Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Q: If you're the Democrat Governor of a Blue State With a $15 Billion Budget Deficit, What Do You Do? A: Borrow More Money!

Does anyone else think of the phrase "death spiral" when they read a story like this?

Illinois' borrowing spree would continue into 2011 under a plan Governor Pat Quinn is floating to sell more debt to deal with a huge unpaid bill backlog and pension payments... The state's lack of cash could lead to a $15 billion deficit that would include $8 billion of unpaid bills heading into fiscal 2012, which begins July 1, the state comptroller has warned.

...The state is betting on a good reception in the $2.8 trillion municipal bond market to borrow as much as $15 billion next year because debt service payments are a top priority... Illinois was the biggest single issuer of municipal debt, at $8.67 billion, in the first three quarters of 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data.

But the state's cascading bond ratings and well-publicized cash woes are raising some concerns... Bill Gross, who invested $5.5 million of his own money in five municipal bond funds run by his Pacific Investment Management Co earlier this month, told CNBC on Tuesday he would avoid Illinois debt...

The cost for a bondholder to insure against a default by Illinois has more than doubled in less than a year.

The collapse of the welfare-slash-open borders economy will be felt first in reckless, "progressive" Blue States like Illinois, New York and California.

And if someone comes to me floating a federal bailout for these states, I have but a two-word response. The second word is "you". The first word is not printable in a family blog. And "Hellz, no" works almost as well.


President Obama Keeps His Perfect Economic Track Record Intact: 40% of Loans Modified Under HAMP Are Defaulting

Is there a better predictor of economic failure than President Obama's support for a particular policy? I could make a solid case that there isn't a superior guarantee of an epic fail than support by Obama, ex-Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. They have an absolutely perfect track record of visiting catastrophe upon the American people with their policies.

The latest example?

US mortgage foreclosures jumped in the third quarter as fewer borrowers qualified for loan modifications that would have reduced their monthly payments, bank regulators have said... The number of homes entering foreclosure rose 31 per cent compared with the second quarter and 3.7 per cent compared with the year-earlier period...

...As these [newly foreclosed] properties come on the market, they are expected to depress home prices by between 5 per cent and 10 per cent over the next year, economists said... Hamp modifications totalled 504,648 as of November, well short of the government’s 3m target.

Even when borrowers receive loan modifications, they are redefaulting at high rates. According to a report by the Congressional Oversight Panel, 40 per cent of borrowers who receive a Hamp modification are expected to redefault over the next five years.

In other words, HAMP neither met expectations for volume of refinancing (by a factor of six) or in preventing foreclosures.

Let's tack this onto the administration's stellar economic track record:

 FAIL: The "Cash-for-Clunkers" program cost taxpayers between $20,000 and $45,000 per vehicle purchased.

 FAIL: The "Stimulus" program, which cost $787 billion and was rammed through Congress using the premise that, without it, unemployment would not pass 8%, has resulted in 10.2% unemployment and 17% "under-employment" (U-6). The tab will be paid for by your children and grandchildren.

 FAIL: The $60 billion bailout of GM and Chrysler -- abrogating bankruptcy law with payoffs to various union bosses -- is an utter and complete failure. The businesses are unsustainable without a massive restructuring, including dramatically retooling union contracts.

 FAIL: "Green jobs" in the form of weatherization programs that have been utter, cash-burning frauds and failures. A series of spot-check audits of the $5 billion program indicates that fraud is rampant -- easily 20% can be chalked up to phantom services, blatant overspending on simple items, and unverifiable expenses. But not to worry -- it's only a billion dollars of wasted money, a pittance for this administration.

 FAIL: The bailout of AIG, orchestrated by the then-head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRBNY) Timothy F. Geithner, "wasted billions" of taxpayer money according to the inspector generator of the TARP program. The initial $85 billion rescue failed, forcing the Fed to pay above-market for the swaps it acquired. The result? "There is no question that the effect of the FRBNY's decision - indeed, the very design of the federal assistance to AIG - was that tens of billions of dollars of government money was funneled inexorably and directly to AIG's counterparties," according to the inspector general. In fact, the terms of the plan were so flawed that the Treasury Department had to dole out an additional $40 billion to AIG just weeks later. For his part in the debacle, FRBNY chairman Geithner was rewarded with a Secretary of the Treasury role by President Obama.

These are the economic qualifications of President Obama and his Congressional sycophants -- the very same masterminds who are in the process of nationalizing the health care sector.

I'll give you one guess as to how that's going to turn out.


Volunteer Artist Creates New, Napolitano-Friendly TSA Security Poster

Our beloved, baritone head of Homeland Security appears to employ a simple slogan when it comes to security: "If you see something, say something--unless it's embarrassing to me or President Training Wheels."

In that light, famed illustrator Irony Curtain created a new security poster certain to resonate with Ms. Napolitano.

This poster should pass muster with the ultimate arbiter of such matters -- the shadowy Hamas front group that seems to call the shots in certain quarters of the Democrat hierarchy.


Larwyn's Linx: How did all that happen?

