Friday, June 03, 2011

Funemployment in Obama's third consecutive Summer of Recovery™: "Things are much worse than the reported numbers would have you believe"

Mike Shedlock lays bare the official job numbers and finds things are far, far worse than the administration would have you believe.

For the last two months I commented "It is very questionable if this pace of jobs keeps up." Clearly it didn't and this certainly cannot all be blamed on a Tsunami in Japan. The entire global economy is slowing rapidly...

...In the last year, the civilian population rose by 1,814,000. Yet the labor force dropped by 544,000. Those not in the labor force rose by 2,358,000...

...Were it not for people dropping out of the labor force, the unemployment rate would be well over 11%...

...The official unemployment rate is 9.1%. However, if you start counting all the people that want a job but gave up, all the people with part-time jobs that want a full-time job, all the people who dropped off the unemployment rolls because their unemployment benefits ran out, etc., you get a closer picture of what the unemployment rate is. That number is in the last row labeled U-6.

While the "official" unemployment rate is an unacceptable 9.0%, U-6 is much higher at 15.8%...

Things are much worse than the reported numbers would have you believe, and for the second consecutive month the beneath the surface numbers were bad-to-awful.

Gee, Mish, that seems so hard to believe.

After all, President Obama and his Democrat sycophants have only destroyed the housing, energy, auto, banking, health care, and insurance industries.

I mean, how many jobs could those tally?


Will the last person to leave Mitt Romney's campaign headquarters please turn off the lights?

I supported Mitt Romney in 2008 because he was far, far preferable to the abysmal John McCain. But spewing this kind of pablum is simply unacceptable for any legitimate GOP candidate in 2012.

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney broke with Republican orthodoxy on Friday by saying he believes that humans are responsible, at least to some extent, for climate change.

"I believe the world is getting warmer, and I believe that humans have contributed to that," he told a crowd of about 200 at a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire.

"It's important for us to reduce our emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases that may be significant contributors."

There is no -- and I mean no -- scientific evidence of anthropogenic global warming.

Put simply, it's a scam foisted upon America by the United Nations. Don't believe me? Read the illustrated comic book version of the IPCC warming grift.

When both the far left World Rainforest Movement and the conservative American Enterprise Institute agree that "global warming" is a trillion-dollar bunko scam, I think we can safely assume that it is just that.

Mitt Romney's regurgitation of this Leftist tripe disqualifies him from office in my humble opinion. Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Sarah Palin and Rick Santorum are the only legitimate candidates for the GOP presidential nomination in 2012 (and if Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, or Allen West decide to leap into the fray, they'll be welcomed with open arms).


Hat tip: Memeorandum.

Suddenly raising the debt ceiling just became a whole lot less important: China sells almost all of its U.S. Treasury Bills

By that I mean, raising the debt ceiling becomes a lot less important when no one will loan you money. And China ditching our debt simply means that fewer and fewer investors are willing to front the spending-addicted Obama administration any dough.

China has dropped 97 percent of its holdings in U.S. Treasury bills, decreasing its ownership of the short-term U.S. government securities from a peak of $210.4 billion in May 2009 to $5.69 billion in March 2011, the most recent month reported by the U.S. Treasury.

Treasury bills are securities that mature in one year or less that are sold by the U.S. Treasury Department to fund the nation’s debt... Until October, the Chinese were generally making up for their decreasing holdings in Treasury bills by increasing their holdings of longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, until October, China’s overall holdings of U.S. debt continued to increase.

Since October, however, China has also started to divest from longer-term U.S. Treasury securities. Thus, as reported by the Treasury Department, China’s ownership of the U.S. national debt has decreased in each of the last five months on record, including November, December, January, February and March.

The hysteria generated by TurboTax Tim Geithner and the Democrats in Congress -- translating roughly to 'if you don't raise the debt ceiling, the four horsemen of the apocalypse will take a collective dump on the world economy' -- is utter bunk.

While it is true Congress has never before refused to raise the debt ceiling, it has frequently taken its sweet time to do so. In 1985, Congress waited nearly three months after the debt limit was reached before authorizing a permanent increase. In 1995, 4 1/2 months passed between hitting the ceiling and congressional action. And in 2002, Congress delayed raising the debt ceiling for three months. In each case, the U.S. and the economy survived.

... The people running this government are never going to deal with this untenable situation unless and until it becomes untenable for them. The only way that will happen is if Congress refuses to raise the debt ceiling and forces the administration to prioritize payment of those obligations that must be paid to maintain our full faith and credit — for as Kevin and Veronique point out, this already perilous situation could be blown sky high if the interest rate we must pay to borrow spikes. Only when there is no way around it will we get serious consideration of what government should and should not do, and what kind of welfare state the public is willing to pay for.

If we put it off, if we expand the credit card of a bankrupt Washington whose credit card needs to be cut to pieces right now, not only will our dire straits get worse. We won’t get to deal with them — we will be at the mercy of how they deal with us when the music finally stops.

It turns out that 150 prominent economists back the GOP on the debt ceiling fight.

