Friday, August 06, 2010

RED ALERT: Unanimous Vote by AFL-CIO Group Demands Obama Administration Stop Setting Illegals Free

Are you tired of getting riled up by a new affront each day? So am I -- believe me. But gird your loins, dear reader, because the two of us are about to experience new levels of progressive depravity.

It was unanimous. That is, 259 of 259 representatives of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement arm of the AFL-CIO voted to demand the removal of President Obama's DHS immigration heads. 100%. And, surprisingly, you won't read it in your beloved daily fish wrap.

In an unprecedented move within the Department of Homeland Security, the detention and removal officers and agents responsible for and sworn to enforcing our nation's immigration laws issued an exhaustive, scathing letter simply titled "VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE IN ICE DIRECTOR JOHN MORTON AND ODPP ASSISTANT DIRECTOR PHYLLIS COVEN" on June 11, 2010. The letter, acquired through sources, provides a litany of examples of how ICE's mission is being skewed towards supporting an unflinching goal of amnesty by refusing to allow agents to do their job; allowing criminal aliens to roam free; depleting resources for key enforcement initiatives that preceded this administration; and misrepresenting facts and programs, demeaning the extent of the criminal alien problem and geared to support amnesty.


The letter, authored by ICE Union President Chris Crane, begins as follows, noting that all ICE union representatives have signed on to a unanimous "Vote of No Confidence" in ICE leadership:

On June 11, 2010, the National Immigration and Customs Enforcement Council and its constituent local representatives from around the nation, acting on behalf of approximately 7,000 ICE officers and employees from the ICE Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), cast a unanimous “Vote of No Confidence” in the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), John Morton, and the Assistant Director of the ICE Office of Detention Policy and Planning, (ODPP), Phyllis Coven.

Providing numerous facts the media and public have not been privy to, the letter relates ICE leadership dishonesty and failure to abide by their oath to uphold the law. The letter also outlines the importance of local law enforcement referrals to ICE, and the striking symbiotic relationship between local enforcement and ICE on immigration matters. Exemplary are these two bullets:

• While ICE reports internally that more than 90 percent of ICE detainees are first encountered in jails after they are arrested by local police for criminal charges, ICE senior leadership misrepresents this information publicly in order to portray ICE detainees as being non-criminal in nature to support the Administration's position on amnesty and relaxed security at ICE detention facilities.

• The majority of ICE ERO Officers are prohibited from making street arrests or enforcing United States immigration laws outside of the institutional (jail) setting. This has effectively created "amnesty through policy" for anyone illegally in the United States who has not been arrested by another agency for a criminal violation.


In one uncharacteristic note of sarcasm, the outcome of the Obama Administration new detention policy is described as follows, including dance lessons and hanging plants for criminal aliens in detention facilities:


• ICE Detention Reforms have transformed into a detention system aimed at providing resort like living conditions to criminal aliens. Senior ICE leadership excluded ICE officers and field managers (the technical experts on ICE detention) from the development of these reforms, and instead solicited recommendations from special interest groups. The lack of technical expertise and field expertise has resulted in a priority of providing bingo nights, dance lessons and hanging plants to criminals, instead of addressing safe and responsible detention reforms for non-criminal individuals and families. Unlike any other agency in the nation, ICE officers will be prevented from searching detainees housed in ICE facilities allowing weapons, drugs and other contraband into detention centers putting detainees, ICE officers and contract guards at risk.


Interestingly, ICE Director John Morton told the Washington Post, in regard to this letter and other interest groups that call for his resignation (apparently this is quite common for him), that such letters are just, "part of the territory here." Mr. Morton, may I suggest that a significant problem with dismissing a No Confidence Vote from your entire employee population is, when you run an agency of 7,000 officers and agents, you can't do your job unless they do theirs? Oh wait, that is the whole point, is it not?


Dereliction of duty?

Impeachment?


Not sure... but what did Obama know -- and when did he know it?


Related Reading Just to Tick You Off Even More:
The Shameless Duplicity of the Obama Administration: Napolitano Directly Contradicts Solis on Immigration Enforcement; Media Strangely Silent.
Killing the Nuns Americans Won't Kill
Four Border Stories Guaranteed to Make Your Blood Boil
Obama Administration Unveils Dramatic New Plan to Seal Massive Gulf Leak: Suing Arizona for Arresting Drug- and Human-Smugglers
Anyone know what you call it when heavily armed intruders cross the border into the U.S. unmolested by authorities? Oh, that's right: Arizona.

Let Them Eat Arugula: Are the Obamas Disconnected From Reality?

Tom Blumer sketches out the full contours of Michelle Obama's European vacation: 60 rooms in a five-star resort at $2,500 a night. Per room. That's $150,000 a night for a First Lady's vacation. Blumer's conclusion is discomfiting.

I... worry that what we are really witnessing is how people who can get away with it act when they know a collapse is coming (another example relating to Nancy Pelosi is here). That is, have fun and spend wildly while you can, because a few years from now all of this will be a distant memory. I hope I’m wrong.

Most liberals are simply too ignorant of history and too caught up in the pursuit of their own gratification to ever believe the merry-go-round can grind, quite suddenly, to a halt.

Exhibit A: A helpful chart and timeline explaining Michelle Obama's super-important job at the University of Chicago Hospital (UCH), a position coincidentally created just after her husband's election to the Senate... and dissolved moments after she resigned to move into the White House.

Sandwiched, of course, by Sen. Obama's $1M earmark to UCH.

In 2002, Michelle Obama was hired by the University of Chicago Hospital as its "Executive Director for Community Affairs" at a salary of approximately $120,000.

In January of 2005, Barack Obama was sworn in as a United States Senator.

In March of 2005, Michelle Obama was promoted to "Vice President for Community and External Affairs" and her salary bumped nearly $200,000 (from $121,910 to $316,962). This position was "newly created" for Mrs. Obama.

In February of 2006, Barack Obama requested a $1 million earmark for a new hospital pavilion at the University of Chicago. It's unclear whether additional favors were granted to those connected to UC. And days after she formally became the First Lady, effective 9 January 2009, Michelle Obama resigned her position at UCH.

