Sunday, August 22, 2010

Control Freaks, Chapter Eleventy Billion: San Fran Ban of Happy Meals Imminent

In the future when I post an article on the constant encroachment by Democrats on our individual liberties, I intend to use the prefix Control Freaks. Because that's the best two-word summary I can come up with for the inane, arbitrary dictates dreamed up by the likes of Bloomberg (not the news service, the idiot mayor), who wants to ban salt in Manhattan restaurants.

San Francisco -- or, as I like to call it, Moonbase Pelosi -- is the latest local government to demonstrate a complete lack of restraint when it comes to regulating the citizenry. In this case, it appears a lunatic somehow broke into a meeting of the city's board of supervisors and introduced legislation to ban Happy Meals.

Supervisor Mar introduces Healthy Meal Incentive legislation, which sets nutritional standards for restaurant food that is accompanied by toys or other youth focused incentive items. This legislation is aimed at promoting healthy eating habits and to address issues related to childhood obesity...

...Fast food restaurants target children and youth by offering toys and other incentive items. The Healthy Meal Incentive legislation would encourage restaurants to provide healthier meal options. To provide an incentive item, meals must contain fruits and vegetables, not exceed 600 calories or 200 calories for a single food item and must not have beverages that have excessive fat or sugar.”

These leftist nutbags want to control your meals, your health care, your light bulbs, the size of your toilet tanks, what kind of cars you drive, how much water flows through your shower head, and every other aspect of your lives.

And, trivial though the Happy Meal example may sound, it is yet another reminder that these Democrat control freaks are bent on nothing less than tyranny. In fact, someday, they must hope to achieve a totalitarian form of government. Because they don't trust the individual. They don't believe in personal responsibility. And -- because they willfully defy their own oaths of office -- they are rapidly destroying the fabric of our society.


Please! Someone call 9-1-1! Eugene Robinson Just O.D.'ed on Stupid Pills!

Something is very wrong with the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson. The proof is in the pudding or, in this case, the bowl full of stupid served up by Gene on Friday. His column, entitled "President Obama's winning streak", describes the under-appreciated management skills of #44.

This is a radical break from journalistic convention, I realize, but today I'd like to give credit where it's due -- specifically, to President Obama. Quiet as it's kept, he's on a genuine winning streak... look at what he's accomplished in just the past few weeks. Let me highlight four recent headlines:

"Last U.S. combat troops leave Iraq" ... [Without thanking Bush 43 for the surge he opposed]

"General Motors to launch stock offering" ... [Another union payoff]

"Gulf oil spill contained" ... [With 23,000 unnecessary job losses]

"President wades into mosque controversy" ... [On the wrong side, as usual]

He still hasn't walked on water, though. What's wrong with the man?

Back in the little land we like to call "Reality", Americans are suffering. In the nearly four years that the Pelosi-Obama-Reid Democrats have held Congress, the private sector has disappeared faster than a sack of Chips Ahoy in front of Rosie O'Donnell.

The Democrats have given us:

* Three straight years of job losses, an unemployment rate that has more than doubled to nearly 10%, and a true (U-6) underemployment rate of nearly 18%;

* A national debt that has ballooned to over $13 trillion, a catastrophic increase of 60%;

* A $787 (now $860) billion pork-, bribe- and boondoggle-laden "stimulus" bill, which not only failed to stimulate the economy, but helped bankrupt the country;

* Record high home foreclosures that the American taxpayer is on the hook for thanks to the Democrats' favorite job shops: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac;

* Another "jobs bill" that cost taxpayers $18 billion, yet created no "jobs"... along with a $26 billion "teachers' jobs bill" that simply kicks the fiscal responsibility can down the road and rewards the AFT and NEA teachers' unions;

* The $700 billion TARP bill to bailout banks that couldn't balance their books; and...

* The 2,000+ page health care takeover bill, which leaves the American taxpayer on the hook for another $2.6 trillion to pay for this new "entitlement."

Yes, Americans are grateful for the work of the Obama Democrats. Stimulus. TARP. ObamaCare. $200 million in Stimulus propaganda construction signs. And union payoffs and political bribes -- used to pass this mess -- as far as the eye can see.

Eugene Robinson's latest excretion does prove one point:

WaPo's management team needs to start random drug-testing.