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

Nation

How did all that happen?: Hanson
Obamacare Is Already Unraveling: Foundry
The Four Questions Every Liberal Must Be Asked: AT

The Top Three Tea Party Questions: AT
How Liberals Plan To Destroy The Senate With 51 Votes: RedState
Half-cocked: Christie won't fight for gun rights: Owens

King Vows to Use New Role to Fight Illegal Immigration: WZ
Ethically challenged Congressman seeks donors for slush fund: WyBlog
A Strange 10th Amendment Case: RWN

Economy

Another Union Success Story: Child-Molesting Teacher Can't Be Fired: RWN
Want To Reduce Inequality of Income? Crack Down On Illegal Immigration: Ace
80% Of Chicago Public Schools Miss Goals: CBS Chicago

Stop the State Bailouts Before They Start: Foundry
Banking on Optimism: AmSpec
GAO Refuses to Render Audit Position: Media Silent: Blumer

How Not to Help Blacks Find Employment: AT
Whalen: Freddie, Fannie Helped Create Mortgage Fraud Epidemic: ZH
Allstate sues Countrywide over toxic investments: AP

Climate & Energy

Thanks to Big Government, Oil Prices Headed for the Sky: RWN
Time Magazine blizzard science sets low standard for green journalism: WUWT
As a reliable energy source, wind blows: RedState

Of Dogma and Dopiness: Hindenblog
EPA global warming regulations no ‘end run’ around Congress: DC
Cold Snap: GM's Place

Media

The Missing Link in the Evolution of Barack Obama: AT
WaPo: Lousy Name, Not Bad Policy, Responsible for Unpopularity of ObamaCare: NewsBusters
Sorry Liberals, Jewish Tradition is Most Compatible With Conservative Ideals: Lid

Ironic headline: White House tries to smother new 'death panel' talk: BlogProf
Rare Admission From Liberal: Education Woes Not Due to Lack of Funding: NewsBusters
Early Obama Poem Shows Davis's Hand: AT (Cashill)

World

The Five Best Arguments Against Sharia in the United States: Zombie
Mayor Bloomberg Worked Behind the Scenes With Islamists to Get Ground Zero Mosque Built: RWN
London is home to organizational arm of Hamas in Europe: Atlas

Great: New Black Panthers Working With Iran to Overthrow American Government: GWP
Review: Modern Day Trojan Horse: The Islamic Doctrine of Immigration: GoV
Syria helped orchestrate 2006 Motoon riots: JihadWatch

SciTech

Mozilla accidentally publishes user IDs and passwords hashes: Sophos
Testing the Best: Driving Fast in the Ferrari 458 Italia: PopSci
McAfee’s 2011 Cyber Attack Targets: URL Shorteners, iPhones, Geolocation Services: TechCrunch

Cornucopia

Dead Butt Syndrome: Why Should I Exercise Again?: AWD
You'll miss me when I'm gone: MOTUS
A New Mascot for the Democrat Party: Cube

Hang in There, Nashville: Watchable Pro Football Is On the Way: JWF
Exclusive: Mugshots of the New York City Snow Plow Drivers: iOTW
Ticket Replay: President Obama narrowly escapes attack by rat or something: LAT

Image: Gateway Pundit -- Who Would Make the Worst Neighbors?
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Bob McCarty Writes

QOTD: "The first step in getting people to accept and Congress to enact the necessary fiscal adjustments is to stop running the federal budget on a cash basis. That makes it too easy to promise benefits and incur liabilities in the future that appear to have no cost. Using accrual accounting would put current spending and future spending on an equal footing and also show people how things like raising the retirement age can produce future savings that will show up in the budget today, which could obviate the need for near-term fiscal contraction that may be economically destabilizing." -- Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

So the Democrats Finally Want Fiscal Responsibility? Great. Let's End Their Disastrous "War on Poverty"

Race Hustler Wants More Spending for the "War on Poverty"--It Seems $16 Trillion Isn't Enough


The nation's foremost race hustler is in the news again, agitating for more spending in the "War on Poverty". Oh, and he wants a "radical reordering" of our economy, because the Consitution is apparently an arcane relic with no particular relevance to race hustlers.

Jesse Jackson appeared on MSNBC yesterday and let it be known that President Obama better enjoy his vacation now, because come January, Jackson expects a lot from the President. Not only does he want a renewed commitment to the war on poverty, but he also wants the President to go right to Congress and to stick up for the women and children Jackson meets in homeless shelters who apparently are working every day and still can’t afford the rent.

Jackson has seen enough and calls for “a radical reordering of our economy, bottom up, because those, the very top are drowning in wealth. It’s paper-driven not even productivity-driven.” Given Jackson’s unique and mangled pronunciation of so many words in the brief clip, it sounds like Jackson is actually the one under water and drowning... Overall it’s debatable which is crazier: the radical rearrangement of the economy or the idea that Obama wants economic advice from Jackson.

I can answer that question.

Since the inception of means-tested welfare programs in 1964, Americans have spent $15.9 trillion on the "War on Poverty".