Effective 14 January 2009, Michelle Obama's VP position was eliminated, its functions absorbed into another executive's position. This prompted writer Don Rose to ask "[If] that work can be folded into another guy’s, why was it separate in the first place?"

Excellent question. Some roguish wags might speculate that a quid pro quo arrangement was in effect; pay-to-play as it were. But that seems highly unlikely given Barack Obama's high ethical standards*.

The moral of the story is that the Obamas appear to be without moral or ethical underpinnings. The lessons of right vs. wrong, history vs. ideology, rationality vs. random action are lost on Michelle and Barack Obama.

Exhibit B: No one begrudges a Spanish holiday when Bill Gates blows a million of his own money on it. When Michelle "Marie Antoinette" Obama abuses the taxpayers' largess, however, it's another story completely. Patterns, it's all in the patterns.

• 26-Jul-2010: Obama Birthday Dinner Has $30K Price Tag
• 22-May-2010: As economic worries worsen, White House puts on the glitz
• 03-May-2010: NYMag: Michelle Obama Wears Prabal Gurung and Big, Expensive Jewelry to Correspondents’ Dinner
• 06-Apr-2010: Robert Amsterdam: Obama's Expensive Dinner at Prague Castle
• 11-Jun-2009: Obama girls fly to Paris: Another expensive private date, and this time it's a family affair
• 31-May-2009: Althouse: Obama takes his wife on a very expensive date

There is no right versus wrong, there are no ethical norms. There is no moral foundation. And that simple fact could very well be at the root of our problem.


* Ignoring, of course, Auchi, Ayers, Blagojevich, Jarrett, Jones, Rezko, etc.

Larwyn's Linx: Justice Department steers money to favored groups

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Nation

Justice Department steers money to favored groups: York
The shady Shorebank bailout revisited: Malkin
Border Agents Vote 'No Confidence' In ICE Leadership: GWP

Yeah, They Lied (x 10): LegalIns
Caddell: Country's Mood Is "Pre-Revolutionary": Ace
Federalism: if not now, when?: AT

Economy

The 'Social Security Trust Fund' Is Broke: Foundry
More 'Unexpected' Economic News: RWN
Geithner's SS report is much worse than it looks: Insider

Michelle Obama is not on food stamps: Surber
Government Motors Buying Off Democrats: BlogProf
Tone Deaf President Still Pushing 'Card Check': GWP

Slave-labor conditions at Sherrods’ farm?: Zombie
Homage to Bretton Woods: Sargen
AFL-CIO Chief Pleads for Union Support: RWN

Climate & Energy

Best Letter Ever: Texas To EPA — GTFO: CBullitt
Obama 'trying to dictate the powertrain... of the future': BlogProf
Texas tells the EPA to pound sand: RWN

Media

Don't Be Scared of Godwin's So-Called Law: AmSpec
The Magical Jesus of Soros and Pelosi: NewsReal
Outrage as Race Ignored in Hiring Decision: RWN

#rsrh Top Ten Signs of DOOM.: Moe Lane
Krugman Will Believe Anything That Makes Health Care Reform Look Good: JOM
We know who's to blame for Omar Thornton's murders of 8: RWN

World

Terror Alerts Confirm PJM Reporting on Hamas Fundraiser’s Scheduled Memphis Event: PJM
Niqab Security Outrages at Canadian Airports: Pipes
Michelle And Sasha’s Excellent Spanish Adventure…At Taxpayers Expense!: GWP

SciTech

Android Now Outselling iOS? Explaining the Game of Chess That Google Plays in the Smart Phone Space: Zero Hedge
Platinum-nanoparticle-based catalyst could lead to low-cost, stable fuel cells: Kurzweil AI
Ten Reasons to Love the Bomb: AT

Cornucopia

You Manga-nificent Bastards: Lurid Asian "News" Animation Now Does Lindsay Lohan: Ace
NBC Takes Olbermann Off Sunday NFL Broadcasts: SBB
Jefferson was right to fear the courts: AT

Images: People's Cube.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate -- Defeat John McCain


Thursday, August 05, 2010

Rats now catapulting themselves off the SS Obama: administration's incoherent 'economic adviser' resigns

Christina Romer, President Obama's top economic adviser, just announced she's quitting.

Romer finally came to the conclusion that marketing the destruction of the economy as positive news was as inexplicable as a Treasury Secretary who cheats on his taxes.

Of course anyone who thought that any President would be more likely to listen to an academic, rather than a political handler (like Rahm) was always doomed to be mistaken.

We can't help but observe that the news comes out one night before the monthly job figures... It was part of her job to always write the post-release spin, and explain how a seemingly bad number was actually good.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Romer shoulda known better.

After all, how many freaking jobs did Saul Alinsky ever save or create?


It's come to this: conservatives rally together to save the Democrat Party using Twitter, hashtag #SaveDemIdeas

Altruistic. Generous. Loving. Compassionate. These are just a few of the adjectives used to describe Mother Teresa. In an unrelated news story, David Burge has helped rally conservatives to the worthy cause of saving the Democrat Party, which has -- for the last few decades -- turned its mission into a Kamikaze-style flight plan straight into the tarmac.

@IowaHawkBlog: During TV debate with GOP opponent, open a bag of Legos and build little mosque on his podium. When he objects, yell RACIST
@IowaHawkBlog: Unleash Henry Waxman's Mesmerizing Super-Hypno-Power
@StarlessTwit: A Chevy Volt in every pot

@directorblue: Change name to cool, hip new label: the Funocrat Party
@directorblue: Free travel mugs emblazoned with the donkey & sickle logo
@directorblue: Happy Hour: now starting at 3pm

@directorblue: New ads feature Andy Dick -- in a maid outfit and holding a vacuum cleaner -- draining the swamp
@directorblue: New "civilian national security force" forces ignorant people to vote the right way
@directorblue: All you can eat fajita bar at the DNC

@directorblue: New bailout package targets all Americans who haven't eaten at Denny's
@IowaHawkBlog: Stats show dems poll well with childless adults, poorly among adults with kids. Steal their kids, watch poll numbers zoom!
@directorblue: Our campaign promise to you: everyone gets to be a Supreme Court Justice for a day.