Larwyn's Linx: In Indiana, Dems Distance Themselves From Their Party

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Nation

In Indiana, Dems Distance Themselves From Their Party: Malkin
Oath of Office Be Damned!: SondraK
A President Who Wants To Be Anywhere But Here: AT

Don't Get Cocky: Ace
Obama confident U.S. 'headed in right direction': RWN
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places: AT

Economy

Obama's union bailout: a good crisis going to waste: GWP
Obama: we must stop corporate takeover of democracy: Malkin
Perfect: Union worker gets fired for trying to unionize union workers: BlogProf

Dems Want Another $34 Billion to Bailout Teamsters Pension: RWN
Unions Destroy Calif. Pension Reform Bill: RWN
Stimulus Campaign Signs Invade Reagan's Hometown: Marathon

Media

Memo to Ruling Class Media: We Don't Believe Him--Or You: AT
Lincoln Reloaded: American Digest
Diversophiles Run Wild: BlogProf

Today’s “WTF?” moment belongs to Russell Simmons: Fausta
Chicago Tribune: Making the Case for Honor Killings?: Atlas
'Queen Of Muslim Bashers' at the Puff Ho: Atlas

I Don’t Think the President Has Room in His Life for Another God: Sundries Shack
NYT's Charles Blow: Obama Is Not Good For Jews: NewsBusters
The Depredations of Roger Ebert: PJM

World

MMmmm… Irony, it’s what’s for iftar: Protein Wisdom
It's Final in Final Report: No Jihad in Jihad Attack: Atlas
Imam Feisal’s Trip of ‘Great Importance’: We Have a Sighting in Bahrain: Rosett

What did the Iraq War cost?: AT
Ahmadinejad Declares New Bomber Drone the “Messenger of Salvation & Dignity for Humanity”: GWP
The Spirit of Israel Lives On: Amil Imani

SciTech

HTML 5 Raises New Security Issues: NetworkWorld
Google Buys Visual Shopping Engine Like.com: PC World
Google's Nexus One: The most popular unpopular phone: NetworkWorld

Cornucopia

Redeemable Coupon Courtesy Michele Bachmann: MagNote
All Books, No Grapes: MOTUS
Italian Spiderman: Ace

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Happy that the Bush Tax Cuts are Expiring on January 1st? Thank John McCain -- Support J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Tea Party Meets Establishment GOP in Ohio--Tea Party Wins

When a liberal starts running off at the mouth about the "Clinton Surplus" that "Bush ruined", I would definitely not advocate slapping the fool silly (as they most assuredly deserve). Instead, pleasantly explain that it was the GOP House of Representatives that created all of those wonderful budgets. Starting in '94, Bill Clinton's budgets were dictated by a strong and fiscally conservative group of Republicans. And the man in charge -- the architect of the "Clinton Surplus" -- was none other than then GOP Congressman John Kasich of Ohio.

In a nutshell, Kasich was a Tea Partier before there was a Tea Party.

Kasich is now running for the Governorship of Ohio against a hard-core leftist named Ted Strickland. Strickland's policies are those of Obama: increased taxes, increased regulations, wealth redistribution, public sector unionism, and a gradual strangulation of productive taxpayers and small businesses. One example: Ohio's estate tax is one of the most outrageous in the country.

Consider: in Ohio, estates as small as $300,000 -- say, a $225,000 house, a $25,000 car and $50,000 in other assets -- qualifies you as "rich". In 2010 the Ohio Republican Party's governing committee unanimously approved a petition to repeal the Ohio estate tax.

Correspondent Amalaur reports from a Kasich fundraiser that occurred just after a good-sized rally in Cincinnati that boasted 1,000 attendees.

John Kasich was pumped up. The fundraiser was an attempt to unify the Tea Party conservatives with the mainstream GOP.
I believe the effort was successful.
Tea Party founder Mike Wilson, now a candidate for the Ohio House, attended and spoke.
Rep. Jean Schmidt, from Ohio's Second District, pumped us up with tales of House Democrats running scared.
Her exact words: "tsunami".
Rep. Schmidt was asked point blank about Congressman Ryan's plan ("A Roadmap for America's Future"). Schmidt was fully supportive, stating it was on the right track and that it should proceed with some fine tuning.
A dozen or so doctors were in attendance and fired questions at Kasich regarding ObamaCare.
Kasich is of the mind: repeal and replace. He described, in detail, several alternatives to the existing bureaucracy that would greatly improve the cost-effectiveness of health care delivery. And they were based upon free market principles.
Kasich, frequently seen on Fox News, was excellent. Articulate, Reagan-esque, frank and bright, he addressed every question thrown at him with grace and humor.
All in all, a good deal of money was raised for a worthy cause: the one man in all of government who has a track record of budget surpluses at the federal level.
 