Coincidentally, our national debt is approaching $15 trillion and is projected to top $20 trillion by the end of the decade.

After adjusting for inflation, America's welfare expenditures are 1300% higher than in 1965. And the results have been absolutely catastrophic. But the documented failures haven't stopped President Obama and the Democrats from charting a course for massive new spending programs, at a time when the country can least afford it.

A record number of Americans -- 3.7 million -- fell into poverty in 2009, according to the Census Bureau. And the percentage of poor today is virtually unchanged from what it was in 1966. America's poverty rate stays within a range of 11 to 15 percent, year in and year out, no matter how many trillions in money borrowed from our children we spend.

Worse still, unbridled welfare programs have insidious impacts on society


The out-of-wedlock birthrate is now 40 percent and the African-American out-of-wedlock birthrate is a shocking 72 percent. But when the "War on Poverty" began, the out-of-wedlock birthrate was just 7 percent.

Of 23 peer-reviewed U.S. studies since 2000, 20 found that family structure directly affects crime and/or delinquency. Research "strongly suggests both that young adults and teens raised in single-parent homes are far more likely to commit crimes, and that communities with high rates of family fragmentation (especially unwed childbearing) suffer higher crime rates as a result."

In The Atlantic Monthly, Barbara Dafoe Whitehead states that the "relationship [between single-parent families and crime] is so strong that controlling for family configuration erases the relationship between race and crime and between low income and crime. This conclusion shows up time and again in the literature. The nation's mayors, as well as police officers, social workers, probation officers, and court officials, consistently point to family break up as the most important source of rising rates of crime."

What legacy media and Democrats won't tell you is this shocking fact: the statistical link between the availability of welfare and out-of-wedlock births is conclusive. The more welfare society provides, the more single-parent families society creates.

There have been dozens of studies that link the availability of welfare benefits to out-of-wedlock births. One study found that a 50 percent increase in the value of AFDC and foodstamp payments led to a 43 percent increase in the number of out-of-wedlock births.

Research for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed that a 50 percent increase in the monthly value of combined AFDC and food stamp benefits led to a 117 percent increase in the crime rate among young black men.

In 1995, Dr. Patrick Fagan wrote a seminal summary of the situation: "Over the past thirty years, the rise in violent crime parallels the rise in families abandoned by fathers... High-crime neighborhoods are characterized by high concentrations of families abandoned by fathers... The rate of violent teenage crime corresponds with the number of families abandoned by fathers... Neighborhoods with a high degree of religious practice are not high-crime neighborhoods... Even in high-crime inner-city neighborhoods, well over 90 percent of children from safe, stable homes do not become delinquents. By contrast only 10 percent of children from unsafe, unstable homes in these neighborhoods avoid crime... Criminals capable of sustaining marriage gradually move away from a life of crime after they get married."

To summarize these facts (in simple words for any Democrats reading along): not only has the "War on Poverty" been a $15 trillion failure, it has actually caused more misery, more poverty, and more violent crime than if we had never spent that money in the first place.

President Obama wants ideas to help balance the budget. Here's one: end the failed "War on Poverty", once and for all.


References: Washington Examiner, 12/12/10, "Let a vigorous economy fight the War on Poverty"; Heritage Foundation, 9/16/10, "Marriage: America’s Greatest Weapon Against Child Poverty."

Cramer vs. Cramer, Gold Edition

Far be it from me to accuse anyone, especially experts with the very highest credibility -- like Jim Cramer -- of untoward behavior, but the following graphs certainly make you sit up and take notice.

First, here are the dates of some of Mr. Cramer's key recommendations (both buy and sell) for First Solar (FSLR), one of his favorite stocks in 2008 and 2009*.

Here is the performance of GLD (the exchange traded fund roughly representing the price of gold) versus First Solar over the same period:

When it comes to any so-called "expert" who claims they can help you time the market, remember the ancient advice: caveat emptor.


*Reference:

On March 7, 2008, Jim Cramer issued a strong recommendation to buy First Solar (FSLR).
On April 3, 2008, Cramer's Mad Money said FSLR "Is Hot" and issued another buy recommendation.
On May 8, 2009, Cramer listed FSLR as a Buy!
On June 1, 2009, Cramer said, "First Solar (FSLR) remains the only solar play that I want as oil goes higher."
On May 20, 2010, Cramer listed FSLR as a "Sell".
On November 16, 2010, Cramer again listed FSLR as a "Sell".

Janet Napolitano introduces new TSA security slogan: If you see something, say something--unless it embarrasses the White House

The pilot who documented several massive, gaping holes in airport security has come forward. Sacramento's News 10 has an exclusive report identifying the pilot as Chris Liu. Curiously, the first reaction of DHS head Janet Napolitano was not to address the vulnerabilities. It was, instead, to punish the pilot.

The airline pilot who lost his federally-issued gun and badge for posting video on YouTube critical of airport security has chosen to go public with his identity...