More than 150 economists back U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner's call to match any increase in the debt limit with spending cuts of equal size, according to a letter released by the Republican leader's office Wednesday... Signatories include Nobel laureate Robert Mundell of Columbia University and economists from schools like New York University and Georgetown University, as well as conservative think tanks like the American Enterprise Institute... Republicans say they will not back any increase that does not include steep spending cuts and other limits to ensure that debt stays at a manageable level.

Hey, Speaker Boehner: it's a real simple message. Try writing it on your palm, if you need to, for the Sunday talk shows.

President Obama better start slashing the federal government right this instant if he wants to avoid a downgrade or a default. He's grown the federal government by a phenomenal percentage in only two-and-a-half-years. And now it's time to balance the books.

Don't you dare raise the debt ceiling, Mr. Speaker. Period. Let Obama figure out where to start slashing this immense, unconstitutional federal leviathan. A default or a downgrade will be on Obama's head alone.


Hat tip: TrendingRight.com

Larwyn's Linx: Amid media circus, Palin lays out policy positions

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Nation

Amid media circus, Palin lays out policy positions: York
Boehner Pushes New Libya Resolution: RollCall
Sen. Rubio: "Where Is President Obama's Plan On Medicare?": RCP

GOP blocks Obama land grab: Malkin
Why Obama may be heading for electoral disaster in 2012: Gardiner
Paul Ryan on Foreign Policy: AmSpec

Economy

Geithner picked wrong week to praise auto bailout: WashExam
Obama’s Auto Bailout Promise Reaches Its Expiration Date: NRO
Moody's Leaked Again: Gave Inside Info to Nancy Pelosi: ZH

Moody’s: Debt-Fueled Economic Collapse May Be At Hand: RWN
White House: Avoid Individual Mandate by Becoming Poor: Malkin
Palin dismisses Geithner’s warnings about debt ceiling: WaPo

Reflections on the Revolution in France: NRO
The Tea Party and America’s Debt Crisis: GM's Place
Horror for US Economy as Data Falls off Cliff: CNBC

Weinergate

Uh-Oh… Mother of Weinergate Coed Is Furious! Demands Weiner Fess Up: GWP
The Ick-arus of Capitol Hill: Malkin
Weinergate: Weiner's Wiener Problem Hard To Forget, Harder To Let Go: Gothamist

Hey, I Don't Want To Cast No Aspersions Or Nothin', But Anthony Weiner May Be Lying: Ace
The Wolfe At Anthony Weiner's Front Door: TSG
Embarrassing emails from Weiner tweeter leaked: Salon

Climate & Energy

The inconveniences (big and small) of environmentalism: Bookworm
Obama Nominee: Redistribute Wealth To Keep Poor From Cutting Trees: CNS
Obama Commerce Nominee: US Must Transition to "Radically Different" Power Production: BlogProf

Media

Facebook – self appointed arbiter of “free speech” – tells Tea Party: no more organizing: Flopping Aces
Hollywood Execs Caught on Tape Admitting Liberal Bias: Hollywood Reporter
Bigotry in Hollywood (Jon Stewart Busted): Crowder

Limbaugh speculates on what gave rise to Krauthammer as an opinion maker: DC
NBC News Hires Woman Who Fired Juan Williams: LegalIns
Unlike ABC and CBS, NBC’s Williams Spikes Weinergate Yet Has Time for Christie’s Helicopter ‘PR Problem’: NB

World

Iran Tests Nuclear Missile Warhead Design: Timmerman
Obama White House Tells Jewish Chorus to Take Down Their Pro-Obama Video: GWP
How EU spends £20m a year promoting left-wing causes in the U.S.: Daily Mail (UK)

Birthers, Truthers and Interrogation Deniers: Hayden
Arab Spring… Ahmadinejad Meets With Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Leaders in Tehran: GWP
FBI investigates Gmail hack: Politico

Obama and the Coming World Tax Organization: RWN
Van Jones: Paul Ryan Worse Than Al Qaeda: Jawa
Israel Delivers Payback For Gilad Schalit One Bullet At A Time: RWN

SciTech

Google Mail Hack Blamed on China: WSJ
Book Excerpt: Always On: How Smartphones Change Policing: Wired
Data guzzlers: Economist

Cornucopia

Is this Trump's REAL motivation?: Zilla
Michelle Obama in the Pour House? : MOTUS
Just Exstrawdnary: iOTW

Image: Palin dismisses Geithner’s warnings about debt ceiling (WaPo)
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: TrendingRight.com

QOTD: "On this morning's John Gambling show on WOR710 AM in NY, a caller [credible Republican] called in to say that a "gorgeous" female friend of his received similar communications from Weiner. John Gambling had the caller speak to his staff offline after the call and apparently this was not a fluke incident. Stay tuned." --JS

Thursday, June 02, 2011

Short-fused Weiner visibly stiffens when confronted by local CBS reporter, calls police, and refuses to come out of office

Someone in the public relations industry ought to do a case-study on this cyber-perv esteemed Congressional hacking victim.

Kramer walked in to Weiner’s office, announced herself as being from CBS 2 in New York City and said she’d like to see the congressman. Those few words created quite the stir. Doors slammed and people pretended she wasn’t there.

