlement. It's a good thing he's the smartest president of all time and the greatest orator since Socrates because otherwise one might easily confuse him with some birdbrained Bush type. But, if we take him at his word, then a trillion-dollar public expenditure that "controls costs" presumably means he's planning on reducing private health expenditure – such as, say, your insurance plan – by at least a trillion. Or he'll be raising a trillion dollars' worth of revenue. Either way, under Obama nothing is certain but death panels and taxes – i.e., a vast enervating statism and the confiscation of the fruits of your labors required to pay for it.   -- Mark Steyn

Friday, August 21, 2009

Flying Islands


Spaceweather:

On August 14th, gravity was revoked in the Netherlands--or so it seemed when photographer Rik ter Horst looked out across the water and saw Schiermonnikoog Island floating in mid-air:

"It was just a mirage," he says. Temperature gradients in the air over the cool, open water caused light from the island and its surroundings to curve in unusual ways en route to the camera. The apparent gap between the island and the sea is actually an upside-down image of the sky above. Note the hint of antenna pointing into the water. But don't look too closely, cautions Horst. "You might start believing islands can fly."

With a couple of good single malts, perhaps.

Gee, what a surprise: Obama bankrupting U.S. faster than he estimated


Reuters reports that President Obama will raise the projected U.S. deficit to $9 trillion, consistent with the original CBO estimate and roughly equivalent to a dozen Iraq/Afghanistan wars.

The White House took heat for sticking with its $7.108 trillion forecast earlier this year after the Congressional Budget Office forecast that deficits between 2010 and 2019 would total $9.1 trillion.

"The new forecasts are based on new data that reflect how severe the economic downturn was in the late fall of last year and the winter of this year," said the administration official, who is familiar with the budget mid-session review that is slated to be released next week."

I could recite the litany of spending disasters by the Obama administration, but I won't. As Marx, Lenin, Stalin, Castro and Chavez found out, centralized planning of the economy never works.

Letting people keep more of their money -- to pursue entrepreneurship, invention, innovation and investment -- is the only antidote to a diseased economy. Cutting taxes, a mechanism that has proven so effective, so often, I can't believe anyone would even try to dispute them... cutting taxes lifts all boats. Tax cuts are the opposite of a "stimulus" package. They are a rallying cry for economic expansion.

Tax cuts, however, are anathema to Democrat Statists who seek control of your private property. They who seek to control the size of your cars, how much energy you can consume, how much water your toilets can flush, what kind of light bulbs you can buy... anything and everything related to your privacy. Interestingly, it never ends with Democrats. They always want more control of you and your private property. Now it's your physical well-being -- socialized medicine and control of your body. And, after that, they'll want more.

2010 is a critical year. The enemies of liberty, the enemies of the Constitution, the enemies of the Declaration of Independence must be defeated at the ballot box. Our children and grandchildren depend on it. Tell your families, tell your neighbors and tell your friends. 2010. Turn back the Democrat hordes who despise our Constitution.

Dayam! Sweet Bike Raffle to Benefit Fallen Heroes


Bubba alerts us to a sweet ride that you can call your own. Best of all, any raffle tickets you purchase not only get you chances at a wicked bike... they also go to benefit fallen American heroes.

We built this bike last year for a Military Bike Build Off against 3 other builders, which it won. Next we took the bike to the 2008 World Championships and it placed 3rd in the production class.

A customer of ours (who is a combat vet and would like to remain anonymous) purchased the bike for the sole reason that we raffle it to support the troops.

Our beneficiary is the Intrepid Fallen Heroes fund. They get 100 percent of the raffle ticket proceeds.

We have had several challenges and set-backs as we naively thought we would have an easy time working with the military (gov) to promote this endeavor. Thus, we are fast approaching the deadline of raffle in October and barely scratched the surface of our goal of $50,000 in ticket sales for the troops.

Schaa-wing!

Throw a few bucks into the raffle. And, if you win, the opposite sex will take to your new bike like bees to honey. You can thank me later.