@directorblue: Ask us about our Double Your Vote program!


The Implications of Elena Kagan, Nascent Supreme Court Justice

"Obama Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan was confirmed by the Senate this afternoon."

Today’s yes votes included Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., the lone Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee to support Kagan when the panel recommended the nomination to the full Senate on a 13-6 vote.

What are the ramifications of Kagan's confirmation?

 3   She believes that the government can abitrarily ban books and movies:

Elena Kagan argued on behalf of Citizens United essentially stating it would not be a violation of the First Amendment to have movies or even books banned. Of course, she only meant certain movies/books for specific times, but even so, I believe the point remains... all tyrants find a pretext for their tyranny. That tyranny may even begin with a humble, caring act, but one day we awake to find we have lost all freedom. When it comes to our rights, the freedom of speech is not one I am willing to mess around with. I could never support a Supreme Court nominee like Elena Kagan.

 2   She does not believe in The Bill of Rights -- and, in particular, the Second Amendment:

Kagan has spent her professional career implementing anti-gun initiatives as a clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall, as counsel for the Clinton Administration and as President Obama’s Solicitor General. Furthermore, Kagan’s testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee confirms a hostility to the idea that the 2nd Amendment is an individual right of all Americans incorporated against state action restricting that right. The fact of the matter is that Elena Kagan will vote to uphold every local, state and federal restriction of the right of Americans to 'keep and bear Arms...'

...When Kagan served the Clinton Administration, she showed a strong hostility to gun rights. The L.A. Times reported on may 11th of this year that Kagan “drafted an executive order restricting the importation of certain semiautomatic assault rifles.” Kagan’s political activism in implementing a gun control agenda was a political act, yet this nominee has yet to explain her constitutional justification for that executive order.

 1   She believes the federal government has unlimited power over the individual:

On Tuesday evening, Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) posed a hypothetical question to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan: If Congress passed a law that said Americans "have to eat three vegetables and three fruits, every day ... does that violate the Commerce Clause?"

"Sounds like a dumb law," Kagan replied.

"Yeah, I got one that's real similar to it that I think is equally dumb," Coburn shot back, referring to Obamacare's mandate requiring individuals to buy health insurance. "I'm not going to mention which one it is."

Kagan wouldn't say whether or not she believes the Commerce Clause allows the federal government to pass a law requiring Americans to eat fruits and vegetables.

* * * * * * * * *

Banning books. Rejecting our God-given right to self-defense. Authorizing the federal government to mandate what you can eat.

If our nation's founders could see today's activities -- could see this person appointed to a lifetime role on the Supreme Court -- they would weep.

Burn the name Lindsey Graham into your memory. This man is a menace and a disgrace. He must be obliterated -- politically -- during the next Senatorial election cycle.


Larwyn's Linx: Black Tea Partiers School NAACP

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Nation

Black Tea Partiers School NAACP: Hot Air
Mad Maxine’s minority fat-cat bankers: Malkin
The Revolt of the States: AT

Perry v. Schwarzenegger: A Modern Roe v. Wade: Wolf
Apocalypse November: Ace
Chicago: Two Jailed for Vote Fraud: Marathon

Gender No Longer Forms Essential Part of Marriage’: RWN
Tolerance: Libs target GOP homeowners: Malkin
Why You May Not Want to Join Shirley Sherrod's Fan Club: BigGovt

Economy

Dems: Exempt Blue States From Tax Hikes!: GWP
ObamaCare referenda on state ballots can reap big returns: AT
What's next: another leg down in employment: Mish

Speaker Mop & Glo reconvenes House for summer bailout vote: Malkin
Covering Up Fannie's Crimes: SanExam
Some Federal Workers Pocket Fraudulent SS Benefits: GWP

Climate & Energy

BP spills, Feds burn off American employers: RedState
The Renewable Electricity Standard is a Hoax, a Fraud, and a Rip-Off: AT

Media

Obama: the Great Bamboozler: Ace
WaPo’s Kurtz Cries About ‘Nasty’ Media: RWN
Dear Jon Meacham: I’d like to apply for editor of Newsweek: Caller

Even The Left Getting Tired of Teachers Unions?: RWN
David Klinghoffer (and His Liberal Amen Chorus): All the Good Conservatives Are Dead: Ace
The Ground Zero Mosque: Why or Why Not?: Hewitt

World

Apology in action: U.S. to send delegation to Hiroshima memorial for first time: BlogProf
It wasn't 800 years it was 436, and it was peaceful if a 'convert or die' ultimatum is peaceful: SoccerDad
Lockerbie Bomber Living Large in Libya: PJM

Did Lebanon Use American Weapons To Attack Israel?: MereRhet
Bitter Half Spends Fortune in Formerly Racist Spain: RWN
Smoking Guns of U.S. Treasury Monetization: Kitco

All-Purpose Paradigm: The West’s Absurd Claims of Israeli Racism: BRubin
A rare look at secretive Brotherhood in America: Ikhanweb
British ObamaCare: Hundreds of IVF embryos donated 'without consent': Telegraph

SciTech

Great news: TSA body scanners actually saving photos of passengers’ junk: Hot Air
Google's Schmidt on Verizon and Net neutrality: CNet
Social Media -- What's the Real Impact to the Organization?: EIT

Cornucopia

Reporting On The Fair, Orange County Style: Hewitt
Havin' My Fetus: iOTW
Reason #9,000,000 not to vacation in an Islamic country: Daily Mail

Images: iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

The 5 Scariest Jobs Charts of August

Excerpted from The Business Insider's comprehensive view.

5. The small business hiring situation: deplorable.

4. The number of government workers -- despite the catastrophic debt at every level of government -- continues to explode upward.

