Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Best. Drudge. Headline. Ever.

Put some ice on that, Harry. It's gonna leave a mark.

After that (rhetorical) beat-down, I think "Stretch" Pelosi is gonna need another face-lift.

Yesterday economist John Lott summarized the borderline criminal behavior by the Obama Democrats.

• The new $26 billion Democrat "jobs bill" has nothing to do with jobs, it is designed to fund the teachers' unions

• $16 billion of the $26 billion goes to public teachers (and several billions go to subsidizing other public sector workers). $87 billion of last year's $862 billion stimulus also went to public school teachers' mandatory wage increases as well as more hiring of public teachers

• Between 1.0% and 1.5% percent of teachers' salaries goes directly to union dues. That means at least $160 million of money borrowed from the taxpayers' is going directly to teachers' unions

• And, to complete the circle, the teachers' unions are directly funding Democrat campaigns so they can keep the cash faucet turned on

The money culled from this "jobs bill" is stolen from you, the taxpayer, and given to Democrat politicians. They would like to retain power so that they can steal more money from you in the future.

Teachers' unions not budging on wage freezes

Furthermore, teachers' unions are refusing wage freezes even on planned increases in the future. In New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie (R) asked that teachers contribute 1.5% of their salaries to help pay for their benefits and agree to a one-year wage freeze. The union bosses refused.

Why are taxpayers rewarding this behavior?

One other point to consider: teachers are compensated based upon the negotiations between school boards and teachers' unions at the local level. Some areas have done a good job in these negotiations and are much healthier than other communities.

Why are taxpayers in responsible cities and towns subsidizing the failed policies of irresponsible locales?

In short, the Democrats' "jobs bill" is designed to funnel $100 million into their own campaign funds through the teachers' unions.

Remember in November.


Larwyn's Linx: The Summer of Our Discontent

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

The Summer of Our Discontent: Nice Deb
Who is the Bully Behind the Pulpit?: Ace
Syoung809132001: The Voice of the People: AmDigest

The Newly Discovered Dead of 9/11?: McCarthy
Harry Reid pulls out race card again, whacks himself in head: Malkin
Capitalist Revolt – Against Warren Buffett and Bill Gates: WklyStd

Economy

When Hope Fails, When Joblessness Pays: RWN
Feeling a pinch? You must not be a government worker: Pundette
AFL-CIO Prez: There ain't no deficit problem: GWP

Rats Begin Leaving Obama’s Sinking Ship: GWP
'Tax Extenders': Another Democrat Bailout of Special Interests: RWN
Liberals Assume Infinite Money: RWN

Climate & Energy

The Paper of... The Last 30 Years: CBullitt
Spain burns $1B on 'green' cars: TAB
Congressman Markey suggests “global warming deniers to start their own country”: WUWT

Media

Obama Owns Them: LegalIns
Did he really say that?: Q&O
The MSM sure grades on a curve: Driscoll

Top Leftie Blogger: Obama Campaign Asked Me to Do ‘Dirty Work’ in 2008, and I Did: GWP
Mediaite’s Tommy Christopher’s Failed Defense of the ‘N-Word’ Lie Dismantled: BigGovt

"Say what? Who you calling...?" Leftoids Start to Lose It: AmDigest
Journolist Update: AT
Celebrity Judge Loudon Delivers Verdict - Billions Wait in Awed Anticipation: NewZeal

World

State-Department Rocked by ‘Bam-Caused Disaster: PJM
Wonderful: State Department Sending Ground Zero Mosque Imam on 'Outreach' Tour : JWF
Middle East Coexistence? On Aisle Two, Next to the Cornflakes: PJM

Is the 9/11 Mosque a Publicity Stunt?: FrumForum
Obama Administration Seeks to Overturn US Lebanon Aid Suspension: TAB
Guess what? I'm a bigot!: iOTW

Hanoi John Kerry: Hey, I've Got an Idea: Let's Import More Muslims!: RWN
Secret History of the World: Belmont
Greg Gutfeld and the Grave Robbers of Ground Zero: Riehl

SciTech

Highlights of Defcon 18: Fortify
Inside Chiquita's 'painful' finance system overhaul: NetworkWorld
Zeus Trojan steals $1 million from U.K. bank accounts: CNet

Cornucopia

The Belly Bandit Strikes Again: MOTUS
Why Clowns Should Be Neutered: C&S
Girl quits her job on dry erase board, emails entire office: Chive

The Pelosi Democrats continue their purge of the party's black leadership: Three Beers Later
Iran in the Seventies: Ned Hardy
Middle Eastern businessmen arrested after crashing £180,000 Lamborghini in London square: Daily Mail (UK)

Images: Conservatoons
Sponsored by: Support J.D. Hayworth -- Oust John McCain (who voted to confirm Eric Holder)

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Finally: an Honest "Stimulus" Construction Sign

Courtesy of Woody, a truly honest construction sign for the American Recovery and Ripoff Act of 2009.

