Victor the Contractor sends this illustration in:

Ministers of the State Dodd, Reid, Schumer and Frank announce
formation of Central Planning Commission for Re-Education of Authorized News Media.
Recovery.org has some useful data to track the efficacy of the administration's stimulus program. Not only can the 5.93 people (not in millions, thousands, hundreds or even tens) in Rhode Island whose jobs the Federal Government managed to "save" send personal thank you letters to American taxpayers......this chart from recovery.org, proudly pasted on the front page, supposed to make Americans happy about the amazing misuse of taxpayer funds to only "create" 30,000 jobs in America (never mind that actual unemployment by state continues to skyrocket, putting all claims about saved jobs very much in the highlight reel on the Comedy Channel)? And just how does the government provide 0.93 jobs? Can Rhode Islanders round up that particular employee or does the 0.07 account for the weighted average time spent by "saved employees" playing Solitaire?
Either way, another phenomenal demonstration of efficiency by the administration.
Today the White House stepped up its attack on Fox News, announcing that the network would no longer be able to conduct interviews with officials as a member of the Press Pool. The Pool is a five-member group consisting of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC organized by the White House Correspondents Association. Its membership is not subject to oversight by the government.White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs: We render opinion based on some their coverage and the fairness of that coverage.Tapper: That's a pretty sweeping declaration that they're not a news organization. How are they different from, say another, say ABC, MSNBC, Univision?
Gibbs: You and I should watch sometime around 9 o'clock tonight or five this afternoon.
Tapper: I'm not talking about their opinion programs. Or issues you have with certain reports. I'm talking about saying that thousands of individuals who work for a media organization do not work for a news organization. Why is that appropriate for the White House to say?
Gibbs: That is our opinion.
Carol E. Lee, Politico: Does that mean the White House doesn't believe they should be part of the press pool?
Gibbs: The press pool is decide by the White House Correspondents Association.
Lee: So you have no opinion on whether they should be ...
Gibbs: I'm not going to delineate for the White House Correspondents Association how the pool is conducted. That's not my job.
If you're wondering about the odd appearance, Edmunds says that Lexus is still disguising some of the key bodywork features ahead of the intro.
The price? A cool $380,000.
Killer audit: ObamaCare increases health spending by $750B: PatRoomBruce Judson, a Senior Faculty Fellow at the Yale School of Management, was on NPR recently discussing his new book "It Could Happen Here," which, though non-fiction, starts with a fictional description of a frustrated nuclear power workers who threatens the country with a dirty bomb.
What was remarkable (and chilling) was the call he received while doing the segment [Click through for audio]:TOM ASHBROOK: Certainly inequality’s a big issue. Let me get a call right here from New London, Connecticut. And
Don. Hi, Don. You’re on the air.CALLER: Hi.
TOM ASHBROOK: Hi.
CALLER: I think you should be listening to this guy, Judson. I’m an unemployed nuclear engineer. I’ve worked on 13 nuclear power plants. Making a dirty bomb is not a big deal. I’m not going to go out and tell everybody now to do it, but I’m just saying things like that can happen. And it sounds like you’re just being dismissive of all his ideas and what he’s saying. Because there’s a lot of anger out here, and there are a lot of people who feel that the American Dream is slipping away from them, they don’t have a chance. And the only entrepreneurial opportunity for them is to sell drugs and to be an outlaw. It’s happening.
TOM ASHBROOK: [OVERLAPPING] I hear you, [PH] Don. We’ve got Bruce on for an hour. So, I can’t say we’re not listening to him. But let me ask you, you’ve got a lot of expertise in your field, nuclear engineering. But does that mean you’re unhappy if you’re unemployed? Do you really feel like the country’s ready to revolt?
CALLER: I’m not an expert in revolution, and I don’t really know how they happen. All I know is I’m 60 years old. There’s not a lot of people who want to hire a nuclear engineer who’s 60 years old. And there are a lot of people out there like me who are out there who, you know, once you have so much gray hair, you’re out of here. And there’s just a lot of people that are just not happy with the way that the country’s going right now...
