The petulant artisans at iOwnTheWorld subsequently filed an official rebuttal in the form of a poster.
Calls to Ms. Mitchell were not returned at press time, though an NBC spokesman confirmed that tingling sensations had been felt in the newsroom.
Calls to Ms. Mitchell were not returned at press time, though an NBC spokesman confirmed that tingling sensations had been felt in the newsroom.
Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2011: JWQOTD: "Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word: equality. But notice the difference: while democracy seeks equality in liberty, socialism seeks equality in restraint and servitude." --Alexis de Tocqueville
It seems after investing around $100 million in this project, Hawker-Beechcraft has been excluded from a contract, worth almost $1 billion, to build a new light air support plane.What intrigues me is the Brazilian company Embraer, the likely contract winner, is currently under investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Justice Department, for possible violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act...
...it seems George Soros has a connection to Embraer through Harbin-Embraer Aircraft a Chinese-Brazilian joint venture, and Hainan Airlines, which Soros owns a significant stake in.
...[There may be] nothing sinister going on behind the scenes.It’s troubling, however, that Hawker-Beechcraft was given no real explanation for this decision. It’s also troubling we’d buy a military aircraft from a foreign manufacturer, under any circumstances. As bad as Americans need jobs, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Never mind the national security factor.
It's still a mystery... but it's one that Hawker Beech intends to get to the bottom of... Hawker Beechcraft has confirmed that they will file a suit with the Court of Federal Claims following notification late last week that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has declined to review its protest of the decision by the U.S. Air Force to exclude the company's Beechcraft AT-6 from the Light Air Support (LAS) competition.
The company still has no concrete reasons for the AT-6's exclusion, having been denied explanation by the US Air Force on two occasions. The LAS contract is valued at nearly $1 billion of U.S. taxpayer money and exclusion of the AT-6 could result in a de facto award to a non-U.S. company.
• Holder's Justice Department orchestrated "Operation Fast and Furious", which sent thousands of military-grade weapons to Mexican drug cartels and resulted in the killings of hundreds of Mexican nationals and at least two U.S. law enforcement personnel.Planning to walk behind the nationally-broadcast Rose Parade Monday demonstrators against Wall Street 'greed and corruption' have constructed a 70-foot-long octopus entirely from recycled plastic bags... The octopus is said to represent the tentacles 'that reach into your pocket to get your money and a tentacle to get your house,' activist Mark Lipman told the Los Angeles Times....During a dress rehearsal of their plastic creature in November outside City Hall, activists carrying signs reading Teacher, Home Owner, Retiree and of course, 99 per cent, one-by-one stepped into grabbing point of the activist-raised arms pulling them in.
Are people so afraid to stand up against the hatred, public hatred broadcast for the entire world to see? The image of the octopus has been used in attacks on the Jews for over a century. Here's a roundup on the Jewish conspiracy octopus at the Coordinating Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism.And the local organizers didn't even try to hide their hatred.
People keep saying that the Occupy movement is all about fairness and "getting money out of politics."
Right.
Hey, is that a Chevy Volt?
No Rest For Conservatives, the 'Sleeping Giant', in 2012: BigGovtQOTD: "The issue here is not gonna be a list of accomplishments. As you said yourself, Steve, you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president — with the possible exceptions of Johnson, F.D.R., and Lincoln. — Barack Obama"
Dennis Rodman is bouncing back into basketball — this time as a coach for a topless women’s team he’s launching for Headquarters Gentlemen’s Club, the New York mammary mecca. [Ed: "mammary mecca"? If we're going to do alliteration, how about "boob bazaar"?]
The NBA bad boy dreamed up the team after hearing that rival strip joint Rick’s Cabaret had launched a league with former Atlanta Hawk Spud Webb, who runs the Texas Legends, an NBA Development League team. Rodman is even challenging Rick’s Cabaret’s topless team to a charity game.
“I don’t know too many men that don’t like a good-looking woman running up and down around the court,” Rodman told Page Six. [Ed: Word.]
Rodman, who told us he’s been a Headquarters customer for more than 30 years, is currently scouting for talent. He’ll be holding auditions next week at the jiggle joint for girls over 5-foot-10 to join the team.