3. The average weekly hours for those employed in manufacturing continues to drop.

2. The average length of unemployment continues to increase -- and is now at almost 9 months.

1. The number of Americans unemployed for at least half a year continues to skyrocket with no end in sight.

So I would encourage you to send this article -- along with a thank you note -- to each person you know who voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

Writing the software Americans won't write: Obama spends $22M training 3,000 IT workers in Asia

It would be humorous if it didn't confirm the catastrophic incompetence we've come to expect from President Axelrod.

U.S. To Train 3,000 Offshore IT Workers


Despite President Obama's pledge to retain more hi-tech jobs in the U.S., a federal agency run by a hand-picked Obama appointee has launched a $22 million program to train workers, including 3,000 specialists in IT and related functions, in South Asia.

Following their training, the tech workers will be placed with outsourcing vendors in the region that provide offshore IT and business services to American companies looking to take advantage of the Asian subcontinent's low labor costs

Under director Rajiv Shah, the United States Agency for International Development will partner with private outsourcers in Sri Lanka to teach workers there advanced IT skills like Enterprise Java (Java EE) programming, as well as skills in business process outsourcing and call center support. USAID will also help the trainees brush up on their English language proficiency.

...As recently as Monday, Obama, speaking at a Democratic fundraiser in Atlanta, boasted about his efforts to reduce offshoring. The President said he's implemented "a plan that’s focused on making our middle class more secure and our country more competitive in the long run -- so that the jobs and industries of the future aren’t all going to China and India, but are being created right here in the United States of America."

Hmmm... how can we blame Bush for this one?


Image: Weasel Zippers

Californians: flush twice to ensure all Democrats are washed clean from the public trough

For your consideration, a delightful compendium of Democrat leadership in action.

CA Democrats Unveil New Budget Using Standard One-Page Playbook: Tax Hikes


An outline of the Democrats' plan had been circulating for several days before its official release on Tuesday afternoon and as expected it included tax proposals worth about $4.5 billion. The revenue would come from an oil severance tax, delaying corporate tax breaks and income tax increases paired with a reduced sales tax.

This approach, which even a fifth-grader would rightly judge as destructive, will drive additional businesses and residents out of the state as surely as Michael Moore eats dinner. On the bright side, however, L.A. is headed into the crapper even faster than the state itself.

L.A. pensions may consume a third of city’s general fund by 2015.


The cost of retirement benefits for Los Angeles city employees will grow by $800 million over the next five years, dramatically eroding the amount of money available for public services to taxpayers, according to a report issued Tuesday.

In a bleak assessment delivered to members of the City Council, City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said pensions and health benefits for current and future retirees would jump from $1.4 billion next year to at least $2.2 billion in 2015.

In all seriousness, however, there is a little bit of good news for taxpayers: it appears they'll get to find out what their public sector betters are making.

It's true: the peons aren't allowed to know the salaries of most public workers in Cali.

Heh! It caused a mini-firestorm when one city released its public payroll data. One can only imagine what will happen if the whole state complies with the State Controller. When do the lawsuits with various reasons for why they can't do it begin? 5, ...4, ...3 - I have a feeling, it won't be too long. If the people pay the salaries, why shouldn't they have a right to know what they are? Sounds reasonable to me.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California's controller is ordering all cities and counties to start reporting the salaries of elected officials and public employees... Controller John Chiang said Tuesday he will post the information on his website beginning in November.

The directive comes after revelations that the Southern California city of Bell paid three of its top administrators a total of $1.6 million a year. Part-time City Council members were paid nearly $100,000 a year.

Currently, local governments must report only general figures about revenue and expenditures to the state controller's office.

Crazy talk. Citizens need to shut up, pay more taxes, and stop asking questions. The rulers rule, and the peons ... uhm, get peed on.


Why not let 'em build a mosque at Ground Zero? Gaza youth concert honors suicide bombers, praises the murder of Jews and Christians

Let me say this for the record -- and I'll use small words so that the progressives can follow along -- the Ground Zero mosque is not a First Amendment issue as Bloomberg (not the news service, the idiot mayor) insists.

The imam in question has endorsed the implementation of sharia law in the United States. By his own admission then, the brand of Islam he wishes to practice is not a religion -- it is a political system. It is a legal system unto itself that rejects the Constitution and the American form of government. Thus, there is absolutely no "separation of church and state" issue.

It's as if persons of Japanese descent insisted on building a temple at Pearl Harbor in 1942 that was dedicated to the practice of military Shintoism. It would have been as unacceptable then as the Ground Zero mosque is unacceptable now. It is a political statement, pure and simple.

Oh, and the Ground Zero imam also supports Hamas. This is the same delightful group of genocidal mass murderers who have as their stated mission the destruction of Israel and the wanton killing of Jews and Christians. And I'd be willing to bet the imam in question also supports the indoctrination of youth into his ideology of destruction.

A Jordanian children's musical troupe well-known for songs that glorify "martyrdom" in battle with Israel was to perform a rare outdoor concert in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The group, known as The Birds of Paradise, recently produced a music video circulated on the Internet in which a young girl sings, "When we die as martyrs we will go to heaven."

On a stage made to look like a Palestinian village children dressed as Israeli soldiers "massacre" civilians before the camera switches to a grown man singing, "Children you have fulfilled your religious obligation... You have taught us the meaning of manhood."

Thousands were expected to attend the concert at 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), and another performance was scheduled for Wednesday... [the troupe's television] channel shows music videos and cartoons glorifying the killing of Israeli soldiers, as well as a children's show with a Mickey Mouse-like character that encourages martyrdom and armed struggle leading to the destruction of Israel.

Say -- I've got an idea: let's have 'em build a mosque on the Arizona border!


Cincinnati Tea Party Founder Mike Wilson: Why I'm Running For Office

Guest post by Mike Wilson

Ohio’s economy is in terrible shape.

Whether you look at unemployment (10.5% - 43rd), or state GDP per capita ($35,381 - 33rd), our position in absolute terms and relative to other states is bad and getting worse. The reality of these statistics is that the citizens of Ohio are hurting. While going door-to-door, I’ve met with the long-term unemployed who are barely scraping by, and I’ve met with parents whose children moved out of state after college to seek jobs.