If you've got a few spare bucks, please contribute to John Kasich. He's our generation's OT. Original Tea Partier.


Smithsonian Unveils Impressionist's Portrait of First Lady; Fails to Accurately Capture Glare of Displeasure Seen When Dealing With 'The Little People

Rockwell he ain't.



Hat tips: Fausta and Larwyn.

Good News: Obama Summer of Recovery Continues as Insurance Companies Begin Mass Layoffs Thanks to DemCare

Remember: you'll get to keep your plan if you like it. And your costs won't go up. In fact, they'll go down. Or something.

Assurant health cutting jobs ahead of health reform implementation: "Milwaukee-based Insurer Assurant Inc. is cutting its workforce in various locations around America ahead of health care reform implementation."

NC's largest health insurer to cut jobs: "Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina will contract with Dallas-based Sourcecorp for some data entry work... The company wants to cut its total operating costs by 20 percent, or $200 million, by 2014. That's when much of the federal health care law takes effect."

WakeMed begins $87M cost-cutting effort: "Wake County's largest hospital system plans to slash annual operating costs by as much as $87 million as it makes changes recommended by an outside consulting firm... efforts likely will include eliminating jobs in some departments... The hospital also may phase out some services where it's not the market leader, such as providing chemotherapy and other cancer treatment."

Houston Employers chop 17,000 jobs in area: "Finance and health care companies are holding back on hiring because of uncertainties about recent federal regulations, he said. The moratorium on deep-water drilling has also caused energy companies to be more cautious about domestic expansion."

Latest round of layoffs under way at Addison Gilbert: "CEO warns this week's actions 'only the beginning'... A second round of layoffs began yesterday at Northeast Hospital Corp., as the health care organization looks to eliminate up to 100 full-time positions."

Unhealthy time for insurance brokers: "Health insurance brokers that serve small businesses and individuals are concerned that new federal regulations due next year could reduce their sales commissions, forcing some out of business and others to lay off employees... Some health insurers that serve Southeast Michigan, including Priority Health, Cigna and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, already have informed agents of commission cuts, partially because of changes stemming from the recently approved health care reform bill."

A.M. Best Maintains Negative Outlook for Health Insurers: "A.M. Best Co. is maintaining a negative outlook for health insurance companies. The driving factors are the struggles to grow revenue and the near-term impact from the implementation of health care reform... With the phased-in implementation of health care reform beginning in 2010 and full implementation in 2014, A.M. Best does expect to see some changes. One of the most significant changes in the near term is the minimum medical loss ratio requirement for individual, small and large group segments beginning in 2011. Although the definition of what is included in the medical loss ratio is not yet available, A.M. Best does expect to see margin compression as companies comply. Additionally, A.M. Best anticipates health insurers will try to lower administrative expenses [Ed: i.e., layoff workers] to help offset the increase in the medical loss ratio."

The passage of ObamaCare had nothing at all to do with either health or care. Its intent was to plump the membership of the SEIU as more and more people are forced into government-run health care options like Medicaid, SCHIP and Medicare. More SEIU members translates to more union dues. With more dues comes increased campaign contributions for Democrats. It's a vicious cycle in which average, taxpaying Americans are used as pawns in order to fund Democrat campaign coffers.

Remember in November.


Exclusive: Imam Rauf Unveils Artist's Conception of Ground Zero Tolerance Mosque

Weasel Zippers has the back-story.


Larwyn's Linx: Another Team Obama draft memo You Must Ignore!

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Nation

Another Team Obama draft memo You Must Ignore!: Malkin
Dems' New ObamaCare Message: We're 'Improving' It: RWN
Another Obama recess appointment, another radical: AT

Unmosqued: Tapes Unearthed of 'Moderate' Imam Rauf: Ace
Sleeping With the Enemy: Noisy Room
Oh My: Dino Rossi Ahead of Patty "Tennis Moron" Murray By 7!: Ace

Economy

ShoreBank's Faux Shutdown: Malkin
Video: The New Orleans School Voucher Program: BlogProf
How Teachers Unions Abuse Non-Union Teacher Paychecks: RWN

Welfare Bureaucrats Swarm Like Locusts: RWN
First It Was Jobs Saved, Now Obama Counting 'Lives Touched' : JWF
The Ride Down: AT

Climate & Energy

Obama's Stealth Ocean Confiscation: Malkin
23,000 workers impacted by Obama drilling ban: WashExam
When You Truly Need Someone To Do Something Stupid, Look For A Climate Creationist: RWN