It would be great to have these printed up as full-sized stickers. Interested parties could then overlay them on the ridiculously commonplace construction signs to remind people where this money is really coming from.

Hat tip: Boy Moto.

Top 30 #GutfeldGayBarNames

There was a hot time in the old Twittersphere last night after Greg Gutfeld unloaded an idea made of pure unvarnished awesome.

30. Honor Drillings
29. Jihard
28. Filthy Omar’s Rusty Trombone
27. The Arabian Queen
26. Dune Biters
25. Goat's Night Off
24. The Pink Prophet
23. The Leather Burqa
22. Git Mo
21. Pig in a Poke
20. Sheiks & Freaks
19. Sodom and Gonorrhea
18. Osama Bin Dover
17. The Exploding Goat
16. Weapons of Ass Destruction
15. Alla Assbar
14. Anderson Cooper's Apartment
13. The Sticky Prophet
12. The Sphinxter
11. Grind Zero
10. Nuclear Fuel Rods
9. Hassan's TestostoRoom
8. Turbuns
7. Bunker Busters
6. The Tali-bone
5. Al-Jizzera
4. The Gaza Stripper
3. The Sandy Gerbil
2. The Camel’s Hump
1. Hide the Minaret
I’m announcing tonight, that I am planning to build and open the first gay bar that caters not only to the west, but also Islamic gay men. To best express my sincere desire for dialogue, the bar will be situated next to the mosque Park51, in an available commercial space.

This is not a joke. I’ve already spoken to a number of investors, who have pledged their support in this bipartisan bid for understanding and tolerance.

As you know, the Muslim faith doesn’t look kindly upon homosexuality, which is why I’m building this bar. It is an effort to break down barriers and reduce deadly homophobia in the Islamic world.

The goal, however, is not simply to open a typical gay bar, but one friendly to men of Islamic faith. An entire floor, for example, will feature non-alcoholic drinks, since booze is forbidden by the faith. The bar will be open all day and night, to accommodate men who would rather keep their sexuality under wraps – but still want to dance.

Ed Morrissey: "I look forward to the congratulatory Mike Bloomberg press conference."


Update: iOwnTheWorld.

Update II: Um, Did Greg Gutfeld Just Kill The Ground Zero Mosque?

Bell, California set to default on its debt due to tragic unicorn shortage and $800K/year city officials, but mostly $800K/year city officials

You can't make this s*** up.

California City With $800,000 City Manager May Default On Debt, Warns S&P


When the government of Bell, Calif was outed for paying exorbitant salaries, the mayor said his $800,000 city manager was worth it: "Our city is one of the best in the area. That is the result of the city manager. It's not because I say it. It's because my community says it."

But things weren't actually going that well in the LA suburb. S&P just cut the city's bond rating to junk on warnings of an inability to pay debts due Nov. 1.

Bloomberg (the news service, not the idiot mayor) has the gory details.

S&P lowered Bell’s general-obligation and pension bond ratings to BB, two levels below investment grade, from A-, and put it on a watchlist for potential further downgrade. The credit-rating company cited the resignations of top city officers amid a scandal over how much they were paid, and media reports about the decline in value of property financed with municipal debt in 2007 as reasons for the downgrade.

“The lack of good information is creating some uncertainty,” S&P analyst Sussan Corson said in a telephone interview. “There could be some stress on the city, and we think that the rating action is justified.”

...On Nov. 1, the California community is scheduled to pay the so-called bullet maturity on $35 million of taxable lease- revenue bonds sold in 2007 by its Public Financing Authority in a private placement. The principal must be repaid when bullet maturity loans fall due... ...Bell has fallen behind on its payments on the bonds, which are owned by Dexia SA, the Paris- and Brussels-based bank, said Ulrike Pommee, a spokeswoman. The bank entered into an agreement with the city in June aimed at resolving the issue, she said in an e-mail yesterday.

The runner-up headline for this post was The Genius of Democrat Governance, Chapter Ninety Gajillion.

These city officials make Charlie Rangel look honest.


Eric Holder's Outrage du jour: Will Sue Sheriff Joe Arpaio Next Week

Government Security News alerts us to Eric Holder's latest outrage. Rather than seal the southern border against an ongoing invasion of drug-smugglers, gun-runners, gang-members, criminals and other undocumented Democrats, the Justice Department will probably sue one of the best sheriffs in the country.