Liu's cell phone video tour of security at San Francisco International Airport led to a team of six federal agents and sheriff's deputies coming to his home on Dec. 2 to take his handgun and Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) credentials... Liu's state-issued permit to carry a concealed weapon was also suspended by the Placer County sheriff.

...Liu decided to reveal his identity Monday because he wants to become actively involved in changing what he believes is a major flaw in airport security... As Liu pointed out in the video, pilots and flight crew are subjected to real-time TSA security screening while ground crew are not. "Upstairs they're going through the metal detectors and the X-ray machines, and downstairs they're swiping a card," he said...

Apparently, the oft-repeated domestic security phrase needs to be modified a bit for the Obama administration. Perhaps it should read: "If you see something, say something -- unless it embarrasses us."

This is a consistent theme for the Obama administration. In Governor Bobby Jindal's book ("Leadership and Crisis"), he described a White House concerned not with containing the damage from the BP oil spill, but instead worried about its image.

In an interview this morning on Glenn Beck’s radio show, Bobby Jindal said that at a meeting with the President during the gulf oil spill, that he and the President of Plaquemines Parish were told specifically by Obama not to go on TV and criticize him...

Jindal says that it was clear Obama was frustrated with the level of criticism he was getting and goes on to accuse Obama of caring more about perception and politics than actually cutting through the red tape and getting things done.
Try to contain your shock.

You may also remember that just a few months ago, former Clinton official Robert Shapiro stated that a successful terrorist attack may be just the ticket to restoring Obama's lost luster. Shapiro said, "he [Obama] is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that."

This administration is so far off the reservation it will take a massive landslide election in 2012 to begin the healing process. That is, if we don't suffer a catastrophic terror attack before then, assisted in part by a White House more concerned with image than security.


CNN reports $5 gas in 18 months thanks to collapsing dollar, poor planning, and Obama oil drilling bans, but mostly all of the above

The former president of Shell Oil is predicting $5/gallon gas by the summer of 2012, which should do wonders for "the middle class".

In an interview with Platt's Energy Week television, Hofmeister predicted gasoline prices will spike as the global demand for oil increases... "I'm predicting actually the worst outcome over the next two years which takes us to 2012 with higher gasoline prices," he said...

...Gasoline prices have been steadily rising. Last week, gas prices crossed the $3 mark for the first time since October 2008. According to AAA figures, prices are up 4% from a month ago and 16% from the $2.585 average a year ago...

In 2008 President Bush used his bully pulpit to cajole the Democrat-controlled Congress into expanding oil drilling. The Democrats refused.

After the BP spill, the Obama administration used the crisis to lock down even more drilling, going so far as to lie about a panel of experts' decision to continue a drilling moratorium. The federal Judge hearing the case called the administration's claims "untrue" and "misleading".

The net result is that the United States is the only country on Earth that restricts access to its own abundant energy resources. I wonder how high gas prices have to get before Democrats are smashed into oblivion -- politically, of course -- leaving them a footnote to history akin to the Whig Party.

Thankfully, the unemployed have all of those millions of high-paying green jobs to look forward to. Or so the Democrats keep telling us.


Hat tip: MoneyRunner. Linked by: Michelle Malkin and Weasel Zippers. Thanks!

Larwyn's Linx: Is Obama Destined For the Scrapheap of History?

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Nation

Obama Destined For Scrapheap of History?: Ace
All 10 states losing House seats have more registered Dems: Hot Air
Tea Party Freshman Walks the Talk: Malkin (Powers)

DUI Checkpoints Deemed to Be Racist: RWN
Trolling for 9/11 compensation act cash : Point of Law
Carole Shea-Porter--Brought Down by the PRC?: RedState

Revealed: How the GOP plans to check Obama next year: Hot Air
Obamacare's Medicaid Mandates are Unconstitutional: Barnett
Michael Vick and Redemption: Razor

Economy

Top Ten Charts of 2010: Foundry
111th Added More Debt Than First 100 Congresses Combined: CNS
98 TARP Recipients Close To Failure: Mish

When spending more doesn't help... spend even more?: RWN
Newsflash from 1773: WolfFiles
Risky bets cost Detroit pension funds $480M: Freep

Climate & Energy

An end of an era – the incandescent light bulb: WUWT
California, Where The Lights Went Out First: Ace
Piers Corbyn goes global cooling: WUWT

Media

Time’s Joe Klein: Tea Party Will Be ‘Biggest Losers’ Next Year, Dream Act Opponents Will ‘Suffer’: NewsBusters
111th Congress ‘Most Productive Ever’ — In a ‘Termites Devouring a House’ Kind of Way: Malkin (Powers)
Hot Air’s top 50 posts in 2010: 41-50: Hot Air

A Cuban Fairy Tale From PBS: WSJ
NYT on the Deepwater Horizon Disaster: RedState
Krauthammer to GOP: Don’t Defund ObamaCare: PJM

The liberal/Democrat civil war, part xii: RWN
Flash: Poll Results Prove HuffPo Writer Right: BMW
Juan Williams, Let Me Introduce You To Herman Cain: AAB