Finally, brave press secretary David Arnold arrived. The following is the exchange Kramer had with him:

Kramer: “All I want is for him to say something to his constituents, the people who have to vote for him.”

Arnold: “I don’t think you can say he hasn’t said anything to his constituents. He spoke for nine hours yesterday.

Kramer: “But not to anyone in New York. You know, this is the sort of in-the-bunker in the capitol, not to anyone in New York.”

After Kramer left Weiner’s office, his staff called the Capitol Police.

Police officers asked for identification. One cop told Kramer that if she went into Weiner’s office and didn’t leave if she was asked, she could be arrested.

Sorry, folks. I just couldn't resist. Yes. It's immature. But I don't care. It's Anthony Freaking Weiner, for heaven's sake. Congress' own Tiny Dancer deserves it.


Hat tip: Memeorandum.

Craptastic: GM stuffs the dealer channel to pad sales numbers; Nissan Leaf "easily outsells" the Chevy Volt in May

The phrase "stuffing the dealer channel" describes a method that automobile manufacturers use to pad their sales numbers. They deliver vehicles to dealers, count them as sold, but until actually accepted by customers, the cars just languish on lots.

And channel-stuffing is a tactic that the UAW-controlled General Motors has raised to an art form in its ill-fated attempt to continue operating as if it's 1963.

That GM sales declined in May by 1.2% on expectations of a rise of 1.5% in May is not really surprising: as we have been saying for a nearly three months now, the Japanese earthquake, far from adding points to US GDP, is now impacting every aspect of the US and global economy...

...Furthermore, the bulk of these purchases are the government-funded equivalent of subprime home purchases from 2005-2006: take away government funding and the sales collapse would be historic. Yet what is surprising, and what continues to be the only important metric in the monthly GM sales report, is the monthly channel stuffing update, aka the "month-end dealer inventory." We hope nobody will be surprised to find that it just hit another all time record of 584,000, 7k more than April and 177 more than a year ago. Although in reality, considering that GM car assembly should have been impacted by the Japanese earthquakes, one would have hoped for this inventory to decline. Which is the truly surprising part. In other words, in May, channel stuffing at GM went into overdrive.

Emblematic of this union-orchestrated malaise is the following delightful missive, entitled "Nissan Leaf easily outsells the Chevy Volt in May 2011":

Since the first official month of delivery late last year, the 2011 Chevrolet Volt has held an overall lead in sales over the 2011 Nissan Leaf but in April, Nissan was able to boast of being the bestselling electric vehicle in the US for the first time as their all-electric vehicle outsold the extended range Volt sedan by a margin of 573 to 493... General Motors stated that deliveries were slow because they were working on getting demo vehicles to dealerships but as the May numbers have come in – things haven’t improved for GM. In fact, they have gotten worse as the number of Volts delivered last month was down to just 481; compared to the 1,142 Nissan Leaf units delivered.

But don't worry kids, this little experiment in giving the union bosses control of two auto companies will only cost us $12 billion. So far, that is.


Another Record Shattered: This is 'a Great Depression in Real Wages'

Oh, this president is 'historic' all right.

The past decade of wage growth has been one for the record books — but not one to celebrate.

The increase in total private-sector wages, adjusted for inflation, from the start of 2001 has fallen far short of any 10-year period since World War II, according to Commerce Department data. In fact, if the data are to be believed, economywide wage gains have even lagged those in the decade of the Great Depression (adjusted for deflation).

Two years into the recovery, and 10 years after the nation fell into a post-dot-com bubble recession, this legacy of near-stagnant wages has helped ground the economy despite unprecedented fiscal and monetary stimulus — and even an impressive bull market.

Over the past decade, real private-sector wage growth has scraped bottom at 4%, just below the 5% increase from 1929 to 1939, government data show.

To put that in perspective, since the Great Depression, 10-year gains in real private wages had always exceeded 25% with one exception: the period ended in 1982-83, when the jobless rate spiked above 10% and wage gains briefly decelerated to 16%.

Obama's record is a perfect one -- he's ruined the housing, energy, auto, banking, health care, insurance and probably other industries I'm forgetting.

His swollen bureaucracies and regulations are strangling the private sector and, by extension, our livelihoods. What the ideologue-in-chief has yet to figure out is that his leviathan -- his unconstitutional federal bureaucracy -- can't exist without us. Without the taxpayers. By strangling us, he'll end up strangling the federal government. It's simple mathematics. And whether through total systemic collapse or by booting his incompetent rear out of office in 2012, it will end.

Let's work to make it the latter.


Hat tip: TrendingRight.com

Just another government story [JP]

JP writes:

Not a really big story, but I went to get my 87-year old mother's RX filled today. She's had gout for at least 20 years.

She's been on the same medicine the entire time, a generic, and it cost her about $20.00 a month.

Today the prescription was $120.00. She can no longer afford to get it filled. It would seem that the generic has been ordered off the market by the FDA. It's the most common medication prescribed for gout, a very common condition that is, like most degenerative conditions, on the rise.