Media

An open letter to Michael Calderone regarding the definition of ‘Ground Zero’: Caller
DNC Pulls Bush Ad: LegalIns
‘How dare you call Obama a Muslim? Not that there’s anything wrong with it…’: Caller

Bitter Clingers in the Mist: Driscoll
Muslims, not Americans, are religious bigots: Tapscott
Ann Coulter vs. WND: WashExam

World

Tapes Reveal Moderate, Bridge-building GZ Imam Not So Moderate: Nice Deb
Are They Lying To Us?: GoV
Burqa Banned at Trial: Jawa

Wikileaks Founder Charged With Rape, Molestation in Sweden: TAB
Why Is Accounting Firm KPMG Funding Putin’s Version of Hitler Youth?: PJM
Direct Talk About Direct (Israel-Palestinian) Talks: BRubin

Will Captured Illegal Arms Dealer Link Democrats to the FARC Terror Group?: GWP
The American media's taboo regarding the ineffectiveness of MAD with Iran: AT
U.S. Assures Israel That Iran Threat Is Not Imminent: C&S

SciTech

Study: Astronauts as weak as 80-year-olds in space: Breitbart
Facebook Movie: 'The Social Network' Trailer: YouTube
100 tips essential to being a smarter better twitterer: Jim Grygar

Cornucopia

He's No Joe Namath: iOTW
Gold bullion stolen from Florida treasure museum: Reuters
School for Radical Play Babies: C&S

Obama Doctrine Rollover Fun: C&S
Six Common Baby Names That Might Hurt You: Neatorama
Police bust Paris "booby" trap gang: Reuters

Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Thank John McCain for Confirming Eric Holder: Support J.D. Hayworth for U.S. Senate


Friday, August 20, 2010

Yep

No comments required.

Incredible New Voter Sentiment Index: Counting Comments at "The Hill"

I have arrived at the best scientific assessment of voter sentiment since, well, Fred Zogby's historic 1965 prediction that Al Gore would invent the Internet. At TheHill.com -- not exactly the center of right-wing thought -- I tallied the ratio of pro-Obama to anti-Obama comments.

By the time I tired of the exercise, the score (for this article) read:

35 anti-Obama to 3 pro-Obama to 3 neutral

After 41 comments, I'll be honest -- I gave up.

Do with this data what you will. No matter what: vote in November.


Record Number of 401(k) Hardship Withdrawals Reported; Retirement No Longer a Concern Given Vaunted Stability of Social Security Per President Obama

Durden explains the latest grim Obama record. In truth, these economic records are wearing a little thin.

...according to a new study by Fidelity, a record number of workers tapped their retirement funds and made hardship withdrawals from their accounts in the second quarter. In other words, just like the country they live in, Americans no longer give a rat's ass about the retirement years in a narrow sense, and the future in a broader one, and since real unemployment is about 20%, wage deflation is everywhere, even as Solitaire time is down to 0 (except for SEC employees), and nobody has any money left, the only logical recourse is to borrow from the self-funded pension fund...

... According to the Fidelity study, "Among the 11 million workers whose 401(k) plans are run by Fidelity, 11 percent [Ed: 1.2 million people!] took out a loan from their plan during the 12 months ended June 30, the company said, up from 9 percent at the same point a year earlier. By the end of the second quarter, plan participants with loans outstanding against their 401(k) accounts had reached 22 percent versus 20 percent a year earlier."

The likelihood that these loans will ever be repaid are roughly equivalent to the odds that Jean Claude Van-Damme will pull down a lifetime achievement Oscar.

And funding your retirement won't be much of a problem. Well, at least according to President Obama:

President Obama said Social Security is not in crisis and only modest changes are needed to keep it solvent...

"I have been adamant that Social Security should not be privatized, and it will not be privatized as long as I am president," he added.

Obama also said his bipartisan fiscal commission could come up with proposals to extend the life of the program.

"I am absolutely convinced it can be done," he said.

My primary concern is whether we should call Social Security "History's Greatest Ponzi Scheme" -- or just the "United States' Fiscal Death Panel".


Nancy Pelosi Calls for Investigation into Funding Sources of Families of 9/11 Survivors who Object to Ground Zero Victory Mosque

Citing concern with First Amendment issues and/or local zoning rules, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for investigations into the funding sources of those who oppose the Ground Zero Mosque.