World

Obama Has Lost the World: Eurasia Review
Answering Khaled Abou El Fadl: Pipes
U.K.: Police say nine Misunderstanders of Islam researched targets, tested incendiary material: JihadWatch

Obama's Repeated Claim That Gitmo Is Major AQ Recruitment Tool Is Nonsense: Ace
China censors New York Times columnist's blogging in less an hour: WashExam
Syrian government escalated Mohammed cartoon crisis: AftenPosten (Norway)

SciTech

Stuxnet may have destroyed 1,000 centrifuges at Natanz: JPost
HP lists future laptops with Intel next-gen chip: CNet
Man quits job, makes living suing e-mail spammers: MyWay

Cornucopia

Daily Scoreboard: Surber
Comrade Obama’s Kwanzaa Greetings: RWN
Teena Marie Dies At Age 54: JMG

Image: iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Winning Quotes in the MRC's Worst Reporting Awards of 2010

QOTD: "You know what I’d like to see her do? I’d like to see her [Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sharron Angle] do this ad in the South Bronx. Come here, bitch! Come to New York and do it... She’s going to Hell....She’s going to Hell, this bitch." -- Joy Behar, co-winner, 2010 MRC Awards


Monday, December 27, 2010

New York Times visits North Korea, unintentionally reveals the endgame of the Democrats' unchecked authoritarian agenda

A journalist from the The New York Times accompanied Bill Richardson on a private diplomatic trip to the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea, aka North Korea) and relayed a description of a miserable, desperate and starving society.

Of the nation’s 24 million citizens, the three million in Pyongyang are the most privileged. North Koreans need a special permit to live or come here. Still, signs of hardship are evident.

Commuters crammed into decrepit electric buses, packed as tightly as boxes of toothpicks. Pedestrians bowed beneath huge bundles strapped to their backs, apparently stuffed with goods for trade in private markets that have eclipsed the ill-supplied state stores. Most were women; one collapsed on the sidewalk under the weight of her load.

Economists say coal production is, at best, half that of two decades ago, and Pyongyang has regular power shortages. At the elite Foreign Language Revolution School, students warmed themselves around stoves fed by coal or wood. In much of the city, residents report only a few hours of electricity daily...

The DPRK's recipe for government is simple to understand: an all-powerful, centralized government that dictates every aspect of individuals' lives.

I have an honest question for the article's author, Sharon LaFraniere.

The Constitution purposefully and carefully set limits on the powers of the federal government. But if government ignores those limits to control more and more aspects of our lives, what prevents this society -- our society -- from descending into the same, nightmarish central planning endgame?

Is there a successful model that Democrats can point to? Cuba, Zimbabwe, North Korea and the Soviet Union are authoritarian societies that represent the failed "progressive" model taken to its inevitable conclusion.

'But those models are too extreme,' the progressive might retort, 'Democrats would never descend into a totalitarian, unchecked political regime of that sort.'

Fine. Then what are the limits on the Progressive Democrat Party? What amount of taxation would be sufficient? How many people should be categorized as "rich"? How many more aspects of our lives -- besides health care, energy, automobile design, carbon dioxide emissions, credit card interest rates, education -- must be controlled before Democrats say 'enough'?

Democrats never have -- and never will -- offer an answer to that question. And their view into the tragic, failed society of North Korea is a simple error: unintentionally revealing their endgame for all to see.


Hat tip: Hot Air.

An Open Letter to Media Matters: a Simple Holiday Request

Dear Sirs:

I was genuinely surprised to discover that Jammie Wearing Fool (one of the best news blogs around) has done such yeoman work defeating Statism that it merited its own tag at MediaMatters. Damn! That's impressive stuff.

While your organization is an award-winning, Soros-funded, Marxist front group (which is the term you prefer, I hear) -- and has mentioned this august journal on a number of occasions -- it has yet to produce a dedicated tag for me.

This, my friends, is an outrage. I demand consideration of my own, dedicated tag. This is the least you can do during this merry, secular Festivus season.

Best Regards, Doug

p.s., "Send news tips about conservative misinformation to Media Matters here:
mm-tips@mediamatters.org."

Report: Democrat Contributing Ambulance Chasers Set to Collect Another Nine-Figure Paycheck From 9/11 First Responders Bill

It would appear the Democrats' urgency around passage of the 9/11 First Responders Bill had less to do with the heroes involved than with the immense payday for heavy Democrat contributors.

The law firm that pocketed more than $100 million suing the city over Sept. 11 is trying to cash in on the just-passed Zadroga 9/11 health bill... Ads began popping up ... with the tease: "WTC Compensation Fund: Free Consultation. Call Us Today." Clicking on that link, though, doesn't take you to a do-gooder advice site. It leads to the website of Worby Groner Edelman & Napoli Bern, the lawyers who represented most of the 10,000 9/11 plaintiffs and grabbed the bulk of the $150 million in contingency fees - about 25% - from the $625 million settlement.