I'd like to help her out but I'm entering my second year of funemployment and my husband lost his job a month ago. Your depression photos featuring "The Golfer" resonate especially well with me.

Keep up the good work. Without people like you I would sink into complete despair.

God bless you and your family, JP.

We're thinking of you in these tough times. And let's all turn these Statists out in 2012, once and for all.


Say, about that DNC plan to make the auto bailout a central theme of the 2012 election...

Jim Geraghty tracks the inevitable expiration date that must accompany all of Barack Obama's promises.

Politico, May 14:

President Barack Obama and his allies in two big industrial unions appear poised to make the auto bailout — begun under President George W. Bush in 2008 — a central issue of the 2012 campaign. With General Motors back on its feet — it announced $2 billion in new investments at 18 GM plants Tuesday — and losses from the government’s intervention shaping up to be minimal, Democrats hope to punish Republican presidential candidates for their early opposition.

The news, today: “WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Wednesday that the government will lose about $14 billion in taxpayer funds from the bailout of the U.S. auto industry.”

Taxpayers spent only $14 billion to get GM to make $2 billion in new investments! Yay!

Also note this comment from the president, which he has probably forgotten, or that he hopes everyone else will forget:

President Obama, July 29, 2010: “We are going to get all the money back that we invested in those car companies.”

As I may have mentioned a time or two, all statements from Barack Obama come with an expiration date. All of them.

Gee, I was never too keen at math, but $14 billion spent... minus $2 billion in realized investments equals... carry the one... $12 billion. That's how much Obama stuck the taxpayers -- actually the taxpayers' kids and grandkids -- with. And yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition. That's how exasperated I am with this disastrous president.

And where did that $12 billion go?

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union, one would assume.

And where will most of it end up? You've got it, Sparky,

Right back at the DNC for the 2012 election cycle.

As a wry commenter observes, "It's the Circle of Democrat Life, Simba."


Larwyn's Linx: The Disgraceful Anthony Weiner Must Resign

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Nation

The Disgraceful Anthony Weiner Must Resign: HayRide
Paul Ryan: A Duty to Serve: Ricochet
The other Weiner scandal is ignored by the media: Lid

Democrats too frightened to vote for their own debt ceiling bill: RWN
Chasing Sarah: The Boys Behind the Bus: Malkin
Pawlenty, Huntsman and the Problem with RINOs: Bruce

John Bryson is Unacceptable as Secretary of Commerce: SIGIS
Somali suicide bomber was from Minneapolis: Tatler
Sarah Palin Loves New York!: Riehl

Weinergate

Weinergate To Be Settled In Small Claims Court: Coulter
Weinergate: Private Investigation Will Not Do: BG
Who is Ginger Lee, Anthony Weiner’s favorite porn star?: Starcasm

Spinning Weiner Can't Say With Certitude Package is His: Malkin
Leftblog Kooks Claim Definitive Proof Weiner Was Framed: RS
Weiner's tweet-hearts: Post

Occam’s Razor Unnecessary To Cut Short Weiner: TheRazor
Major Garrett: Indications Are Weiner Did It, DC Journos Now Openly Mocking Him: Riehl
Anthony Weiner Is Not Doing Himself Any Favors: New York

Economy

Planning vs. the Free Market: AT
Ryan gets standing ovation in front of Obama: Dollard
Welcome To The Lloyd Dobler Economy: Wizbang

HHS Rejects IN Ban on Fed Funds to Planned Parenthood: AmSpec
Union pushing card check now wants free, fair elections: Tatler
For-profit colleges issued new rules by Education Dept.: Politico

Barack Obama and the Betrayal of Black America: AT
Cautiously Optimistic about Obamacare Appeal: Cato
Hardly Presidential: Gardiner

Climate & Energy

Enviro elitists keep America unemployed: Hill
WaPo Op-Ed: Laws for the Masses, Shelter the Elites: PJM
Temperature reconstruction of Greenland shows ups and downs in climate happened over 5600 years: WUWT

Media

Levin whacks anti-Palin bias at Fox News: TRS
Sorry, ThinkProgress: Paul Ryan is Right to Say 'Obamacare Ends Medicare As We Know It': WklyStd
CNN, Happy to do Damage Control Once Again for the Left: CNN

Breitbart drops the hammer, calls out Jeffrey Toobin: DC
Lawrence O'Donnell on Weiner: 'Voters Need to Realize Sex Doesn't Matter': NB
Good News: Media Now Identifying Weiner as a Republican: JWF

MSNBC’s Matthews: Breitbart Didn’t Smear Sherrod; Video Wasn’t Deceptively Edited: BG
California’s raunchy politicians: Bookworm
Anthony Weiner's Junk Defense: Kurtz

World

With Obama’s Help, OECD Wants A World Tax Organization: Forbes
Report: Iran Has Acquired Nuclear-Capable Warheads: PunditPress
Is Obama Above the Law?: Will

Rock Group “ColdPlay” Endorses Jihad Against Israel: Uncov
Amazing global warming scam from the World Bank: CBullitt
A Eulogy for My Father, Siamak Pourzand: PJM