From 1990 to 2000, 720,200 jobs were created in Ohio. From 2000 to 2009, 544,100 were destroyed. This means that only 176,100 private sector jobs were created over a 19-year period - barely 9000 per year in a state of over 11 million people. The unfortunate truth is that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Ohio has tremendous built-in advantages as a state. We have world-class universities, a well-educated workforce, robust rail, highway, air and water transportation, and a legacy of innovation that is the envy of the country. Entrepreneurs like Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers were a huge part of what made Ohio great. Today in Ohio, however, Edison and the Wright Brothers would be punished for their success with excessive taxation and burdensome regulation.

We see the proof of this in the news when venerable Ohio companies like NCR (founded in Dayton in 1884) and US Playing Card (founded in Cincinnati in 1867) leave for other states and take their jobs with them. We didn’t lose these jobs to overseas competition. We lost them to Georgia and Kentucky. In the case of US Playing Card, they moved their headquarters only about 15 miles across the river – just barely enough to escape the suffocating anti-business atmosphere of Ohio.

Governor Strickland offered NCR tax breaks totaling $31.1 million in an effort to keep them in Ohio. While that unfortunately wasn’t enough, what it shows is a recognition that the tax climate in Ohio matters and it is so out of whack that a $30 million incentive is insufficient to keep a company here.

In the 2011-12 Ohio budget, we are faced with an estimated shortfall as high as $8 billion. We are in this situation because our political class has failed. During the good times, we spent the windfall in tax revenues. When tax revenues declined in the current recession, the Strickland administration and House Democrats led the charge to increase spending by 9.3% in fiscal years 2009-10. The less we had, the more they wanted to spend.

This reckless spending was financed mainly though one-time funds including federal “stimulus”, debt restructuring and drawing on the state’s rainy day fund. The remainder came from $1.2 billion in additional fees, and a $900 million tax increase passed in December that was retroactive to the beginning of the year – thus violating the cardinal rule of not raising taxes in a recession.

In the next budget, we need to take steps to restore Ohio’s competitiveness, and we need to get government off the backs of our job creators – small businesses. To do so, government needs to tighten its belt - something they have utterly failed to do so far. In 2009, the average state employee made more than the average private sector employee in 87 of Ohio’s 88 counties and that’s before accounting for the lavish benefits and gold-plated pensions received by state workers.

The failure of our leaders in Columbus have driven jobs out of our state and created the 7th highest state and local tax burden in the country. It has made Ohioans poorer. Using budget gimmicks to avoid taking responsibility instead of fixing the problem is the same old politics that everyone is tired of. We need new leaders willing to take on the entrenched interests and balance our budget with spending cuts, not tax increases. It’s why I signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge and why I encourage my fellow candidates and representatives to do the same.

Ohio may be in terrible shape, but the right leadership can make it great again. The current leadership has failed. That is why I am running for State Representative.

Mike Wilson is the Republican Candidate for State Representative in Ohio District 28. He is the founder and past president of the Cincinnati Tea Party.


Larwyn's Linx: Maxine, Barnie, Fannie and Freddie

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Nation

Maxine, Barnie, Fannie and Freddie: Malkin
No Amendment Needed to End Birthright Citizenship: RWN
81% of Nevadan GOP says they will vote in November: Hot Air

Vote Fraud and Democracy: The DOJ's Failure: Adams
Censuring Lindsey Graham: Malkin
The Real Racists: Brumfield

Economy

Show Me State Shows ObamaCare the Door: GWP
Unionized into Bankruptcy: FPM
Life in "Progress" City - Cincinnati edition: Taxman

Taxpayer Dollars Used to Lobby for More Taxpayer Dollars: BlogProf
It's official: Obama worst Jobs President since Depression: GWP
Killing the Nuns Americans Won't Kill: RWN

Climate & Energy

EPA on Verge of Declaring Dust a Pollutant: AT
Reid: Back to the Drawing Board on Energy Bill: RedState
Globull Warming To Increase Mexican Illegal Immigrant Migration To US: RWN

Media

I Got My Correction from The New York Times. Who's Next?: Big Journalism (Breitbart)
JournoList, Shame of a Nation: Meet Spencer Ackerman, Juice-Box Mafioso: Big Journalism (Riehl)
Catch-22's Mounting for Democrats: AT

President Obama Should Thank Democrat Socialists of America And Its Journolist Members: RWN
Breitbart: Journolist is Journalism's Watergate -- and They're Stonewalling the Story: GWP
Journolist and the Leftist Mentality: AT

New Video of Couric Mocking Palin on the Day She was Named as McCain's Running Mate!: Con4Palin
Pete Stark Unplugged: the Whole Anti-Constitutional Rant: RWN
The Autumn of the Left: AT

World

9/11 Victory Mosque Moves Forward: RWN
The Positive Side of the Ground Zero Mosque: Ibrahim
The Islamic Enemy We Won’t Identify: BigPeace

Iran's Ahmadinejad survives 'assassination attempt': Jawa
Fire on the Lebanon Border: Ledeen
Attn: Reuters/Hezbollah/Hamas/LSM... -- IDF WAS Within Border Of Israel When Attacked By LAF: Jawa

SciTech

Dead Sea Scrolls Mystery Solved?: NatGeo
BlackBerry Torch Goes Live: Engadget
Reaction to RIM: Why AT&T, Again?: CNet

Cornucopia

Really, really slow news day: Brutally Honest
Ted Speaks: Denny
Voters Boot ex-Detroit Mayor’s Mom From Congress: iOTW

Image: CNet
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate


Tuesday, August 03, 2010

The 10 Wackiest 'Stimulus' Scams

Please consider the following boondoggles, selected from the Coburn report issued earlier today (PDF). Each was chosen from projects funded by the $862 billion "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act", which -- by itself -- helped push the national debt 23 percent higher.

10. Coordinating Traffic Lights (Sebring, FL) - $1.1 million

The Florida Energy and Climate Commission, created by Governor Charlie Crist (Crist), blew more than a million bucks so that city officials wouldn't be inconvenienced by 14 traffic lights.