"It seems incomprehensible to me that in this great country of ours, which tolerates all religions and especially atheism, that anyone could object to the construction of a massive 15-story mosque near the Ground Zero crater. Or, as the Associated Press refers to it, 'Manhattan's Friendliest Sharia-Compliant Mosque'," the Speaker opined.

"For this reason, I have asked Attorney General Holder to launch an investigation of all opponents of this mosque, including the 9/11 families. I have also requested that the Internal Revenue Service and the newly-formed Federal Bureau of Health Care Investigations research the funding behind this insidious organization that does not demonstrate the religious tolerance of all things Islamic."

After the Speaker's press conference, other House Democrats also expressed interest in investigating the funding sources of pro-life groups, talk show hosts and long-haul truck drivers.


Image: Record-Online.

Larwyn's Linx: Obamacare really is an abomination; The Truth About America

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Nation

Obamacare really is an abomination: Pundette
Another 'draft' memo: stop enforcing immigration laws: Corner
Who approved Ground Zero Victory Mosque?: ConTeach

The Truth About America: Doc Zero
A New Gun Rights Lawsuit in Maryland: Instapundit
Obama bans over 100,000 rifles: Volokh Conspiracy

Economy

Obama and the Socialist Bourgeoisie: Patriot Post
Begin with the end in mind: Chicago Boyz
Obama Gives Unions Special Breaks for the Third Time: GWP

The Selling of ObamaCare: WashExam
The Economy Must Change: AT
Barney Frank Discovers Fiscal Responsibility: RWN

Small businesses not hiring--and why should they?: Mish
More on 'unexpected' rise in unemployment claims: BlogProf
The 56-year Benner Cycle: Insider

Climate & Energy

Guess what gets blamed for Pakistan flooding?: RWN
Is Obamandius Selling Out His Warmist Base?: CBullitt

Media

Bwahahahahahahahahaha!!! AP has a 'standards center'?: Sister Toldjah
Never Enough: Liberalism's Guiding Philosophy: AT
Palin: Pelosi’s Investigation of Harry Reid & Howard Dean “Will Be Enlightening”: GWP

Conservative Bloggers Select The 25 Greatest Figures In American History: RWN
NYT: ‘Birthers’ And Bigots Oppose Obama: S&L
With a Whimper or a Bang — or Not at All?: Hanson

Muslims in Manhattan Need a Place to Pray: S&L
Is Obama A Secret Muslim?: RWN
Dear 43, How About Grabbing a Mop?: Dewey

World

Obama Appoints Woman Linked to Top Cuban Spy as... Ambassador to El Salvador: RedState
The Imam Has Landed: So When Does He Phone Home?: Rosett
Strange Political Bedfellows: Hamas-Supporting Code Pink Honcho Hosts Jerry Brown Fundraiser: BigJournalism

The Muslim Student Association's Terror Problem: PJM
The Last US Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq: S&L
Our Friends the Saudis: Judge Considers Paralysis Punishment: GWP

SciTech

Hands-on with Sharpie's Liquid Pencil: CNet
Nikon Unveils SLR Camera With Hi-Def Video: Information Week
Democrats Slam Google-Verizon Internet Proposal: NewsFactor

Cornucopia

Mysteries of Consciousness: On The Square
“Silver People on the Shoreline, Let Us Be.” : MOTUS
Okay, Ladies. You Heard Cosmo.: iOTW

Images: Barking Crayon
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Thank John McCain for Eric Holder by Supporting J.D. Hayworth.

QOTD: "I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Benjamin Franklin as quoted by Mark Alexander in Obama and the Socialist Bourgeoisie


Thursday, August 19, 2010

The AP needs a new name for Ground Zero Mosque: won't you please help? Update: The Top 15 #APMosqueNames So Far

Because the AP ordered its reporters to stop referring to the Ground Zero Mosque as, well, the Ground Zero Mosque, helpful commenters at Michelle Malkin's site suggested some alternatives.

Pro journalists: take note. The top 15?

15. Landing Gear Mosque
14. Project Bloomberg
13. 9/11 Victory Mosque
12. Daily Kosque
11. Caliphate-on-Hudson
10. The Gorelick & Clarke Building
 9. Mosque formerly known as the Ground Zero Mosque
 8. Hamosque
 7. Crater’s Edge
 6. Bullseye
 5. The Mohammed Atta Memorial
 4. Hormel House
 3. The Debris Field Mosque
 2. Burlington Terrorist Factory
 1. New York Fire Training Academy

Won't you please help the AP?


Update: Cerploda House.