SciTech

Google Offers to launch tomorrow in Portland, Ore.: CNet
Why you might soon have a $100,000 jetpack: CNet
Microsoft Unimpressed by 'Cookiejacking' Threat to IE Users: IBI Times

Cornucopia

Staff Sergeant Eddie Peoples - Someone You Should Know: BlackFive
Flashback: Guess who officiated at Weiner’s wedding?: Tatler
Hilarious: Osama’s Sea Burial Caught on Tape: DefTech

Image: The People's Cube
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Libertarians Who Live In The Real World Vote Republican

QOTD: "About a year after Tim Geithner literally top-ticked the economy with his first Op-Ed, "Welcome to the Recovery", which came days ahead of the QE 2 announcement, he has just released his Op-Ed #2 "A Rescue Worth Fueling" in the WaPo, in which he praises the administration for using billions in taxpayer capital to save a few hundred thousand union jobs. His bottom line: "The domestic automakers are getting stronger. For the first time since 2004, each has achieved positive quarterly net income." Perfect release timing: just as both GM and Ford announce a drop in monthly sales, and GM discloses record channel stuffing. If there is one call to fade and short all the US automakers, this is it." --Tyler Durden

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Weiner's little problem: why does the housekeeper's son look like a miniature 'Conan the Barbarian'?

Today's best Weiner comments emanate from the erudite (that's a first: two seven-letter words that start and end with the letter e -- in the same sentence?) New York Magazine:

Weiner's little problem (hah, a jest) is that if he DOES call in law enforcement and he's full of crap, well he can go to jail for telling fibs to the FBI. Which oh just might es'plain why he's seemingly shy about pursuing prosecution for a breach of online security of a person with a high security clearance (yeah, nobody would bother with such a prosecution, would dey?).

Most likely scenario: they suddenly discover a "staffer" that "had access to the accounts" and did this terrible thing as a "bad joke." Weiner declines to prosecute and said staffer disappears into the wilderness with a bag of money or a cushy job in some government department somewhere (the media will have zero interest in what happens to the staffer, so we'll never hear the story).

--Commener peterike

Awfully suspicious. And not in a why-won't-he-release-the-birth-certificate way or a the-maid-was-a-plant-by-his-political-opponents way, but in a that-housekeeper's-kid-looks-a-lot-like-conan-the-barbarian way.

--RealityCzech

Ann Coulter insists that this entire matter be settled in Small Claims Court.


But, Melvin, he's so historic: 'we’re on the verge of a great, great depression'

LC writes:

Today, CNBC, a media outlet that was an unofficial arm of the 2008 Obama campaign, rang the fire alarm on the US economy. Below, CNBC refers to "near panic," a "sputtering" economy, "low yields," on the verge of a "Great, Great Depression." No, this isn't FOX News, Glenn Beck, or even Rush Limbaugh. It's... brace yourselves, folks... it's from N... B... C.

Oh, my.

Wall Street Baffled by Slowing Economy, Low Yields: Trader


01 Jun 2011 | 11:06 AM ET

Wall Street is having a hard time figuring out what to do now that the U.S. economy appears to be sputtering and yields are so low, Peter Yastrow, market strategist for Yastrow Origer, told CNBC.

"What we’ve got right now is almost near panic going on with money managers and people who are responsible for money," he said. "They can not find a yield and you just don’t want to be putting your money into commodities or things that are punts that might work out or they might not depending on what happens with the economy... Stocks extended losses after the manufacturing fell below expectations in May and the private sector added only 38,000 jobs during the month.

"Interest rates are amazingly low and that, thanks to Ben Bernanke, is driving everything," Yastrow said. "We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it.

"We have many, many homeowners that are totally underwater here and cannot get out from under. The technology frontier is limited right now. We definitely have an innovation slowdown and the economy’s gonna suffer."

If this Republic is to survive, we need to elect a president in 2012 who will operate using a playbook unknown to the Left:

The Constitution.

The document upon which politicians swear to the Creator to protect and uphold. And then, in the case of Barack Obama, promptly ignores.

The Constitution. Faith, family, individual liberty, private property rights.

Not big government, unchecked entitlements, mandated light bulbs and shower heads; not Europe-lite.

The Constitution. Thousands of years of human experience codified into a single document that created the greatest system of government ever seen on the face of the Earth. Not perfect, because no system is perfect, but the most perfect ever created.

We need to elect a president in 2012 that will protect all Americans, not the racial separatist groups, not the race-baiters, not the imploding welfare state addicts, not the politicians addicted to unlimited power. A president who will protect all Americans and, by logical extension, the American system of government itself.

It's 2012 or never.


Rep. Dan Landry (R-LA) rips invitation to Obama White House into tiny pieces, lights the pieces on fire, then urinates all over them

Well, metaphorically speaking, that is.

A freshman GOP lawmaker rejected an invitation to the White House on Wednesday, saying he didn't want to be “lectured” by President Obama... Rep. Jeff Landry (La.) said ... “I don’t intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a president whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt.”