“You don’t have to have too much experience, just know how to throw the ball into the hole,” was his sterling advice to hopefuls... Rodman said he also planned auditioning “players” during his appearance at Huntington, LI, club Paramount last night.
Team members will wear shorts, skimpy shirts and sneakers during games. “They’ll come out in a T-shirt or a tank top, but when the game starts, they’ll go topless,” Rodman boasted.
"[The EPA] sprang a terrible Christmas "present" on West Virginians, Ohioans and ...other Americans. In mid-December the agency - merely doing the bidding of its boss, President Barack Obama - announced drastic new regulations aimed primarily at industries such as coal-fired power plants... the EPA's new rules will force utility companies to close at least 32 power plants...
Okay, I admit it: this is a Photoshop.Over the past 50 years, 10 U.S. presidents have made annual budget requests to Congress, projecting deficits both big and small. But no other president compares to Barack Obama when it comes to the size and scale of the current budget deficit facing the United States.The country is facing an 8.3 percent estimated average national deficit of a two-term Obama administration — the biggest of the past 50 years. By comparison, the current estimate for Obama is nearly double the percentage under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush — and they were fighting the Cold War.
...So what does the current trajectory mean for the United States? We’re certainly no longer looking at a continuation of manageable deficits in the years to come. This is a dramatic change in the magnitude of annual shortfalls at the federal level. That’s one reason Heritage came up with a plan to fix the debt crisis.
Voter ID Terrifies Democrats: TimesQOTD: "Nancy Pelosi and her husband were parties to a dozen or so IPOs, many of which were effectively off limits to all but the biggest institutional investors and their favored clients. One of those was a 2008 investment of between $1 million and $5 million in Visa, an opportunity the average investor could not have bought, begged, or borrowed his way into — one that made the Pelosis a 50 percent profit in two days. Visa, of course, had business before Speaker Pelosi, who was helping to shape credit-card-reform legislation at the time. Visa got what it wanted. The Pelosis have also made some very fortunate investments in gas and energy firms that have benefited from Representative Pelosi’s legislative actions.
The Pelosis made a million bucks off a single deal involving OnDisplay, the IPO of which was underwritten by investment banker William Hambrecht, a major Pelosi campaign contributor. Writes Schweizer: “The same Bill Hambrecht went before the House Finance Committee, chaired by Barney Frank, a Pelosi ally, to push for a change in the registration process for stock IPOs, an exemption called Regulation A. Under current law, a company that plans an IPO of less than $5 million in stock gets an exemption from detailed reporting. Hambrecht wanted the exemption raised to $30 million, which would greatly benefit his business, making IPOs easier, quicker, and far less expensive. As the hearings began, Congressman Frank said, ‘I should note also that it was Speaker Pelosi who first called this to our attention earlier in the year. It is something that the speaker has taken a great interest in.’”" --Kevin D. Williamson, "Repo Men"
Car described as a fuel saver, but also a little pricey (Ed: and sometimes quite warm)......The Edmunds.com Web site called the 2012 Chevy Volt "arguably the most fuel-efficient car on the market, but it's pricey for what you get."
Contrary to what its name suggests, the Volt is far from an all-electric vehicle. It is powered by a 149 horsepower electric motor that relies on a lithium-ion battery pack until the battery charge nears depletion. A four-cylinder internal combustion engine then kicks in and replaces the battery pack in generating power for the electric motor. A fully charged Volt can travel about 35 miles before it begins using gasoline at a rate of about 40 miles per gallon, according to the EPA.
The battery can be recharged in about four or eight hours, depending on whether it is plugged into a 120-volt or 240-volt charging outlet.
The cars available at dealerships in the area sell for $39,000 to $44,000, but a $7,500 federal tax credit cuts the buyer's cost to the low- to mid-$30,000 range.
The Volt's introduction to the region has been accompanied by a wave of news stories reporting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration into potential fire hazards linked to the Volt's battery pack. The agency reported two fires and an incident of smoke and sparks stemming from safety tests conducted by regulators this year... The agency added that Volt owners who have not been in a serious crash "do not have reason for concern."
House Speaker John Boehner will face a challenge in the GOP primary next year, Fox News has confirmed.