And I don’t know…where it’s going to take it, or what’s going to be its spark, or what’s going to be the event. But people feel like there’s just no way to climb out of the hole. Like there’s just nothing that’s going to get them out. This attitude, that I’ve seen, over 60 years, I’ve never seen anything like it. It scares me.
TOM ASHBROOK: Up against it. And with an education, a particular education. Don, thank you for your call.
Qatar's oil minister said there was an ongoing debate on whether to continue trading crude oil in the U.S. dollar or to shift to a basket of currencies, the official Qatar News Agency reported on Wednesday..."The debate continues also on whether it would be beneficial to rely on the dollar as a currency to sell oil or to search for a basket of currencies," the agency reported Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah, also deputy prime minister of the OPEC member, as saying in Italy.
A long-running debate over the currency used for commodity dealings was raised again by an article that said China, Japan, Russia and France were in secret talks with Gulf Arab states to stop using the dollar for oil trading.
Big oil producers denied it at the time, but dollar weakness has has kept the question of whether it can remain the world’s reserve currency. Producers and oil company executives on Tuesday said the dollar was likely to stay the currency of oil trade and dismissed the speculation of a shift.
GG, I understand that oil is priced in dollars and we have an agreement with the Saudis that we will protect them if they sell their oil in dollars, etc., but walk me through how the dollar becomes "finished" and how the dollar is backed by oil. Purchasing oil in dollars isn't the same as being backed oil-backed is it? Not disagreeing just trying to understand this better.
Basically the US "agreement" (oh come on who are we kidding here? They put a gun to their heads) with Saudis ensures that whoever needs to purchase oil from the middle east has to buy dollars first on the international market. This creates an artificial demand for a lot of dollars by all oil importing countries (China, India, etc. etc.) that would otherwise not be there. The important thing is that these countries therefore hoard dollars as "reserves" (they hoard it for other purposes/other commodities priced in USD as well but buying oil is by far the biggest factor) thus absorbing Uncle Sam's excess money printing. Hence there are a lot of of excess dollars floating around out there that would be dishoarded once USD is no longer needed to buy oil (plus when one of the big players starts getting rid of its dollars, others automatically HAVE TO follow as the first one out the door gets the best value. They will be pushing and fighting to be the first one out the door). The dollars would be sold off on the currency markets causing an extreme glut of dollars and skyrocketing the price of everything in terms of dollars - immediate and severe depreciation of the currency or hyperinflation. Now you know why Team Obama is sh***ing their pants right now.
[1]. "I will make our government open and transparent so that anyone can ensure that our business is the People's business, and, just as Louis Brandeis once said, 'Sunlight is the greatest disinfectant…" [That is not what Brandeis said.]..."[2]. "...and, as president, I am going to make it impossible for congressmen or lobbyists to slip pork-barrel projects or corporate welfare into laws when no one is looking because, when I'm president,..."
[3]. "...meetings where laws are written will be more open to the public. No more secrecy. That's a commitment I make to you as president. No more secrecy. And, when there's a bill that ends up on my desk as president, you, the public, will have 5 days to look online and find out what's in it before I sign it so that you know what you're government is doing..."
[4]. "When there are meetings between government lobbyists and a government agency, we will put as many of those meetings as possible on line for every American to watch..."
[5]. "When there's a tax bill being debated in Congress, you will know the names of the corporations that would benefit and how much money they would get..."
[6]. "...and we will put every corporate tax break and every pork-barrel project on line for every American to see..."
[7]. "...You will know who asked for them, and you can decide whether your representative is actually representing you."
Cars are restricted in size and must meet stringent emissions and fuel consumption regulations. 40% of all cars are required to be electric, and are frequently found by the side of the road because of battery issues. We're still getting used to electric cars and how long they take to charge.
Fuel prices are triple what they were just a few years ago, thanks to drilling prohibitions and massive, new taxes. Oil drilling is banned in the United States, and rigs sit idle atop the nation's vast treasure trove of oil and natural gas. This is the price we must pay in order to prevent global warming.