Landry said he would not sit down with Obama to negotiate on a deficit reduction compromise until Obama produces his own budget plan... “Until the president produces a responsible deficit reduction plan, I’m not going to the White House to negotiate with myself. Our conference has put out for months where we would start the process..."

...Landry also criticized Obama for neglecting to meet with the Louisiana delegation about a drilling moratorium off the Gulf of Mexico... “The President has done nothing, just like he has for the people of the Gulf Coast... For months, the Louisiana delegation has sent the president numerous requests to meet with him or his chief of staff concerning the de facto moratorium issued in the Gulf of Mexico, a de facto moratorium that has driven gas prices up and now threatens to derail economic recovery; the president hasn’t even had the courtesy to write us a note back... [this meeting is just] political grandstanding” on Obama’s part.

“I refuse to partake in his political grandstanding that will ultimately do nothing for debt reduction and job creation,” Landry said.

As Darren 'Wall Street' Bettencourt said of 'The Transporter', "Hmmm, I like him."

This is one GOP freshman with stones and, for that, we salute you, Congressman. That is what you call speaking truth to power.


Hat tip: TrendingRight.com

Larwyn's Linx: Government against blacks

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Nation

Government Against Blacks: Stossel
Another Immigration Criminal Kills Another Houston Cop: RWR
PJM's DOJ FOIA Request Comes Back… Redacted: PJM

Army Ranger To Be Awarded Medal of Honor Hooah!: Dollard
House Says NO To Unlimited Debt: Hayward
Confirmed – Jon Huntsman Supported Insurance Mandate: VS

Weinergate

Weiner’s Actual Tweet Stream Disputes His Version: Riehl
Hoyer Agrees With NRO: 'Could Happen To Anybody': Ace
Weiner Won't Deny Twitter Pic Was Of Him: Insider

Weiner won’t deny that that’s him in the photo: Tatler
Was THIS What Happened in #Weinergate?: Stranahan
Too many coincidences in Weiner's tale: Post

What we know: Instapundit
Isn't Weiner on the Commerce and Energy Committees?: Ace
'Weinergate': NRO

Economy

SCOTUS Makes It Official: California A Failed State: Mead
Bank Employee Wins Settlement From AFSCME: NRTW
Study tells college students the worth of their majors: AP

Investors Shift Focus To Jobs, “Stubborn Unemployment”: RWN
More Money Sent Down the NSF Rat-Hole: RWN
Chart of the day: America the Dependent: Malkin

Climate & Energy

Major Oil Find in Texas, 3,000 Wells in 12 Months (Unless Obama Stops This Also): Lid
Of Course: Obama’s Commerce Nominee is a Global Warming Fanatic: Malkin
Ooops! Biodegradeable products release methane which is more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas: WUWT

Media

A 'media ignoring-frenzy slowly morphing into an explaining-away frenzy': Instapundit
Sesame Street Spreads Secret Political Messages, Insiders Admit: Atlantic
Ben Shapiro Interview: 'Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV': RWN

The Difference Between Palin, West, Bush and Obama, In Pictures: Bruce
O’Reilly: We Demand a Statement From FBI on WeinerGate By Tomorrow (Video): BigGovt
Klein and Time Ride to Obama’s Rescue: PJM

DC Libs Happy to Sign Petition Banning Conservative’s Free Speech: RWN
Full interview: Sarah Palin & Greta on the tour bus: TRS
Hey Hollywood Moguls, Are You Following The First Social Media Agent On Twitter?: FastCompany

World

Europe at the Abyss: Samuelson
Will America see Europe-style riots?: Instapundit
FBI Official: Illinois Imam Wouldn’t Pass Background Check: Creeping

Another Narco Tank Seized in Mexico: DefenseTech
Kentucky: 2 Muslims from Iraq charged with terrorism: Creeping
Australia: Militant Quaker Gets Five Years For Multiple Sexual Assaults on Victims as Young as 13: Atlas

SciTech

AT&T ramps up lobby for proposed T-Mobile merger: WaPo
A Human-Powered Helicopter Takes Flight: PopMech
The need for an Alternative to Facebook: Altly

Cornucopia

Read this now if you are in despair: Andrew Lawton’s message: Malkin
Ronald Reagan centennial car wins Indy 500: Marathon
In Ben Affleck Homage, Armed Robbers Dressed As Nuns Hold Up Illinois Bank: TSG

Image: iOwnTheWorld (quote adapted from Porky's)
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Pepsi, Griffen & Sprite's Legacy Gift

"Regarding Erick Erickson's post this morning, which summarizes the four questions for Anthony Weiner posed by Dana Bash I have but one to add: Did Weiner ever sext others, particularly minors like the high school girl he followed for a time?" --Me, just now.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

The Obamaconomy in Two Mind-Blowing Pictures

"Winning the Future™, Obama-style."

In April, I reported on the Obama FoodStampCorps’s mission to enroll countless more food-stamp beneficiaries... Looks like they’re accomplishing their mission of dependency in spectacular fashion...

Food stamp usage by the American people reached a new high last month as more than 44 million people relied upon the government benefit to purchase necessary groceries for their families.