Townhall Sign o' the Day


Taken August 14th at the Obamacare protest held at the office of Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC):

Update: 1,000 Town Hall Rallies Planned for Tomorrow!


Other Items of Interest

Somali Coast Cruise Brochure
Illustrated Results of Barack Obama's Community Organizing
Star Trek: The Stimulus Doomsday Machine
Eric Holder's Chickens Come Home to Roost
Rx for Disaster
An open letter to Colin Powell
True Life Fannie Mae Testimony
Jamie Gorelick, Mistress of Disaster
The Bidens: Hedge Funds, Hair Plugs and Ponzi Schemes
Unintended Consequences

Hat tip: What Bubba Knows. Linked by: Lucianne. Thanks!

Depression pricing for 2010 Audi S4


Kill It With Fire reports that even the mighty Audi S4 has succumbed to the Obama-conomy.

Audi of America has priced the 2010 S4 at 45,900 dollars, a savings of 2,710 dollars when compared to the last S4 sedan sold in the US. The lower starting price for the S4 places it closer to its main competition, BMW's 335i and 335i xDrive sedans. Audi has also announced that the 2010 A5 Cabriolet will start at 42,000 while the S5 Cabriolet starts at 58,250.

That price drop represents SKU deflation of nearly 6%.

Larwyn's Linx: Reconciliation and Healthcare

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email or reply via Twitter.

Nation

Reconciliation and Healthcare: Gormogons
The Strange Case of the Obama Meltdown: Hanson
They're lying, even as they tell the truth: JOM

What People Are Saying About Health Care: Surber
H.R. 3200, pages 701 to 800: Docs in a Union shop: Gormogons
Left-Wing Attack On Obama's "Health Care Toenail Clippings": LegalIns

Daily Scoreboard: Surber
Obama is working for us now: AT (Modica)
On Presidential Euphemisms: SIGIS

Economy

Passing the Smell Test: AT (Lisle)
SEIU warns Dems: ObamaCare must pass now: GWP
174 MPH Debt: CJunk

Kennedy: Hey, change the law for me!: JWF
Social Security -- Worse Than Expected: No Runny Eggs

Climate & Energy

Run for cover, the Earth is flatulent!: BlogProf
Greenpeace caught lying in order to stoke global warming fears: BlogProf

Media

Unreal: MSNBC edits clip of man with gun at Obama rally to support racism narrative: Hot Air
Death Threats Against Bush at Protests Ignored for Years: Zombie
NYT says Marx is back in vogue: NewsBusters

AlfonZo Rachel takes on the thugs: PJM

World

Do Americans Care About British Soldiers?: Yon
Dealing with a failed state: Corner
Bush Quietly Saved a Million African Lives : Dr. Paul Kengor

Terror suspect tapped as Iran defense minister: Times
The International Red Cross' War Against Israel: PJM (Dann)
Hillary's Ego: Bigger Than the Congo: PJM (Chapin)

Cornucopia

News of the Day: American Digest
Historically speaking, political violence is in what part of the spectrum?: Jacksonian

"Why does it take more than 1,000 pages of legislation to insure people who lack medical insurance?" -- Thomas Sowell

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Pew: Democrat Chickens Come Home To Roost


The disconnect between the Democrats' radical left leadership and American taxpayers becomes more apparent by the day. The latest from Pew Research confirms other recent polls that show the National Socialist Democrat agenda is just a tad less popular than sand-flavored ice cream.

Democrats' favorable ratings are sinking faster than Rosie O'Donnell skinny-dipping in the Marianas Trench.

The decline in the Democratic Party's favorable ratings has come across party lines, but the change is especially large among independents. Only 40% of independents give a favorable rating to the Democratic Party, down 12 points since April.

As for the job approval ratings for the Pied Piper of Chicago -- they look like a goose deposit hurtling onto the tarmac.

Although the Obama administration and some economists have touted the early signs of an economic recovery, the public is, if anything, more gloomy about the economy than it was two months ago. Ratings of the national economic situation remain dismal, with 52% saying the economy is in poor shape, and 38% saying its condition is "only fair."