The Naked Harry Reid

Harry Reid likes to paint his opponent in this year's Senate race -- conservative Republican Sharron Angle -- as some sort of extremist because she believes in the Constitution. But Sharron Angle didn't nationalize the health care system against the will of the people. She didn't put America on a trajectory of economic ruin with unprecedented "Stimulus" spending. She doesn't favor open borders like Reid. And, best I can tell, Sharron Angle isn't involved in the shady, sleazy deals that Reid's been entangled with for decades.

From 2002 to 2005, Senator Reid was exceedingly generous with Christmas gifts for service workers at his luxury condo. He gave away $3,000 in gifts and gratuities for elevator and cleaning personnel. Unfortunately, the money came from campaign contributions and not his own bank account. It was only after the Associated Press' John Solomon discovered the sleazy behavior that Reid claimed it was a clerical issue and a Republican smear campaign.

In 2004, for example, after Reid made a profit of $1.1 million on a real estate deal, he failed to fully disclose the details as required by the Senate. And his partner was reported to have extremely odd ties to the casino business and reportedly surfaced in investigations into organized crime and bribery.

In 2005, Sen. Reid sponsored an $18 million earmark to build a bridge over the Colorado River. Coincidentally, a few miles from the bridge's location is a 160-acre parcel of land owned by one Senator Harry Reid. So, yes, Reid's own earmark greatly increases the value of his huge swath of land.

Curiously, Reid had received 60 of the acres from an oil magnate friend -- the owner of Haycock Petroleum -- for a total of $10,000 in 2002, though its assessed value was $120,000. And Reid continues to underreport the value of the land, though nearby sales put its real value at nearly half a million.

Harry Reid's three sons and his son-in-law are also concerned with serving the people. All have served as lobbyists and have blurred the line between family connections and special interests. In fact, his son-in-law helped increase lobbying fees at DC's Holland & Hart from $100K to $2 million in only one year. A series of LA Times investigative reports suggested that Reid had introduced legislation and pressured regulators to unblock a huge real estate deal fronted a heavy Reid contributor who also happened to be the employer of Reid's son Leif.

At the same time, Reid was vice-chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. When asked specifically about conflicts of interest involving family member-slash-lobbyists, he insisted there were none. Yet the Senate's rules have since changed to prohibit lobbying by family members, but I'm sure that's just a coincidence.

The Times' story found that mining companies paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to lobbying firms, and the payments just happened to follow around Reid's son-in-law from firm to firm. Rory Reid's services were also sought out by mining firm Placer Dome, according to the Times.

Reid's son-in-law was also engaged by the American Gaming Association, a helicopter tour company fighting restrictions near the Grand Canyon, chemical companies seeking deals in Nevada and the Hughes Corporation as it looked for land near Vegas. Sen. Reid helpfully advanced all of their agendas -- purely for altruistic reasons -- and even helped a partner in the law firm that employed all of Reid's sons get a right-of-way moved off his property.

"Reid never told his Senate colleagues or the public that the provisions he authored, some of which were technically and not apparently beneficial to anyone, were, in fact, introduced on behalf of clients who paid his sons and son-in-law over $2 million."

But Harry Reid's public service wasn't yet complete. In running the Senate, Harry's "spread the wealth" -- using the taxpayers' money to jam through socialized medicine with various bribes, payoffs and "incentives".

When Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana was undecided about DemCare, Reid ensured she received a $300 million "bonus" for her state. Chris Dodd received a $100 million medical facility in Connecticut (any guess as to what it might be called?).

In short, Harry Reid is a menace to this country. His opponent, Sharron Angle, is not.

Remember in November.


Based upon: ELECTION YEAR: Defeating Harry Reid, an excerpt of the new book 2010: Take Back America: A Battle Plan  


Civil War Breaking Out in Failed Narco-State; President Obama Welcomes Combatants Into Arizona

23,000 people have died in Mexico as a result of its ongoing civil war. It's gotten so bad that business executives in the once-safe capital of Monterrey have taken out full-page newspaper ads pleading for help.

The growing violence in Monterrey, long one of Mexico's most modern and safe cities, is a sign that the country's war against drug gangs is spreading ever further from poorer battlegrounds along the border and into the country's wealthiest enclaves.

...Residents opened their newspapers Wednesday morning to find the ads taken out by Mexican business leaders, begging the government to send more military into the city. "Enough already," said the notice that ran in national and local papers, criticizing what it said was a slow response of police against "criminal bands that in every act look to establish a new boundary of terror."