A source said the firm also sent text messages to the phones of their 9/11 clients. Responders found the quick strike for new clients and paydays unsavory... "Ten million each, or whatever they each cleared, wasn't enough for them?" said John Feal, a Ground Zero construction worker and leading advocate... A source familiar with the legal dealings was disgusted the firm is using the Zadroga name to drum up business: "They really have no shame," the source said...

...Marc Bern, one of the top partners at the firm and a veteran class-action warrior, reacted angrily to the suggestion the speedy client-seeking is unseemly. He said the online ads didn't start running until the House voted on the bill - but the firm clearly was prepared to jump.

The high-tech ambulance-chasers are, as you might have predicted, heavy Democrat contributors.

Imagine how angry Bern would be if the news story noted how much he was giving to the same Democrats pushing this bill. Some $86,000 alone in the 2008 election cycle. Oh wait, he gave $1,000 to Peter King. The other $85,000 went to Democrats, who surely will reap the rewards come 2012. No coincidence Bern also lavished thousands on that ultimate ambulance chaser, John Edwards.

Am I the first to predict that Democrats will figure out a way to reward trial lawyers for their support via new immigration laws? Say, by allowing illegal immigrants to sue locales like Arizona for enforcing federal immigration law? Don't laugh: with this egregious crew, it's bound to happen sometime.


This just in: President Obama to receive Nobel Prize in Physics for his achievement in containing global warming

Okay, President Obama's second Nobel award hasn't really happened (yet).

But considering that Paul Krugman won the Nobel in Economics; that Black September murderer Yassar Arafar won one for Peace; and President Obama won one for... getting elected President; it's easy to predict what's next. Massive blizzards and record-setting low temperatures -- of the sort we've seen throughout the month of December around the world -- will be proof positive that President Obama was true to his word.

On June 3, 2008, then-candidate Obama predicted these dramatic, curative changes: "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."

It's time to reward the President for his prescience and leadership in helping defeat the scourge of global warming. Only the Nobel Prize of Physics is a prestigious enough award for his work.


Larwyn's Linx: National Debt Relief Amendment Gains Momentum

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Nation

National Debt Relief Amendment Gains Momentum: Goldwater
Giving Thanks for Our Warriors: WklyStd
Feds Want Reports of Rifle Sales: IntPart

Is Basic Health Care a ‘Right’?: Hayek
Every Day is Christmas in the Undrained Swamp: Malkin (Powers)
No 3-Week Hajj Vacations? Don't Worry, the DOJ is On It: PJM

Farewell to the Congress of corporate interests: WashExam
Snow Makes Concealed Carry Illegal in North Carolina: ConfYank
Obamas Make a “Rare Sunday Trip to Church”: WZ

Economy

Census: People Vote with their Feet for Less Government: Mitchell
Obama's All-Powerful Regulators Imperil the Economy: WashExam
Expected Inflation, Demographics and Sticky CPI: P&F

Hurrah for ‘Draconian’ Education Cuts!: Instapundit
Coburn: uncontrolled spending will lead to ‘apocalyptic pain’: Cubachi
America's public pension crisis has tragic consequences: WashExam

Climate & Energy

East Coast Covered in Inches of Global Warming: RWN
The Abiding Faith Of Warm-ongers: IBD
Parts of Atlanta, GA covered with up to 10 inches of global warming for first time since 1880s: RWN

Media

Paul Krugman: Left Has ‘Nothing Comparable’ To Conservative Media: Driscoll
This is the guy liberals think is too conservative for NPR: GayPatriot
Frank Rich Rewrites History: WashExam

Media Picks Up Latest White House Spin: Obama’s Humble… Just Like Reagan: Malkin (Powers)
USA Today Creates an Alternative Reality in Reporting on Housing Market: Blumer
The New York Times Concedes 'Decades of Overspending' by State Governments: WklyStd

Hated by Haters: RWN
The 25% Solution: Driscoll
Best of 2010: Media Scolded Americans as Anti-Islamic, Anti-Immigrant Bigots: NewsBusters

World

Deja Vu All Over Again: Russian Immigrants Flee Democratic Party: WZ
Nigerian Muslims Drag Christian Pastor Into Street, Shoot Him Dead – 38 Christians Slaughtered: GWP
Majority Of Brits Now Say They Have No Religious Affiliation: OTB

LA City Council Passes Sharia Blasphemy Enforcement: Atlas
"Refusing to Identify or Name Our Enemy": PolCom
French sale of anti-tank weapons to Lebanon concerns U.S. lawmakers: WashExam

SciTech

Reading your wife's email on your own computer now a felony in Michigan: BlogProf
Coded American Civil War message in bottle deciphered: BBC
Space, military history abounds on USS Hornet (photos): CNet

Cornucopia

Vietnam veterans of the NFL: BlackFive
An Unsolicited, Unpaid, PRS Endorsement: PRS
Hefner Gets Engaged: IntPart

Image: Shorpy, Statue of James Garfield, Cincinnati, 1910.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Maggie's Notebook

Sunday, December 26, 2010

New Lampoon Times: "Overall warming of the atmosphere is actually creating cold-weather"

No, seriously. It's amazing what you can do with a word processor and an agenda.