26-year-old David Lewis, who does not live in Boehner's Ohio district, has filed with the Butler County Board of Elections (in Boehner's home county) to challenge the speaker on March 6.
Lewis is a Tea Party loyalist who lives in Clermont County on the east side of Cincinnati.
Asked about the challenge, Boehner spokesman Cory Fritz said: "The Speaker is focusing on working for the people of the eighth district to cut wasteful Washington spending, eliminate excessive regulations and help create a better environment for jobs and long-term economic growth."
Boehner did not face a primary challenge last year, though Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones has flirted with previous bids.
Seven New York state unions have filed federal lawsuits against the state over what they claim is an unconstitutional increase in health care costs for retired workers. This is not a promising beginning for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), now that Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has given more power to the states in implementing the law.
HHS announced Dec. 16 that individual states will be left to select their own “benchmark” minimum health insurance plan under the national law. As a key step in defining universal health care in the U.S., determining minimum standards of health care should be done on a national level. Sebelius’ choice to delegate this duty to states is a cowardly attempt to evade tough decision-making, leading to a less efficient and effective policy of accommodation rather than full national change, and decreased federal accountability for the outcome of the ACA...
...By delegating this responsibility to the states, Sebelius has also deflected federal, mainly executive, responsibility for the plan’s possible failure, though assuredly not its potential success. The unfolding details of the law will undoubtedly draw many critics: The greater the benefits, the higher the costs; yet the lower the benefits, the less successful the law – a trophy of Obama’s first term. With its validity and effectiveness questioned early on, the ACA is already in a weak position to affect change. Sebelius has further weakened it by giving up the federal government’s ability to establish a major component of how the law will affect the millions of uninsured people across the country...
...With the passage of the ACA as a move towards universal health care, the national government needs to be more involved in establishing the standards that will detail the bill’s vaguely stated requirements. Allowing states to determine their own benchmark plan is a disappointing indicator of the ACA’s potential to bring about actual change...
Why is this single graph so horrifying?
The moment you've been waiting for is here.
George Washington writes a letter to President Obama: PacoQOTD: "Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views beyond the comprehension of the weak and that it is doing God's service when it is violating all his laws." -- John Adams
1. When the police officer asks for your driver's license and registration, state: "No habla ingles."Government anti-poverty programs... now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand... More than 50 million Americans are on Medicaid, the federal-state program aimed principally at the poor...
...More than 40 million people get food stamps, an increase of nearly 50% during the economic downturn, according to government data through May. The program has grown steadily for three years...
...Close to 10 million receive unemployment insurance, nearly four times the number from 2007. Benefits have been extended by Congress eight times beyond the basic 26-week program, enabling the long-term unemployed to get up to 99 weeks of benefits. Caseloads peaked at nearly 12 million in January — "the highest numbers on record," says Christine Riordan of the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for low-wage workers.
More than 4.4 million people are on welfare, an 18% increase during the recession...
One of the few undisputed triumphs of American government of the past 20 years – the sweeping welfare reform programme that sent millions of dole claimants back to work – has been plunged into jeopardy by billions of dollars in state handouts included in the president’s controversial economic stimulus package...
...Robert Rector, a prominent welfare researcher who was one of the architects of Clinton's 1996 reform bill, warned last week that Obama’s stimulus plan was a “welfare spendathon” that would amount to the largest one-year increase in government handouts in American history... Despite dire warnings that reduced benefits for single mothers and deadlines on entitlement would create a social calamity – one liberal senator warned at the time that children would be “sleeping on grates” – the 1996 reforms cut welfare rolls from more than 5m families in 1995 to below 2m a decade later without a discernible increase in hardship.
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....Out-of-wedlock births are strongly related to welfare dependency. A 1 percent increase in the welfare dependent population in a state increases the number of births to single mothers by about 0.5 percent...
...Welfare dependency reduces employment. A 1 percent increase in the dependent population increases the number who are not employed by about 0.1 percent... An increase in welfare benefits reduces employment by increasing the number of welfare dependents. An increase in AFDC benefits by 1 percent of average income increases the number who are not employed by about 0.5.
"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."
"[R]esearch strongly suggests both that young adults and teens raised in single-parent homes are 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 noted 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."