I'm no poll-watcher, but the radical Democrat agenda of quadrupling the deficit, passing the Waxman-Markey energy tax and a massive system of socialized medicine have poked the hornet's nest one too many times.

Should another whack hit the taxpayers, there will be a political backlash the likes of which America hasn't seen in decades.


Hat tip: Patriot Room.

The good ol' days: when protesters were patriotic



I don't sense a double standard. Do you?

Steve Driehaus (D-OH) goes undercover for his next town hall pep rally


"Blue Dog" Democrat Steve Driehaus ran as a fiscal conservative in 2006 to unseat Republican Steve Chabot for Ohio's District 1 seat in Congress.

After that Oscar-worthy performance, Driehaus washed off the makeup and exposed his true face.

He subsequently voted for the trillion-dollar Stimulus package, the disastrous Obama budget, as well as "Cap-and-Trade"; in toto, the largest spending frenzy in world history.

Put simply, ignoring his promises to constituents, Driehaus instead kissed Nancy Pelosi's feet and worshiped at the altar of radical leftism.

In early August, Driehaus held a town hall meeting to "take the pulse of the community" on ObamaCare. The result was a frustrated crowd as Driehaus filibustered, bobbed and weaved to disguise the fact that he was simply toeing the Obama line.


The mostly elderly, respectful crowd grew weary of the dissembling and erupted with a chorus of boos and shouts. After 90 minutes of pap, Driehaus called a halt to the proceedings and the large crowd dispersed.


The message was clear by at least an 8-to-1 ratio: his constituents do not want socialized medicine or any form of government tampering in the insurance markets.

The Cincinnati Enquirer reports today that Driehaus is ready to hold his next town hall, only this one will be an invitation-only affair. The Democrats' paid thugs -- mostly ACORN and SEIU types -- are certain to fill the seats and prevent taxpayers from expressing their firm opposition to socialized medicine.

County Democrat officials emailed supporters earlier, stating that demand "for this event has been very high and, as a result, the Green Township Democratic Club has now been forced to move to a ticketed format... At this point, the very limited seating in the hall has already been claimed and only those with tickets will be admitted."

Driehaus' refusal to meet with constituents means that he is certain to vote for socialized medicine. Reports from the district indicates he has been ducking citizens for weeks.

In truth, this gathering can't be classified as a town hall. It is simply a pep rally for Obama's statist agenda.

Who does Steve think he is and who does he think he is dealing with? Does he not think we'll remember all of this at election time? Everyone in office in DC is hiding or pulling this type of stunt. This guy works for us and should be available 24/7 considering what is going on and what is at stake... What does Steve do? He sets up an insider only event where he can get sunshine blown up his skirt.

The anti-Driehaus momentum is building early and is strengthening. Objective Democrats (those without Kool-Aid stains on their lips) disagree with what is being done and how it is being done. They will remember. As for moderate Republicans, you’ve burned that bridge already.

Unlike Obama, who turned out to be everything he said he was, you are nothing you said you were. As a representative of the people in your community you are an abject failure.

Have your party Steve; take a lot of happy pictures for your scrapbook, you’ll need them.



President Obama hosts health care roundtable for Democrats


A man becomes president...

...he's expected to have...

...enthusiasms.

Enthusiasms!

Enthusiasms.

What are mine?

What draws my admiration?

What is that which gives me joy?

Nationalization!

A president stands alone in the White House.

This is the time for what?

Individual achievement!!

There he stands alone.

But the SEIU, big pharma, the community organizers, the AMA, ACORN... Part. Of. A. Team.

...uh, teamwork... ehm... teamwork...

Agitates, organizes, registers dead people to vote, supports the government!

Part of one big team!

Works for the party, the people, all the live-long day...

...Ayers, Hoffa...

...Alinsky...

...and so on.

If his team don't organize... help nationalize the health care system... create a public option...

What is he?

You follow me?

No one.

...

*** THWAKK!!! ***

*** THWAKK!!! ***

*** THWAKK!!! ***

You got that, Conrad?

You got that?

Get someone to clean this s*** up, Rahmmie.