Thursday, January 12, 2012

Good News: Federal Highway Funds Used to Buy Bus Stop Shelters for a Mere $106,000 each

Well, golly gee, Granny Botox, these lovely covered benches certainly appear to be bargains at twice the price!

Should a simple bus shelter -- basically a few benches covered by a roof -- cost as much to build as a three-bedroom house?

That's a question that is provoking outrage and official embarrassment in the southern Oregon city of Grants Pass, which this week signed off on a project to build five bus shelters at an estimated cost of $106,000 apiece.

To some, the price tag is particularly galling given the increasingly fierce competition for dwindling federal highway dollars, which are paying for the project.

"The price is obviously high," said Grants Pass Mayor Mike Murphy, clearly chagrined at the negative publicity his city is getting. "It makes everyone want to hold their nose and gag a little bit here."

But he said the city has little control over the construction cost, which is dictated by a combination of federal and state spending rules. So what was supposed to be a symbol of civic progress instead has turned into an object lesson in the way government makes itself look bad.

"The feeling in the community is this is an outrageous use of federal money and so we should turn it down," Murphy said. All that would do, he said, is send the dollars elsewhere and deprive the city -- population 33,225 -- and its small, four-route bus system of some attractive shelters.

But there's nothing to cut from the federal budget!

And what would the children do, if we cut even a single dollar? What of the children? And the clowns?


Hat tip: Laughing Conservative.

Barack the Magician's Latest Trick: Made One Million Workers Disappear

Investors Business Daily calls it, simply, "Unprecedented."

Initial jobless claims unexpectedly jumped by 24,000 last week to 399,000 as more workers lost their jobs, the Labor Department said Thursday. At the same time, the economy continues to lose workers.

In the 30 months since the recession officially ended, nearly 1 million people have dropped out of the labor force — they aren't working, and they aren't looking — according to data from Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the past two months, the labor force shrank by 170,000.

This is virtually unprecedented in past economic recoveries, at least since the BLS has kept detailed records. In the past nine recoveries, the labor force had climbed an average 3.5 million by this point, according to an IBD analysis of the BLS data.

...According to the BLS, the "labor force participation rate" — the ratio of the number of people either working or looking for work compared with the entire working-age population — is now 64%, down from 65.7% when the recession ended in June 2009. That's the lowest level since women began entering the workforce in far greater numbers several decades ago.

If you adjust for this drop, the unemployment rate would be close to 11%, instead of the official 8.5%.

At this rate, the completely politicized Bureau of Labor Statistics should just remove a few more million workers from the labor force, so they can get the unemployment rate down to, say, 4.8%. Like it was during those nightmarish Bush years.


Related: Obama Labor Politburo Now Publishing Patently Bogus Unemployment Propaganda.

Gallup: Conservatives Remain Largest Ideological Group in U.S.

How a center-right country elected one of the most radical leftists imaginable to the office of president remains one of the great mysteries of science.

Political ideology in the U.S. held steady in 2011, with 40% of Americans continuing to describe their views as conservative, 35% as moderate, and 21% as liberal. This marks the third straight year that conservatives have outnumbered moderates, after more than a decade in which moderates mainly tied or outnumbered conservatives...

...The percentage of Americans calling themselves "moderate" has gradually diminished in the U.S. since it was 43% in 1992. That is the year Gallup started routinely measuring ideology with the current question. It fell to 39% in 2002 and has been 35% since 2010. At the same time, the country became more politically polarized, with the percentages of Americans calling themselves either "conservative" or "liberal" each increasing.

This chart helpfully breaks out those liberals into their various sub-segments.

No. No, I didn't. I never made any modifications to the chart.

Not that you know of.


Man of the people: Obama unveils high-priced, designer campaign fashions

Nothing appeals to the middle class during a brutal recession like overpriced, haute couture Obama logo gear.

Forget those pedestrian campaign t-shirts, buttons and bumper stickers. The Obama Campaign has officially gone upscale and chic in an effort to help re-elect the president in 2012.

Their new “Runway to Win” line of designer campaign swag is now for sale in the campaign’s online store, featuring colorful $85 tote bags by big name designers Vera Wang and Diane Von Furstenberg and a $75 version by fashion favorite Tory Burch.

Looking for a t-shirt? Stars Marc Jacobs, Beyonce, Sean Combs and Jason Wu — who designed Michelle Obama’s inaugural gown — have each contributed a design...

...The priciest of the 13 items listed online is a $95 for a Thakoon-designed silk scarf... Standard campaign t-shirts, it should be noted, cost $30, while a simple canvass tote costs $50 in the same online store...

...The money raised from the sale of campaign-themed apparel and accessory benefits the Obama Victory Fund...

The full list of participating designers: Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Beyonce & Tina Knowles, Derek Lam, Jack McCollough & Lazaro Hernandez, Tracy Reese, Narcisco Rodriguez, Rachel Roy, Thakoon Panichgul, Grace Tsao-Wu & Laura Kofoid, Diane Von Furstenberg, Marcus Wainwright & David Neville, Jason Wu, Altuzarra, Richard Blanch, Eddie Borgo, Georgina Chapman & Keren Craig, Sean Combs, Prabal Gurung, Monique Pean, Russell Simmons and Vera Wang.

That's the full list of designers that you should boycott (along with any company that sells their crap), since they obviously support the destruction of this republic.


Hat tip: @AmandaCarpenter.

Helpful Flowchart: Should I Vote for Barack Obama?

The Looking Spoon:

I also have a simpler flowchart that I use with drones Democrats. It's really just a "Yes/No" deal:

Q: Do you favor the current course of fiscal irresponsibility, which will bankrupt America and needlessly sentence future generations to poverty and misery?