Later that day, the body of Edelmiro Cavazos, mayor of the Monterrey suburb of Santiago, was found beside a highway. Mr. Cavazos had been abducted Sunday night, the latest in a string of attacks against politicians in Mexico's north.

His killing is another incident in a terrifying spell for Monterrey residents that began Saturday when armed gangs set up more than a dozen roadblocks on key boulevards of the city, paralyzing traffic for hours...

...The next day, a grenade was lobbed at the offices of an important television broadcaster. On Tuesday night, grenades were also hurled at several small businesses on the city's outskirts...

...The brutality of the conflict is escalating. Alleged gang hit men broke into the home of a Chihuahua state policeman this week and strangled to death his 4-year-old brother, authorities said...

...Across the country, mutilated and decapitated bodies turn up virtually every day, sometimes hanging from bridges.

It wasn't always this way in Monterrey. Mexicans know the city of 2 million as "The Sultan of the North," a nickname stemming from its wealth, generated by corporations such as Mexico's beverage titan Femsa S.A.B. de C.V. and U.S. businesses such as Whirlpool Corp. and General Electric Co., which have large offices in Monterrey. International architects built the city's skyline, which is framed by dramatic mountains.

As the civil war inside Mexico's failed narco-state spreads, border security will become an increasing concern.

The violence, drugs and refugees spreading into our country would tax even an economically healthy United States. And, thanks to the Obama Democrats, our country is anything but.

That is why the Democrats' failure to enforce immigration law is doubly insane.


I join those who have called for looking into how Nancy Pelosi's facelifts are being funded

Seriously. Something is very, very wrong with the Speaker of the House.

In an interview with KCBS radio, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) yesterday called for a congressional investigation into opposition to the Cordoba House, "There is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some. And I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded."

Is there a medical phenomenon related to an overdose of face-lifts? A brain-squeeze effect or something?

So who is funding Pelosi's face-lifts?

The answer is likely as obvious as the answer to her question about the mosque's opposition, but since this lady is third in line from the presidency, we can't be too careful.


Larwyn's Linx: Harry Reid Campaign Stuck on Crazy

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Nation

Harry Reid Campaign Stuck on Crazy: LegalIns
Blago Holdout Juror Was a Chicago Pol!: Ace
Nice: WTC Mosque Supporters Pick 9/11 As Protest Date: Pools

Secret Slush Funds for Mosque Opponents: GoV
Harry Reid's Mosque Dissent is Political Calculus: RWN
Battle for 2010: Could Barney Frank Lose?: PJM

Orange Charlie's Bad Day: RedState
The Race Card is Maxed Out: AT
Court: Roadside crosses for fallen police unconstitutional: CSM

Economy

Pelosi and the Treasure Island land grab: Malkin
Uh oh: ObamaCare's Loophole Could Bring it Down: NRO
Soros Bailing Out of U.S. Stock Market: GWP

When Geithner was the only man who could save us: MoneyRunner
How To Go Extinct: IBD
The Mess of Mandatory Volunteerism: MTC

Climate & Energy

What the Chinese really think of 'Man Made Global Warming' : Telegraph
Scientist: Oil Has Not Vanished: Beast

Media

World's Dumbest Blogger Discovers Economics: Surber
Obama's Petulant Presidency: AmSpec
Blago: Dead Meat Walking, But Heat to Be Applied Again: Kass

Why, no: Charles Johnson didn't toss everything he believed in under the bus...: RWN
Barack Obama's Priorities (Pic): RWN
Understanding Obama's Muslim Roots: Cashill

Democrats Oppose Glenn Beck Rally Venue but Support... Ground Zero Victory Mosque: RWN
Obama 'fully embraces' Meeks -- Boosts Rubio: Ace
Sweet new NRSC ad: You’re the extremists, Democrats: Hot Air

World

"The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets, the faithful our soldiers": JoshuaPundit
So How Has the West's Policy Towards Hamas Worked Out?: BRubin
Progressive Utopia: Taxpayers Fund Flights of Disabled to Amsterdam to Have Sex With Hookers: BlogProf

The Cynical Brilliance of Imam Rauf: Hanson
Civilizational War: AT
Look who's 'nativist' now!: Coulter

SciTech

Verizon shows off iPad TV app: CNet
One Simple View to Manage Your Budget?: BudgetSketch
Star Wars fans ask NASA to build a hyperdrive: CSM

Cornucopia

O. M. G. -- KFC's Skinwich: BrainResidue
U.S. Unemployment Maps: 2007 to 2010: Sad Hill News
57 Impeachable Offenses: iOTW

Images: Spotted at Ace o' Spades
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Sick of Harry Reid? Support Sharron Angle Now!