U.S. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez warned attorneys for Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) in Arizona, in a letter dated August 3, that unless Arpaio voluntarily cooperates by August 17 with an investigation by the Justice Department’s civil rights division into allegations that Arpaio’s office has engaged in “unlawful searches and seizures, discriminatory police conduct, and failure to provide basic services to individuals with limited English proficiency,” the Justice Dept. “will file a Title VI civil action to compel access to the requested documents, facilities and personnel.”

...the Perez letter says, “In order to avoid litigation, please provide a complete response to the First Request and an agreement to permit access to all pertinent MCSO facilities and personnel no later than August 17, 2010.”

...According to an article by Channing Turner in the independent, Washington-based news site Main Justice, attorney Robert Driscoll, of Alston & Bird, LLP, who represents Arpaio, has described the Justice Department’s threat to sue the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office as premature and has indicated that Arpaio will cooperate with certain elements of the probe.

But Driscoll also claimed that Arpaio had previously handed over thousands of documents in a lawsuit involving allegations that Arpaio’s deputies had racially profiled Hispanics, and that arguments contained in the Perez letter “conflated the legal boundaries between two separate and ongoing investigations.”

Millions of illegals have entered the country. The southern border is wide open. The American people, by a huge margin, want the border sealed before there's any talk of a path to citizenship "immigration reform".

But the Democrats refuse to secure the border. They refuse to protect the lives of American law enforcement officers. They refuse to stop known terrorists from entering the country. They defy their most important mission -- to protect Americans.

So why do we have Customs inspections at ports of entry?

Why do we have full-body scanners at airports?

And why do we have a Justice Department that insists on civil rights for illegal aliens, but not American voters intimidated by racists at polling places?

There is something deeply, deeply flawed (I almost used a different F-word) with the modern Democrat Party. And all of us had better take action in November.


Schadenfreude: Watching BHO's Circular Firing Squad

Dan from New York writes:

"They're going to try to make you afraid of me. He's young and inexperienced and he's got a funny name. And did I mention... he couldn’t steer a tugboat let alone the ship of state?"

August 10, 2010, Commentary, Contentions blog

Robert’s Rant


Gibbs, his colleagues, and the president cannot help themselves.

By Peter Wehner

The White House is simmering with anger at criticism from liberals who say President Obama is more concerned with deal-making than ideological purity.

During an interview with The Hill in his West Wing office, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs blasted liberal naysayers, whom he said would never regard anything the president did as good enough.

“I hear these people saying he’s like George Bush. Those people ought to be drug tested,” Gibbs said. “I mean, it’s crazy.”

The press secretary dismissed the “professional left” in terms very similar to those used by their opponents on the ideological right, saying, “They will be satisfied when we have Canadian healthcare and we’ve eliminated the Pentagon. That’s not reality.”

Of those who complain that Obama caved to centrists on issues such as healthcare reform, Gibbs said: “They wouldn’t be satisfied if Dennis Kucinich was president.”

Gibbs goes on to say this:

“There’s [sic] 101 things we’ve done,” said Gibbs, who then mentioned both Iraq and healthcare.

...I’m not fan of the left — but it’s very unwise for President Obama’s notoriously prickly press secretary to publicly vent like this.

Among the many problems Democrats face going into the midterm election is the huge gap in voter intensity. (It favors Republicans by about a two-to-one margin.) Gibbs’ comments will only deflate the Democratic base. But Gibbs, his colleagues, and the president cannot help themselves. They are an extremely thin-skinned lot, prone to lash out at their critics. [Did I mention 'delusional'?] ...A fight with the base of the Democratic Party isn’t what Obama or Democratic candidates need right now. But thanks to Mr. Gibbs — who also succeeded in offending Speaker Pelosi recently — that’s just what they have.

###

It’s November or never, America.

Ruth Marcus says Gibbs is 100% accurate -- and that the left is deranged (but those of us on the right already knew that). Glenn Greenwald is on Gibbs' side as well, calling his opponents "the fringe losers of the left."

On the other hand Congressman and professional leftist kook Keith Ellison says Gibbs should resign. Nate Silver whines that the "White House is losing its cool". And the world's dumbest blogger thinks Gibbs needs to be drug-tested.

Uhm, yeah. That will happen.