9. 'Low-income' housing at $300K apiece (Rochester, NY) - $3.3 million

One of north Rochester’s poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods just got a pricey upgrade. Your grandchildrens' money bought 23 new homes in 'El Camino Estates' at an average cost of $300K. Average median value in the neighborhood? $50K. Don't question the Democrats, peons. They know what they're doing. So shut up and pay your taxes.

8. iPods for one high school (Salt Lake City, UT) - $1 million

“About 1,600 students at Kearns High School in Utah will get iPod Touches next school year, thanks to a federal stimulus 'Enhancing Education Through Technology' grant" (that name was selected over 'F***ing Taxpayers Thoroughly' branding). They will use the devices during class, take them home after school, and according to one student, get to keep them if they graduate on-time. “I think that will be the coolest thing ever,” said a student. “I think that might be a little initiative for those who are thinking of not graduating to graduate, kind of a going-away present... [T]eachers will be trained to use the iPods to engage students so their attention doesn’t wander."

7. Study: Will a Soda Tax Stimulate Health? (Chicago, IL) - $521K

The Obama administration has repeatedly considered taxing soda and other sugary drinks. Finally, your grandchildren's money will be spent studying the relationship between taxes and obesity..

6. 'Museum' with less than 50 visitors a year (Raleigh, NC) - $250K

What is the best way to simultaneously preserve an insect collection, promote a haiku contest and produce bug baseball cards? Simple. A grant to the North Carolina State University Insect Museum. The museum boasts being an “internationally recognized resource for the study of insects and mites in North Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and, in several insect groups, the world.” The museum, which has “virtually no public presence” (it gets about 44 visitors a year), will also use the money for outreach efforts. It also hosts the annual Hexapod Haiku Challenge every March on its blog.

5. Liquor business gets big bucks (Colorado) - $5 million

Colorado liquor distilleries, breweries and wineries are getting $5 million in stimulus-backed business loans. According to the Colorado Recovery Act website, some of the alcohol-related recipients include $1.1 million for Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey. The store, which claims to be the first whiskey distiller in the state, describes its whiskey this way: "It’s not often you can bottle up the Rockies, or cup your
hands in a mountain stream."

4. Commerce Dept. Makeover and Door Shift (Washington, DC) - $183 million

The Hoover building in Washington has been rehabbed at a cost of nearly $1 billion over the last decade. It houses approximately 3,500 federal employees at the Department of Commerce, the White House Visitor Center, and the National Aquarium. The money will be used renovating unused office space for temporarily rotating groups of up to 400 Commerce employees at a time and ripping out
walls to install 16 miles of insulation. And moving a door to the aquarium.

3. Snow-making equipment and chair lifts (Mt. Snow, Vermont) - $25 million

Mt. Snow will use the stimulus dollars to replace two chairlifts, construct a 120-million-gallon storage pond for snowmaking, and install additional snowmaking fan guns. "Mount Snow was pursuing the chairlift renovations when they learned that government stimulus funds were available for ski area capital improvements."

2. Fake News Videos Pitching ObamaCare (NYC, New York) - $25 million

What do you do when a key government program is unpopular with the general public? In the case of the stimulus, you sign a multi-million dollar contract with a public relations firm previously embroiled in controversy. For some time, the administration’s push for health information technology systems has faced significant public resistance because of privacy concerns. In response, the Department of Health and Human Services spent $25.8 million on a contract with Ketchum Inc. to help win over public opinion. Ketchum was criticized before, however, on other governmental work. The reason? Producing fake TV news stories for government agencies.

1. Restoring a 'national park' that's almost 100% underwater (FL) - $13 million

Visitors to Key West, Florida with enough time and money can explore one of the National Park Service’s less convenient destinations: Dry Tortugas National Park. Located 70 miles offshore, the park is almost entirely underwater and accessible only by airplane or private boat. Despite its relative inaccessibility, the park will get $13,304,484 in repairs for its barely above-water attraction, Fort Jefferson. Those willing to take the 4 1/2 hour round-trip ferry ride aboard the Yankee Freedom II have to pay as much as $165 per person, but will discover that only 40 of the park’s 65,000 acres are dry land.

By the way, isn't a vast, unaccountable, centralized government awesome? Democrats are so very careful with your money, it's almost like they're spending their own dough.


The Best Ideas to Save Our Beloved Newsweek Magazine: Hashtag #SaveNewsweekIdeas

Yes, it's true. The Democrat public relations rag known as Newsweek was just sold for the tidy sum of one dollar. The magazine had been hemorrhaging cash in recent years: "Revenue dropped 38 percent between 2007 and 2009, to $165 million... the business lost $32 million in 2008 and $39.5 million in 2009. Even after reducing headcount by 33 percent and slashing the number of issues printed and distributed to readers each week from 2.6 million to 1.5 million, the 2010 operating loss is still forecast at $20 million."

Thankfully, the perennially helpful cadre of conservatives on Twitter chimed in with scores of suggestions to save the DNC's official news-magazine.

MoRocca: To prevent further loss, engineers begin pumping heavy drilling mud into Newsweek offices
@directorblue: Include small number of golden tickets in each print run, winners to receive tour of Weehawken print shop
@directorblue: All articles printed in barcode to cram in more content

@directorblue: Create world's first fireproof magazine using asbestos newsprint
@directorblue: Include collectible kids stickers featuring faces of SEIU bosses
@RickSheridan: Kathleen Parker centerfold

@matthewrnewman: Use monkeys to recreate news of the day on the cover
@directorblue: Piggyback on popularity of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' trilogy by adding umlauts to every letter 'u'
@directorblue: Add more hilarious, rolicking MediaMatters columnists

@jimmiebjr: Hire Ackerman to throw underperforming ad salesmen through a plate glass window
@iowahawkblog: Rename to Smug Self-Righteous Asshole Review to avoid reader confusion
@ExJon: Print on two-ply, absorbent paper stock

@chucksavga: Move fiendishly coded instructions to sleeper cells from p 95 to p 11. They never read that far.
@directorblue: Include bootleg DVD of a different first-run movie with every issue
@directorblue: Cram each issue with as many used automobile and apartment rental ads as will fit