Because of high auto and energy costs, mass transit is the only option available to many citizens. In cities, electric subway cars are packed full from early morning to late at night.
Government officials, however, are given the option of receiving free vehicles at taxpayer expense. All cars must be painted white, because other colors of paint can result in the release of excess greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.
Tax policies encourage citizens to live in carefully planned housing complexes, high-rise condos and apartments, which consume less of the country's precious energy supplies.
"Smart-grid" technologies meter energy usage down to the individual family, pricing it by time-of-day and number of persons in the household. Power can be cut off to a household if government limits are exceeded. Families with elderly or special needs members, however, can petition the federal government for extra energy credits. Blackouts and brownouts, however, are typical during the summers because most coal-burning was regulated out of existence by the EPA.
All lighting systems in residential housing units are required to use compact fluorescent lights (CFLs). These lamps, though they contain toxic levels of mercury, help reduce energy consumption and help prevent global warming.
Each housing unit must use a special, water-saving sink-toilet. They recapture the sink's waste water into the toilet tank because fresh water is increasingly expensive.
Because of environmental regulations and government mandates, access to clean water is restricted. Before water is ever tapped for human consumption, detailed reviews -- often lasting many years -- are required to assess the impact on every possible animal species.
As for immigration policy, we have truly become an enlightened country. Open borders and streamlined paths to full citizenship now ensure a lasting Democrat majority.
It is true that open borders have resulted in various man-made disasters. For example, the tragic series of suicide bombings we endured at Texas amusement parks last year. But those setbacks are a small price to pay so that we can be recognized as citizens of the world.
It's also true that jobs are scarce, but if you can find one you will have a great advantage. When you are hired, you will automatically become a member of a union, which will protect your rights, secure your retirement benefits, set your pay, prescribe career advancement, and take care of negotiating all of the details with corporate bosses.
As for schools, all teachers are unionized, of course, which ensures that children are taught consistently, with government-approved materials. Home-schooling was outlawed in 2012 to give children the opportunity to learn in government-approved environments.
It's true that union dues are a flat 5% of gross income, but that's a pittance compared to federal, state and local taxes, which add up to 60% for most of us.
Government workers and college professors only pay 40% in taxes in recognition of their sacrifices for the public good. Nearly half of all workers are employed by government at the federal, state or local levels.
Health care is free, if you can find a general practitioner. If referred to a specialist, your wait may be six months or longer. You can elect to fly abroad for treatment if you can't wait, but since health care is free in the U.S. (and private doctors are banned), most elect to wait.
Retirees have a very high quality of life. However, due to rules prescribed by the Federal Health Board, if you are over 72 years of age, you may not receive treatment for cancer, heart disease and other maladies because those services are reserved for younger, healthier patients. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, Rahm's brother, proscribed this in his "whole life" mandate for cost-containment reasons.
It's true that many folks seem poorer, have less job opportunities, aren't as happy or as healthy, are less educated, and -- I'll say it -- less free.
But that's what we voted for when we voted for change.
After the first series of illegal immigration-child prostitution videos emerged, ACORN and its sycophants claimed that those were aberrations. Media Matters asserted, for instance, that ACORN's Philadelphia office had booted the faux pimp and prostitute and reported them to the police.
It turns out that, like so much of what Media Matters says, those claims were bald-faced lies. And conservative filmmakers James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles have the video- and audiotape to prove it.
Furthermore, the Washington Post and various Philadelphia papers repeated the ACORN-Media Matters party line.
ACORN Watch: Fight the Thugs: Malkin
For months, Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee have unsuccessfully pressed for a full investigation of Countrywide Financial's "VIP" sweetheart mortgages. Key Democrat leaders like Kent Conrad and Chris Dodd received special treatment, which probably saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars on multiple loans.Rep. Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) locked Republicans out of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee room to keep them from meeting when Democrats aren't present... Towns' action came after repeated public ridicule from the leading Republican on the committee, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), over Towns's failure to launch an investigation into Countrywide Mortgage's reported sweetheart deals to VIPs.