Some junior cub propagandist at The New York Times named Judah Cohen is in full Blizzard Explanation Mode.

The earth continues to get warmer, yet it’s feeling a lot colder outside. Over the past few weeks, subzero temperatures in Poland claimed 66 lives; snow arrived in Seattle well before the winter solstice, and fell heavily enough in Minneapolis to make the roof of the Metrodome collapse; and last week blizzards closed Europe’s busiest airports in London and Frankfurt for days, stranding holiday travelers. The snow and record cold have invaded the Eastern United States, with more bad weather predicted... overall warming of the atmosphere is actually creating cold-weather extremes...

...But one phenomenon that may be significant is the way in which seasonal snow cover has continued to increase even as other frozen areas are shrinking. In the past two decades, snow cover has expanded across the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, especially in Siberia, just north of a series of exceptionally high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas, the Tien Shan and the Altai.

Curiously, Propaganda Boy forgets to tell us which areas are actually warming.

Most forecasts have failed to predict these colder winters, however, because the primary drivers in their models are the oceans, which have been warming even as winters have grown chillier...

Oh, wait. He narrowed it down to "the oceans".

Who's going to accurately measure the temperature of "the oceans"?

No one. That's the point. The esteemed New York Times, preferred public relations newsletter of the Democrat Party, is literally lying its ass off to cover for the United Nations' disastrous global warming scam.

What is supposed to pass for science at the "newspaper of record" are quotes like: "We’re freezing not in spite of climate change but because of it."

When Judah Cohen gets laid off from the Times, he should definitely apply as a writer at SNL.


Back Away From the Photo-Morphing Software, Sir

These photos simply have to be illegal in California.

Is it possible to laugh so hard that you rupture your splenum?

And is there really a body part called a splenum?


Don't you dare call them Death Panels: White House to use backdoor monetary incentives to speed up end-of-life care

More great news for seniors: the all-powerful Department of Health and Human Services will create monetary incentives for medical professionals to accelerate "end of life care".

...the White House will create incentives for doctors to discuss “options” for end of life care through regulation, after Congress removed the incentives from ObamaCare...

Under the new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.

There is, however, something at least vaguely disturbing about a government incentivizing doctors to do so as part of an expansive regulatory program that has, as one of its primary goals, cost reduction. The process used by Obama and Kathleen Sebelius to get this into ObamaCare is more disturbing, and in a very specific way. Congress made it clear that it didn’t want this incentive as part of the new law. However, thanks to the miles and miles of ambiguity in the final version of ObamaCare, with its repetitive the Secretary shall determine language, Congress has more or less passed a blank check for regulatory growth to Obama and Sebelius.

The implication is extremely easy to understand: "Patients will lose the ability to control treatments at the end of life."

“While we are very happy with the result, we won’t be shouting it from the rooftops because we aren’t out of the woods yet,” Mr. Blumenauer’s office said in an e-mail in early November to people working with him on the issue. “This regulation could be modified or reversed, especially if Republican leaders try to use this small provision to perpetuate the ‘death panel’ myth.”

Moreover, the e-mail said: “We would ask that you not broadcast this accomplishment out to any of your lists, even if they are ‘supporters’ — e-mails can too easily be forwarded.”

The e-mail continued: “Thus far, it seems that no press or blogs have discovered it, but we will be keeping a close watch and may be calling on you if we need a rapid, targeted response. The longer this goes unnoticed, the better our chances of keeping it.”

Education is the enemy of the Statist.

Unchecked power in the hands of unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats is precisely what our nation's founders intended to counter with a carefully constructed Constitution.

This disastrous excuse for a health care "reform" bill must be defunded, starved and repealed.


Hat tip: Memeorandum. Linked by: Michelle Malkin. Thanks!

The 2010 Fabulous 50 Blog Award Winners #fab50

The moment you've been waiting for is here.

We're pleased to announce the winners of the 2010 Fabulous 50 Blog Awards, the most prestigious new media awards anywhere. Or at least in the 993 area code.

These awards recognize a variety of blogs and websites operating in the conservative hemisphere of the Internet, all of which have worked tirelessly to protect America from Statism -- some in very unique ways.

So, without further ado, may I have the envelopes, please?

Best Political Blog
Best Political Analyst
Best Conservative News Blog
Best Op-Ed Website
Best News Analysis Website
Best Talker's Website
Best New Media Family of Sites
Best Group Blog
Best Media Watching
Best Media Analysis
Best Media Analysis Story of 2010
Best Linker
Best Law Blogger
Best News Aggregator
Best Blog Aggregator
World's Dumbest Blogger (Lifetime Achievement Award)
The Rockwell Award for Best Artwork
The Krugman Award for Best Story Artwork of 2010
The Dali Award for Most Creative Blogging
Best Up-and-Coming Political Analysis Blog
Best European Blog
Best Middle East Media Watching
The Daniel Simpson Day Award for Snarkiest News Blog
The Elihu Smails Award for Up-and-Coming Snark Blog
Best Beltway Reporting
Best Government Watchdog
Best News Editor
Best Science Blog
The Stuxnet Award for Best Information Warfare Campaign
Best Blogger working in Legacy Media
Best JihadFighter
Best Designated Hitter
Best Latin American Coverage
The Mr. Peabody Award for Best Time-Travel Blogging
Best Legacy Media Columnist
Best Marxist Front Group
Best Econ Blog
Best First Lady Blog
Most Creative Use of Cursewords in Political Analysis
Best New Econ Blog
Best Blog Ring
The Watcher's Council (all 2010 members of the Watcher's Council are winners)


Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Okay, I won. Where do I get my damn award badges?
A: Right here. If you have questions about installing your badge, ask 'em in the comments.