@IronyNOW: Deal Fareed Zakaria for prospects, sign Stephen Strasburg
@directorblue: Photoshop incriminating photos of Simon Cowell with Snooki
@directorblue: Pay readers to buy magazines, make up shortfall with high volumes

@SamValley: Partner with Bird Fancy Magazine as the Cage-lining edition
@directorblue: Print on delicious, crunchy Nestle's rice paper
@directorblue: Rename to "Newsmonth", hire hip young writers like Ruth Marcus and Leonard Pitts

@Rschrim: Shark Week!
@Michael_Haz: Helen Thomas swimsuit issue.
@iowahawkblog: Have reporting staff spend more time in the field, selling roses at busy frontage road intersections

@RennaW: Fire 1 of 15 columnists each week based on reader votes, bizarre physical challenges
@iowahawkblog: exclusive deal for magazine rack monopoly in reader-packed Govt Motors recall center waiting rooms
@StarlessTwit: Tell readers, "I must break you," and hope they will be intimidated into subscribing.

@jd_nyc: Have Government force people to buy it. Apparently they can do that now.
@cuffperfunction: Rent out the storied Newsweek Mansion for sexy sexy JournoList parties
@Joe: Kristan Just keep sending same magazine, changing only date. Remaining readers have dementia anyway and won't notice.

@iowahawkblog: Get rid of the unpopular 'Newsweek' part of magazine
@DrewMTips: Cut out unnecessary middlemen and let Robert Gibbs write all stories on Obama Administration
@j4140: Promise smoother looking skin in just 10 issues


Priorities: Eric Holder Threatens Legal Action Against Sheriff Joe Arpaio While Illegal Alien, Freed Twice by Immigration, Kills Nun

Juxtapose the following two stories to illustrate the country's woes under Democrat leadership in microcosm.

1. Holder Threatens to Sue Arpaio

The Justice Department says an Arizona sheriff known for his efforts against illegal immigrants has refused to cooperate with a civil rights investigation and the department is threatening to sue... Since March 2009, the U.S. Justice Department has been investigating Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's office in Phoenix for alleged discrimination and for unconstitutional searches and seizures. Arpaio says the inquiry is focused on his immigration efforts.

Rumor has it that Holder is upset that Arpaio has repeatedly interfered with the administration's efforts to increase the number of illegal aliens undocumented Democrats.

2. Illegal Immigrant Awaiting Deportation Charged With Killing Nun

The man charged in connection with the Sunday crash that took the life of a Bristow nun is an illegal alien who was out on bond awaiting a deportation hearing, police said Monday.

..."The despicable thing is that this criminal was … handed over to ICE twice, and released by ICE twice. He’s gone out an killed a nun. That’s a perfect example of what’s wrong with immigration enforcement in this country," said Stewart, who has drafted legislation for stricter illegal immigration laws statewide. "The blame is on representatives in Congress for being so flaccid on the issue, and they continue not to fund the deportation of illegal immigrants in this country."

While the administration pursues law enforcement for its efforts to protect American citizens, the invasion of illegals, drugs and arms continues unchecked, documented on film by a few brave patriots who tread where Eric Holder dares not.

When will Americans and Democrats (yes, I said it) demand that Obama and Holder enforce federal law?

Remember November.


Summer of Recovery Continues With the Worst Small Business Sentiment Index in American History; Tim Geithner Says Business Owners Are Lying

Mish relays the latest small business survey results from Wells Fargo and Gallup. I'll summarize the results in a single word: Obama.

The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index -- which measures small-business owners' perceptions of six measures of their current operating environment and future expectations -- fell 17 points to -28 in July. This is its lowest level since the index's inception in August 2003.

Record Pessimism in Future Expectations

Most of the decline in the overall index came in the Future Expectations Dimension of the index, which measures small-business owners' expectations for their companies' revenues, cash flows, capital spending, number of new jobs, and ease of obtaining credit. The dimension fell 13 points in July to -2 -- the first time in the index's history that future expectations of small-business owners have turned negative...

...Big-firm earnings and global growth may drive profits on Wall Street, but small business is the major source of U.S. job creation. And most small-business owners are unlikely to hire as long as they are becoming increasingly uncertain about the revenues and cash flows of their companies in the months ahead.

With scores of new regulations on the horizon -- including health care, energy taxes, financial reform and increased personal taxes -- it's impossible for a business owner to forecast. And it's therefore equally impossible for a small business to hire.

Of course, the only Treasury Secretary in American history who couldn't operate TurboTax properly says that all of these business owners are lying.

...last week’s data on economic growth show that large parts of the private sector continue to strengthen. Business investment and consumption — the two keys to private demand — are getting stronger, better than last year and better than last quarter...

...The economic rescue package that President Obama put in place was essential to turning the economy around. The combined effect of government actions taken over the past two years — the stimulus package, the stress tests and recapitalization of the banks, the restructuring of the American car industry and the many steps taken by the Federal Reserve — were extremely effective in stopping the freefall and restarting the economy...

Geithner is an an unqualified propagandist who has fabricated a recovery from whole cloth.

Without small businesses generating jobs, there is no recovery.

Come to think of, Geithner fits in perfectly with the likes of Axelrod, Emanual and Obama: people who've never worked an honest job in their lives.


Larwyn's Linx: Democrats Deserve No Distance; John Ensign Needs to Go

Have a great link you'd like me to review? Drop me an email. You can also install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget.