A new chart issued by the Supplimental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) on May 31st showed that just under 14.5% of the American public received food stamp benefits that averaged $133.24 per person.

As you've probably noticed, the federal government isn't feeling your pain.

Number of government-owned limos has soared under Obama

Limousines, the very symbol of wealth and excess, are usually the domain of corporate executives and the rich. But the number of limos owned by Uncle Sam increased by 73 percent during the first two years of the Obama administration, according to an analysis of records by iWatch News.

Oh, and then there's this: CNBC is reporting that the 'double dip' in housing prices is far worse than expected.

I wonder when legacy media will publish the entire list of failed Obama programs: from "Cash for Clunkers" to HAMP, TARP, Stimulus, QE2, ... etc.?

That's a rhetorical question, Sparky.


Kudos to CNN's Dana Bash: Absolutely Shreds Anthony's Weiner Over His Refusal to State Whether He Tweeted the Weiner (Transcript)

CNN's Dana Bash has a brand new fan and that fan's name is me.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) tells CNN he will no longer discuss a controversy surrounding a lewd photo sent from his Twitter account...

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Congressman, could you just ask - answer point blank, you say that you were hacked, which is potentially a crime. So why haven't you asked the Capitol Police for any law enforcement to investigate?

REP. ANTHONY WEINER (D), NEW YORK: Look, this was a prank that I've now been talking about for a couple of days. I am not going to allow it to decide what I talk about for the next week or the next two weeks. And so I'm not going to be giving you anything more about that today. I think I've been pretty responsive to you in the past.

BASH: But - but with respect, you're here, which we - which we appreciate, but you're not answering the questions. Can you just say why you haven't asked law enforcement to investigate what you are alleging is a crime?

WEINER: You - you know, Dana, if I was giving a speech to 45,000 people and someone in the back of the room threw a pie or yelled out an insult, would I spent the next two hours responding to that? No.

To her credit, Bash was having none of it. Her tweet didn't include a tawdry photo. It simply read:

Here's a news flash for Weiner: this story ain't going away.

In fact, the high school girl, porn star and other young ladies that Weiner followed (only around 90 people worldwide at the time he the hacker tweeted the undie shot) might have some interesting stories about other Weiner messages they could sell to The National Enquirer.

For big bucks.


Hat tip: Ace o' Spades.

10 Absolutely Bizarre Photos From the Democrat Utopia of North Korea

Behance has an entire gallery of spooky, posed photographs from the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) aka North Korea.

How do you photograph one of the most secretive countries in the world?
For Charlie Crane the answer was simple, photograph what they want you to see. If there is no possibility of getting underneath the surface then the answer was to photograph the surface itself. This series is taken from a larger body of work in Pyongyang, the capital city of North Korea... Although not commonly thought of as a holiday destination all these photographs have been taken at tourist sites throughout the city.











Remember: this is the inevitable endgame for the Democrat Party's incessant, eight-decade drive for ever more centralized, authoritarian government. Their various mandates -- governing energy, health care, retirement, automobile design, shower heads, you name it -- must be enforced through compulsion. That is: they must use force over the individual to compel adherence to their unconstitutional dictates.

That is what the Democrat Party's failed policies must inevitably devolve into: tyranny.

You can see the whole album here.


Proof that Weiner's account wasn't hacked; and: will the Daily Show's Jon Stewart speak truth to power? [JTT]

JTT:

1) Imagine you are a hacker and want to send one blast twitpic from Weiner's account, what do you send? Hmmm...

Answer: something much more hackworthy than the Weiner in grey undies.

2) Since Jon Stewart (and Huma Weiner) both know what this weasel's skinny legs look like, you think Jon will go there tonight? You know, speak some truth to power?

"Its a semi-known and entirely weird fact that, after college, New York Congressman Anthony Weiner and Daily Show host Jon Stewart shared an apartment in Soho. Well, technically, Stewart and Weiner's girlfriend shared an apartment, and Weiner was the guy who was there all the time, walking around in his boxers and drinking the last of the milk. "I was living there more or less because I was bumming off of my girlfriend," Weiner tells City Scoops today. "Technically speaking, I was living in my mom’s house." But they still talk, and Weiner dutifully TiVos The Daily Show every day. But he's not sure if he likes it. "I think it has a bit of a corrosive effect on my business," he says."

I wonder if Weiner the hacker ever sent raunchy photos to the female high-school student and the other young cuties he followed?

And, say, I wonder if legacy media is working on that angle? That's a rhetorical question, Sparky. Of course they're not. He's a Democrat. Hell, he could smash his car into a pond, drown a woman, not report it for half-a-day and then still be a lionized hero to the Left.