Q: *Sob*. I didn't win. Can I use one of the badges anyhow?
A: Yes, the '90 x 40 Micro' badge was designed for use by anyone, even losers blogs that did not win.

Q: You suck -- I didn't win.
A: That's not a question.

Q: Where are the 2009 Fabulous 50 Award Winners?
A: Right here.


Larwyn's Linx: Gangster Government, HHS Edition

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

Nation

Gangster Government, HHS Edition: Power Line
Historical Illiteracy: AT
Showdown With Evil: AT

Democrats confused, frightened by new House procedure: WZ
World's Largest Army: BlogProf
Barney Frank Owns Up to a ‘Radical Homosexual Agenda’: CNS

Kentucky McConnell and the Temple of Pork: AT
Merry Christmas to all Christian Jihad Watchers: JihadWatch
Kudzu: A Lesson in Big Government Failure: AT

Economy

Read Biden’s Lips: new taxes in 2013!: RedState
CBO on Options for Fannie, Freddie and Mortgage Finance: Cato
Milton Friedman on How to Cut the Budget: NRO

Obama, Labor Unions Meet to Plan Job Creation: GWP
The Gift of the WalMagi: AmDigest
Margin Debt Soars to Highest Levels Since September 2008: Mish

Climate & Energy

Global Warming Update: Blizzard Edition: RWN
EPA: For 'When Congress Resists Action': AmSpec
Far Left Senator Warns Santa About Dangers of Non-Existent Global Warming: GWP

Media

Leftist Loons Insist "Christian Terrorism" Exists . . . When It Clearly Does Not: Fuzzy Logic
Doonesbury Hates God in Christmas Day Comic Strip: NewsBusters
Richard Dawkins Slams Pope, Christianity on Christmas Eve: NewsReal

Where are the stories on the death of the Democrat Party?: BigJourn
They're Calling Her the Anti-Palin: iOTW
So The Anti-Birther Hawaii Governor Is Actually A Birther: LegalIns

Obama Groupies Oprah, Matthews Spread the MSM’s Anti-Palin Gospel: BigJourn
Ed Schultz Stumbles Into Candor, Reveals Actual Reason for Lack of GOP guests: NewsBusters
1,000 Points of Blight: Hindenblog

World

U.S. Forces Present Some Christmas Whoop-ass to Taliban: JWF
General Petraeus Visits Afghanistan on Christmas Day: WZ
Victorious Atlas Action: Atlas

Wikileaks Embarrassing Palestinian Authority: Muqata
Mexican Soldiers Charged With Killing American, Planting “Evidence”: Dollard
China's Christmas Present To The World: Another Interest Rate Hike: ZH

Jewish Gitmo Witches Sic Horny Phantom Cats on Terrorists: RWN
Hugo Chavez's New Power Grab: AT
North Korea Calls Republican Congresswoman “Human Scum” and an “Anti-Communist Fanatic”: WZ

SciTech

U.S. soldier in Afghanistan gets $16,000 AT&T bill: CNet
Eye doctor tests 3-D technology to improve surgery: WashExam
Skype: Millions still without service: CNet

Cornucopia

Wal-Mart Mating Ritual – ‘I Hate The Media’ And ‘I Own The World’ Get ‘Er Done At The Races: SHN
A Jihad Christmas: Lid
Man Arrested After Posting 195 MPH Corvette Run On YouTube: BlogProf

Image: Shorpy.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Uncoverage -- the Right Idea

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Tomorrow's Huge Announcement: We Unveil the 2010 Fabulous 50 Blog Award Winners #fab50

Every year at this time we are pleased to announce the winners of the Fabulous 50 Blog Awards™, recognizing the year's 50 most important blogs and websites in the conservative world. No debate. No nominations. Just facts. Immutable truths, carved in stone for all of human history.

The talented illustrators at iOwnTheWorld have created a stunning set of award icons, suitable for framing or even including on the templates of the award winners.

If you are a winner, click the award icon that you would like to use, then copy the text in the HTML block below to paste into your template:

300 x 400 Deluxe200 x 267 Midsize
180 x 241 Intermediate160 x 214 Mini90 x 40 Micro


HTML to use in your template:

To visit the 2009 award winners, click here.

And be sure to press your browser's Reload button continuously from now until tomorrow to make sure you don't miss this immense event, suitable for a VH-1 reality show.