For months Towns has refused Republican requests to subpoena records in the case. Last Thursday Committee Republicans, led by Issa, were poised to force an open vote on the subpoenas at a Committee mark-up meeting. The mark-up was abruptly canceled. Only Republicans showed up while Democrats chairs remained empty.
"It's not surprising that they would choose to retaliate given the embarrassment we caused by catching them in a lie on tape,” said Issa spokesman Kurt Bardella. “If only they would use their creative energy to do some actual oversight rather than resorting to immature tactics, but I guess we're getting some insight into what lengths they'll go to avoid addressing the Countrywide VIP issue."

Dodd is also the subject of a Judicial Watch ethics complaint on an unrelated matter: how the Senator came to own an Irish seaside mansion while continually understating the property's true value (by hundreds of thousands of dollars) on his disclosure forms."Disguising [the] gift [of the mansion] would provide a motive for Senator Dodd to fail to report the property's true value on his [disclosure] since 2002... By all appearances, ...Dodd used his position and influence... to intervene of behalf of his friend and convicted felon, Edward Downe Jr., and in received in turn a significant discount in the purchase of property in 2002...
...Further, it appears... Dodd failed to report this gift on his annual [disclosure], as required by law, and may have falsified his reports in the years following the full acquisition..."
All year, FOX has worked 24/7 to block President Obama's agenda—repeating lies about "death panels," promoting Tea Party protests, and whipping up fake political scandals.
Now, President Obama is fighting back. The White House communications director said FOX is a "wing of the Republican Party...let's not pretend they're a news network." To draw attention to its biased coverage, President Obama will not appear on FOX for the rest of this year.
It's about time Democrats stood up to FOX! Can you sign this petition asking Democrats to support President Obama's stance by staying off FOX as long as he does? We'll deliver it to Democratic leaders. Clicking here will add your name:http://civic.moveon.org/foxobama/o.pl?id=sUcK%20It%20SoR0s&t=3 The petition says: "Democrats should support President Obama's effort to call out FOX. Please stay off FOX for as long as he does."
Democrats often appear on FOX in hopes of reaching out to conservative viewers. But FOX cuts off their mic, distorts what they say, or runs biased headlines at the bottom of the screen...
...In the end, Democrats always lose on FOX.
Without reading it carefully, I made the mistake of clicking on the link.
The AARP gets some serious coin: millions in taxpayer funds to help build their various businesses, which have little to do with looking out for seniors: "What Obama didn’t say is that AARP receives millions in federal funds, and hopes to get even more by becoming a vendor under his plan. In January 2007, NLPC published Special Report documenting taxpayer support for AARP. The study found that federal funding accounted for $83 million, or about 10 percent, of AARP’s then-annual revenue of $878 million."
Trial Lawyer Tycoons look to get about a $1.6 billion payoff and an unlimited amount of rope to pursue malpractice lawsuits. That is to say, ObamaCare takes tort reform completely off the table.
ACORN and other community agitators (whom, in part, are responsible for the entire mortgage meltdown) are slated to receive billions in Stimulus funds and billions from Obamacare. Consider it a quid pro quo for their, eh, energetic support of the Obama campaign.
Union Bosses aim to get a direct $10 billion payoff from Obamacare, millions injected into their pension funds and, best of all, millions of new, dues-paying members as public-sector unions replace the evil insurance companies. And try getting one of those bureaucrats fired, I dare you!
Unaccountable politicians -- who have come out and said they don't give a crap what their constituents think -- will amass more power, further breakdown the firewalls in the Constitution and then walk away. And where will Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid be in ten years, when the rest of us are struggling with a massive, out-of-control, federalized medical system that doesn't give a damn about individuals and is busy rationing care and denying care to the elderly? They will be retired as very wealthy individuals -- with their very own private health care -- having imposed their Marxist ideology upon this society and then walked away from it.
You? You get bupkis, which is to say: nuttin'. Oh, you will get called Nazis, thugs, racists, mobsters, and terrorists for having opposed socialized medicine.