Larwyn's Linx: Dangerous Precedent for Press

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

Dangerous Precedent for Press: Zito
Charges to be re-filed against KSM and Company: Malkin
Land of the Lawless: Hanson

Memorial Day 2011: What American Troops Are Made Of: RWN
Will Obama Sink the Democrats?: AT (Lewis)
Top Obama health aide cashes out after health 'reform': WashExam

Weinergate

Weinergate: What we know (Update: Weiner hires a lawyer): Tatler
Help Me Bring the Weiner Hacker to Justice: IowaHawk
WeinerGate: We Are Simply Reporting the Facts: BG

Weiner Investigation Would Benefit All Parties Involved: Commentary
The WeinerGate Plot Thickens: Weiner Lawyers Up!: Ironic
Weiner hires attorney related to lewd Twitter photo 'prank': NYDN

Economy

NOTHING Can Stop State and Local Spending: RefBroker
CA Braces for Coming Tidal Wave of Released Felons: PJM
Locking Unions Out in Louisiana: HayRide

Like Obama, GOP plans pivot to jobs, economy: York
Michigan: turning schools into prisons: BlogProf
Crushing Harvard's Mighty Endowment Fund?: ZH

Climate & Energy

“May snow depths are deeper than anything we have seen in the last 45 years”: WUWT
WashPost: Freedom of Information Act not for climate skeptics’ use: JunkScience
Germany Announces Plans To Lead The Way Back To Third World Squalor: RWN

Media

Howard Kurtz: Weinergate ‘Appears to Be Faked’: BigJourn
Dan Collins, on Weinergate: 'Strangely enough, most women bloggers don’t... want to touch this thing': Attila
Nastygram of the day, NYSE edition: Reuters

On Memorial Day Obama Honors Fallen Troops For an Hour... Then It's Off to Golf for Four: GWP
This will be a very significant episode of Morning Joe This morning: DTG
Are Obama's Academic Defenders Vulnerable?: AT (Cashill)

World

Europe Becomes Obama’s Re-Election Campaign ‘Prop’: PJM
Iran: Ahmadinejad’s Spiritual Adviser Urges Muslims to Kill Israeli Children: WZ
Post-Mubarak: Over 400 al-Qaida terrorists now in Sinai: Atlas

Where They Really Need a Freedom Flotilla — Try Syria: Rosett
The World Would Be Better Off If Greece Were Allowed To Crash And Burn: RWN
CIA Warns Of A Greek Military Coup, Rebellion, If Austerity Intensifies: ZH

The Nazis Find a Home in Post-Mubarak Egypt: AT
Can the DoD Trust Brazil with American National Security?: PJM
Anti-Christian Violence Continues in Pakistan: CNS

SciTech

Cyber Combat: Act of War: WSJ
Google Earth Shot (Language Warning): RCC
2012 Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster is a topless beauty: AutoBlog

Cornucopia

Hangover Part 2 Review -- Three Stars: Ace
Sunday Funnies: Flopping Aces
German Art Forgery Scandal Reaches Hollywood: Spiegel

Image: The People's Cube
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: End the Regulatory 'Train Wreck' at the Obama EPA!

QOTD: "Um, bluff called, dude. As Derek Hunter said:

- Victims call cops.
- Perps call lawyers.
- So, thanks for the confirmation, feller.

As a funny Tweeter said (sorry, can't remember who), calling the police would only result in the classic horror movie reveal: We've traced the hack! And the hack is coming from... INSIDE THE HOUSE!!!" --Ace o' Spades

Monday, May 30, 2011

Transcript: Weiner stiffens defenses against #Weinergate "distraction", lawyers up, and insists that we all "move on"

Robert Stacy McCain has been pursuing the Weinergate story since it broke and earlier today he relayed word that Weiner has hardened his stance on the lewd photo allegations.

New York Rep. Anthony Weiner has retained an attorney to advise him “what civil or criminal actions should be taken” after a lewd picture was sent from his Twitter account... Weiner, who has represented part of New York City since 1998, says online hacking led to a close-up shot of a man’s underwear being sent from his official Twitter account Saturday night...

...Weiner’s office did not answer specific questions about the photograph, whether he has contacted authorities or the Seattle woman who received the photograph... He has said that his Facebook was hacked and if his Twitter had the same password, that too could be vulnerable...

...The key point about Weiner’s retaining counsel and making noises about “civil or criminal actions” is that it permits the congressman to employ the old “ongoing legal proceedings” excuse not to talk about the case. Anyone who remembers the Clinton administration will be familiar with this tactic: “Oh, well, we’re exploring our legal options and aren’t at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation.”

Interviewed briefly by CNN, Weiner was curiously incurious about the pursuit of the person(s) who compromised his Twitter account.

I was hacked, it happens to people. You move on.

This is a prank, uhh, not a terribly creative one, and it's a distraction...

Look... you've got Republicans playing games with the debt limit, a Supreme Court Justice who is refusing to recuse himself despite conflicts of interest, you have a health care act that's under siege, this... this is a distraction.

Oh. Right. It's a distraction.

We should move on. C'mon, people. Nothing to see here. Move along.


Update: #Vindicated!: Anthony Weiner Announces He Will Not Be Suing Ace of Spades For Defamation


Related (in reverse chronological order):
Weinergate Timeline
Now that @GennetteNicole has broken her #Weinergate silence, I have just a couple of questions
Photos: Anthony Weiner's Self-Proclaimed Girlfriend
Anthony Weiner makes underwhelming Twitter debut