Nation

Democrats Deserve No Distance: Blumer
I repeat: John Ensign needs to go away: Malkin
Pete Stark Raving Mad strikes again: Malkin

Utterly Shameless: Obama on Immigration: RWN
Wicked Sleazy: Obama's fundraiser for Giannoulis: Ace
Illegal awaiting deportation kills nun in car crash: GWP

Economy

Upon further review: ObamaCare looks even worse: Hassett
A Weird Sort of Depression: Hanson
Phoenix Rally for Secure Borders, Immigration Enforcement: RWN

Big Salaries in IL (If You Work for Government): RWN
Obama's war on low-income people trying to get ahead: Newmark
Leahy: we must fix financial reform bill I never read: BlogProf

Paul Krugman Gives Up: AT
Your Tax Dollars At Work: Coalition of the Swilling
Snooki bests Obama in Econ 101: Hindenblog

Climate & Energy

Must read: McKitrick on GHCN and the quality of climate data: WUWT
The Award-Winning Fantabulous Non-Net-Zero House: CBullitt

Media

True Bigots: The Razor
WaPo Unloads Newsweek for $1; Buyer Clearly Overpaid: Driscoll
Handicapping the House: VodkaPundit

Amanpour Deigns to Report on U.S. Politics, Flummoxed Pelosi’s Victories Are Unappreciated: NewsBusters
Dr. J helps the Gormogons, and the economy, recuperate: Gormogons
Booman Tribune Blood Libels Pamela Geller: AmPower

CNN Brings on Al Sharpton to Market Idea that Rangel Probe Is Racially Motivated: NewsBusters
Jamal Green: Why Am I a Conservative?: GWP
The Obama Aristocracy: AT

World

Giuliani On The Ground Zero Mosque: “This is a desecration”: Nice Deb
The exiled Cuban political prisoners Carnival of Latin America and the Caribbean: Fausta
Banks on Europe's Edge Face $122 Billion Refinancing Bill: Bloomberg (the news service, not the idiot mayor)

Ban the Burqa: Cold Fury
The Mosque on Sacred American Ground: FSM
Europe's Lynch Mob Mentality: AT

SciTech

The sun sends a charged cloud hurtling our way: NewScientist
U.S. Spies Buy Stake in Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets: Wired
Android smartphone shipments surge 886 percent: CNet

Cornucopia

Teen trades old cell phone on Craigslist, gets Porsche: CNet
Alligator Feeding Frenzy: Parkway Rest Stop
The 20 Worst Swimsuits: Heavy (NSFW)

Images: Maktoob
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Drop a few bucks on Sharron Angle for U.S. Senate in Nevada

QOTD: "Based on the administration’s own numbers, as many as 117 million people might have to change their health plans by 2013 as their employer-provided coverage loses its grandfathered status and becomes subject to the new Obamacare mandates." -- Kevin Hassett


Monday, August 02, 2010

Judge rules Virgina's challenge of DemCare can proceed; measured response of White House includes toddler-style temper tantrum

Federal District Judge Henry Hudson ruled earlier today that Virginia's challenge of DemCare's 'individual mandate' can proceed, rejecting the Obama administration's claims that the states' lawsuits are 'frivolous'.

...the district court ruled that Virginia has standing to challenge the federal individual mandate provision, not primarily because it was acting its “parens patriae” capacity to prevent general harm to its citizens, but because it was acting to protect its own sovereign interest in enacting a state provision that conflicts with the federal statutory scheme...

...On the merits, we are surprised the judge took as much space to conclude that Virginia stated a valid cause of action, namely, that Congress had exceeded its constitutional authority with the individual mandate... The only question is whether Virginia stated a legal cause of action (or legal theory) that is cognizable in law.  Virginia certainly has at least a valid substantive theory to challenge the law, because someone with standing is always able to challenge the constitutionality of a statute on the ground that Congress has no constitutional authority to enact it, QED.  Indeed, we think Virginia ultimately should win on the merits, but it is even easier to show that the correct form of the argument was set forth in the complaint.  Nevertheless, unless the district court’s jurisdictional rulings are overturned, Judge Hudson’s discussion of the constitutional issues is somewhat instructive.  It shows he is not hostile or dismissive of Virginia’s claims, which is surely good for liberty.

The Obama administration responded with the kind of maturity that we've come to expect from the likes of David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs (or, as they're referred to in the White House, The Puppetmasters™).

Since the enactment of health reform legislation in March, several state Attorneys General have filed lawsuits challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. Having failed in the legislative arena, opponents of reform are now turning to the courts in an attempt to overturn the work of the democratically elected branches of government. [Ed: Does the phrase 'budget reconciliation' ring a bell?]

...The Affordable Care Act falls well within Congress’s power to regulate under the Commerce Clause, the Necessary and Proper Clause, and the General Welfare Clause... [As does Congress' power to regulate your shower-head flow, toilet tank size, light bulbs, automobile engine type, and other personal aspects of your life -- like the Founders intended!]

...That’s why a number of groups representing breast cancer patients, children’s health advocates, people with disabilities, small businesses and others filed an amicus brief in support of the Affordable Care Act, citing evidence in seven states that “preexisting conditions provisions, absent a minimum coverage provision, are a failed experiment. At best, they result in premium increases. At worst, they can cause the total collapse of a state’s individual insurance market.” [Glad the Democrats never resort to the politics of fear!]

This administration is flat-out dishonest.

Cancer survival rates are higher in the U.S. than in any other country in the world. By far. And 75% of all medical and pharmaceutical innovation on the planet comes from our "broken" system.

At some point, the judiciary in this country -- even some of the more left-leaning judges -- are going to have had enough of Democrat whining, attempted intimidation and -- well, I'm too polite to say what I really think.

Suffice it to say that somewhere Hugo Chavez is beaming.


Five Bizarre Appliance Combinations

Don't tell anyone in Washington: the Democrats might go ahead and mandate these things.

5. LG offers the combination Microwave Oven & Toaster.

4. Hammacher Schlemmer doubles your pleasure with AM talk radio and toasted bagels in the morning.

3. No to be outdone at breakfast innovation, the geniuses in Tokyo have created the 'Coffee-and-Egg Toastenator.'

2. You're not imagining things: this really is the In-Sink Dishwasher from KitchenAid. And if you have to ask how much it costs, well, I'll tell you: about $1,800.00.

1. Lastly, the "Washup" looks like something Al Gore could have dreamed up. Not for himself, mind you, but for the little people. The "gray water" used to wash your clothes is reused to flush the toilet.

Just don't drop the load after you've -eh- dropped a load. If you get my drift.


Hat tip: My Bad Pad.