QOTD: "It’s a book called Low Carbon Plot, by Gou Hongyang and, as it’s freely available in China’s government-controlled bookstores, carries Beijing’s nihil obstat. No English translation is currently available, but our own China correspondent, Locusts, has translated the introduction from the original Mandarin, and (not entirely without risk to himself) has asked me to make it publicly available on this forum. At four thousand words, it’s a little long to insert onto a blog page, but you can navigate to it from the Rare Scribblings menu option at the top, or just click here.

It’s not so much an eye-opener as it is a bombshell. If true, it shows the Chinese government as rejecting CAGW in its entirety, believing it a conspiracy between Western governments and business to protect their own way of life, at the expense of the entire developing world—in other words, 80% of the world’s population." -- James Delingpole


Wednesday, August 18, 2010

$200M In Stimulus Construction Signs Were Encouraged by White House as 'Symbols of President Obama's Commitment to American People'

If this doesn't remind you of the old Soviet Union, you probably grew up after 1989. They have a word for this in other societies: Propaganda.

Federal contractors receiving money for projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—the $862 billion economic stimulus law President Barack Obama signed in February 2009—have been encouraged and, in some cases, required by the administration to post signs that say their work is funded by that specific act.

...The Department of Housing and Urban Development recommended one model sign that included these words: “Funded By: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act/ Barack Obama, President.”

..."Projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) will bear a newly-designed emblem," said the OMB directive. "The emblem is a symbol of President Obama’s commitment to the American People to invest their tax dollars wisely to put Americans back to work."

“All projects which are funded by the ARRA should display signage that features the Primary Emblem throughout the construction phase,” said the directive. “The signage should be displayed in a prominent location on site. Some exclusions may apply. The Primary Emblem can also be displayed on signs at events or conferences associated with the ARRA or the individual projects funded by the ARRA. The Primary Emblem should not be displayed at a size less than 6 inches in diameter."

...the Department of Housing and Urban Development even suggested a model sign that gives Barack Obama personal credit as president for funding the project.

...“It’s blatant propaganda on the part of the Obama administration to take credit for the spending of public dollars,” said Schock, who has investigated the matter as a member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. “It’s propaganda that will be worthless in a matter of years. To think that we can spend $200 million on a bunch of sheet metal signs that will end up in a landfill somewhere is a poor use of public funds at a time when our nation is facing mounting deficits.”

...“I’m less concerned about the perceptions of the policy makers than I am of the grant recipients,” Schock said. “I’ve spoken with recipients in my district who thought that if they did not participate in the promotional signs, recovery money would be less likely." ...He added, “Without a requirement, most units of government would choose to spend that money putting people to work.”

...The HUD e-mail, cited in the IG report, included an attachment with two templates for a sign. One included a blank white space where the details of the specific project could be inserted over the words, “Funded By: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act; Barack Obama, President.”

...The White House did not respond to requests from CNSNews.com for comment by phone and e-mail... How many of President Obama’s signs have been posted at highway projects around the country? “That’s a question for the states,” a Federal Highway Administration spokesman told CNSNews.com. “It would be like asking how many stop signs are out there. We don’t know.” But the spokesman did confirm that the signs themselves are paid for by Recovery Act dollars.

Welcome to Moscow, circa 1963.


Hat tip: Mark Levin.

Match Wits With the Great Eric Holder In Our Fascinating New Legal Game Show: Prosecute or Not?

If Court TV were still around, I'm pretty certain they would option my idea for a new series. The concept is simple: if you were Eric Holder for a day, presented with a vexing new legal challenge, do you Prosecute or Not?

[1] Sheriff Joe Arpaio, for enforcing all of the laws (including immigration): Prosecute or Not?

[2] The New Black Panther Party for various civil rights violations including armed voter intimidation at a Philadelphia polling place: Prosecute or Not?

[3] Jan Brewer and the State of Arizona for attempting to defend its border against an unchecked invasion of illegal aliens: Prosecute or Not?

[4] Illegal aliens including drug- and human-smugglers, gang members and terrorists, for repeated violations of American sovereignty and rampant lawlessness: Prosecute or Not?

[5] John Blutarsky, for voyeurism related to one Ms. Mandy Pepperidge: Prosecute or Not?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The answer, in a sentence, is: "Politics Before Justice."