Linked by: Michelle Malkin. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Maxine Waters' zombie deadbeat bank

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

Maxine Waters’ zombie deadbeat bank: Malkin
Free Speech Lawsuit: NYC Bans '9/11 Images': Geller
Washington, Arizona, and the Primal Right to Self-Defense: AT

Well, they won't read 'em -- why name 'em?: GWP
J.D. Hayworth Ad is Kinda Awesome: Ace
About that 'teacher' who confronted Palin: RWN

Economy

'How Liberals Kill the Economy' in 12 Column Inches: RWN
The Bailout Singularity: Greenroom
The Two-Tiered Economy: Blumer

Countrywide + Fannie Mae = Subprime slime: Malkin
Rendezvous With Catastrophe: AT
The Eternal Stimulus: Greenroom

Climate & Energy

Obama's billion-dollar earmark: shady IL energy boondoggle: Malkin
Toilet Paper Costs Hiked Under Green Policies: RWN

Media

Real Blog War: CAIR Goes After Robert Spencer: Simon
There You Go Again, LSM: Palin
Thoughts On Bongs For Rand Paul's Aqua Buddha: Riehl

Obama won't pull an 'August surprise,' here's why: BlogProf
Interview with Joel Pollak: Marathon
Greg Gutfeld: I’m raising money to build a Muslim gay bar next to the Ground Zero mosque: Hot Air

World

Cry me a river: Michelle Antoinette in Spain to be with grieving friend: Fausta
The Mosque, the Masks and the Mayor: AmSpec
The National Catholic Reporter on the Deviancy of Apostolic Celibacy: FirstThoughts

The Ground Zero Mosque & Our Government's Mishandling Of "Islamic Radicals": Wolf
Michelle Obama isn't like Marie Antoinette, she's another Paris Hilton!: WyBlog

SciTech

Larry Ellison Slams the HP Board Over Hurd Decision: Insider
The Infuriating Smartphone Saunter: WSJ
From Google and Verizon, a path to an open Internet: WaPo

Cornucopia

A Bias Against Beauty: Maggie's Farm
How to get rid of morons: hold Sauna championships: BlogProf
Man arrested for being awesome: Ace

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate

Monday, August 09, 2010

AFL-CIO's Trumka: Democrats Will Pass Card Check. Even In a Lame-Duck Session. Even If it Kills Them. So to Speak.

ShopFloor scoops the world.

Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, was on the CSPAN “Newsmakers” show this morning. Asked whether the Employee Free Choice Act will be considered in Congress this year, Trumka said: “I think you’ll see the Employee Free Choice Act come up again. I think you’ll see it probably before the end of the year.”

Before the elections or in a lameduck session? Trumka: “Either one.”

The reason the Employee Free Choice Act has not passed Congress is because 40 Senate Republicans have blocked it, he said.

Oh, pshaw, Trumka. The reason EFCA has not passed is because the American people are overwhelmingly opposed to what the bill would do, opponents have made an effective case that “card check” and forced unionization are antithetical to democratic principles and economic growth. The legislation is extraordinarily unpopular, which is why key Senate Democrats joined Republicans in preventing the bill’s consideration on the floor this Congress.

If it were popular, the President would have already signed the Employee Free Choice Act into law instead of planning to put its provisions into effect through Executive Orders, presidential nominations, and regulatory enactments. (See Shopfloor post, “If EFCA Won’t Pass the Senate, We’ll Turn to Federal Labor Boards.

Trumka also continued pounding the table for more federal stimulus spending, dismissing concerns about the federal deficit, saying we have a jobs crisis in this country, not a deficit crisis. (UPDATE, 10:58 a.m.: Here’s the exact quote: “We have a job crisis right now, we don’t have a debt crisis right now. The only thing that can possibly make this recession, and this recovery from not stalling and going back into recession is if government continues to do some stimulus spending. And unfortunately, the states aren’t in a position to do that, so it’s going to take aid from the federal government.”)

Yes, by all means, let's force Americans into unions whether they like it or not.

Because unions have been so successful for California, GM and Chrysler.


'Horrible' Jersey Shore Boardwalk Carnival Game Doesn't Depict Bush 43 Being Hung, Defecated Upon or Set Afire

The left is really quite pathetic when it comes to generating outrage. In their latest Pee Wee Herman-esque attempt, a Gawker columnist expresses horror over a Jersey Shore boardwalk game.

Video-maker Chris Barrett heard about the Pennsylvania fair story and recalled seeing a similar attraction in Seaside Heights, New Jersey — site of the beloved Jersey Shore program!

He went back this weekend, and it's still there.

Look at these fellows try to smash an Obama prop by chucking balls at him!

"F*** you Obama!" a potential future Jersey Shore star says...

Chucking balls! Oh, the humanity! Of course, Burger King's creepy, iconic king, Saddam Hussein, a Boston Red Sox player and Usama Bin Laden all come in for the same treatment.

Gawker conveniently tosses a few inconvenient truths down the memory hole. Like the complete lack of media coverage of the following delightful demonstrations during the era of George W. Bush.


Hat tip: Memeorandum.