If you answered "Yes", please vote for Barack Obama. If you answered "No", please support Rick Santorum for President.


Larwyn's Linx: Keep Their Feet to the Fire

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Keep Their Feet to the Fire: Shapiro
Photo ID provisions important to securing elections: Gingrich
All Of A Sudden, Romney Has A Narrative He Can Win With: HayRide

White House 'Insourcing' Photo Op Becomes Romney Bashfest: JWF
Newt Surges: within Error Margin of Romney in SC: Ricochet
Now We Will See the Real Obama: P&F

Project Veritas stings New Hampshire Voter ID-less laws: Moe Lane
Former Rep. Artur Davis on NH: ‘Voter fraud is common’: DC
Eighth Democrat Indicted for NY Ballot Fraud : MenRec

Economy

Who wouldn’t enjoy firing these people?: Coulter
Barack “Occupy” Obama Attending Five Fundraisers This Week: VS
Facing the Arithmetic: Whittle

State of the Union: 1,000 Days Without a Democrat Budget: ATR
Univision Attempts to Blackmail Marco Rubio: Elder
IN Right-to-Work: Unions Protest, Democrats Boycott: Watchdog

Gunrunner & Energygate

New E-mail Blows Hole in Obama’s “Fast and Furious” Story: Western
Like the Failed ATF “Fast and Furious”, the DEA is Trying to Track Money They’ve Given to Cartels: HispSpkng
Regime’s latest Fast and Furious claims scuttled by ATF Director’s emails: Coach is RIght

Climate & Energy

EPA: When reality meets bureaucratic inertia: Q&O
Supreme Court justices critical of EPA in wetlands case: CattleNet
Obama vows to back EPA no matter how many jobs it destroys: Fox

Media

Good Grief… 51% of Huntsman Voters are Satisfied With Obama as President: GWP
Angry Moochelle Angry Over “Angry Black Woman” Stereotype: JWF
A Peek Inside the Bitter Half’s Mind: Moonbattery

Tavis & West Radio Show Edits Out Harry Belafonte Criticism of Obama: NB
Axelrod Defends Jeremiah Wright, Says He Was Victim of Selective Editing: BigGovt
Credit Where It’s Due: Washington Post, Los Angeles Times Both Slam Obama’s Foreign Policy Record: BigJourn

Femme-a-gogue Debbie Wasserman Schultz smears Tea Party, exploits Tucson massacre anniversary: Malkin
Stop Scrutinizing Romney, Dammit!: Cold Fury
How Team Romney Will Sell Out Conservatives: Riehl

Did Allen West just get screwed by the Florida GOP?: Shark Tank
A note to the GOP leadership and all the establishment conservatives...: ProWis
Romney Has Lied and Maligned For Years, It's Time He Paid For It: Riehl

World

2nd Carrier Arrives: CVN 70 Carl Vinson Joins CVN 74 Stennis In Arabian Sea, Off Straits Of Hormuz: ZH
This Jihad’s Jumpin’ / It’s Really Jumpin': Camp o' the Saints
Mercedes-Benz Uses Communist Madman Che Guevara to Sell Luxury Cars: Foundry

Rutherford Arsonists Target Congregation Beth El Rabbi with Molotov Cocktails: Blaze
Defense Spending Is a Shovel-Ready Investment: Hanson
US naval strike group arrives in Arabian Sea as tensions rise with Iran: Fox

Sci-Tech

SOPA foes warn: Not much time left to act: CNet
Microsoft Bets Big on Kinect for Windows, But Splits Its Community: Wired
Best of CES 2012 Slideshow: NetWorld

Cornucopia

I've Come Up With My Slogan For 2012: Sweasel
Lady M Does Damage Control: Watch It Sucka!: MOTUS
Stuff I Like: LG Blast Chiller: Marfdraft

Image: Network World: Corning Gorilla Glass 2
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Since the days of Herbert Hoover, conservatives have rallied around Republican presidents. Republicans are their guys. No matter that Eisenhower prompted the growing power of Arabism in the Middle East; no matter that Nixon imposed price and wage controls and kowtowed to China; no matter that Reagan raised taxes after cutting them; no matter that George H.W. Bush raised taxes after promising not to; no matter that George W. Bush imposed steel tariffs, created a massive new entitlement program, blew up the education budget and bailed out Wall Street. They were our guys.

And then we wonder why our country has moved to the left. It’s not the fault of the politicians; we can throw the bums out all day long, and it won’t do any good. The answer is more basic: We have to be loyal to principle, not people. Politicians will not save us. We will save ourselves by holding our politicians’ feet to the fire." --Ben Shapiro

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The 2012 Campaign: 'It's Going to Get Really Ugly'

Jeffrey Carter at Points and Figures asserts that Bill Daley's retreat from the White House can mean only one thing: "It's going to get really ugly"

Bill Daley leaving the Obama administration was big news for ten minutes. But as my friend Streetwise Professor and I discussed on Twitter after the news broke, this really signals a big change in direction on how Obama will campaign.

It’s going to get really ugly. How ugly? Think of the election cycle from 1796-1804. It will be that ugly. The culmination of those election cycles was a duel by Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, with Hamilton losing his life after the gun battle.

Both Hamilton and Jefferson manipulated the press of that time to scandalize the other side. Character assassination is a mild phrase to use when describing the vitriol that went back and forth. Look for more in the coming months.

A parallel development, according to Ace, appears to be laying the groundwork for attacks on Mitt Romney's religion by President Subprime McDowngrade.

Turns out that Obama's Svengali -- David Axelrod -- says that the Reverend Jeremiah Wright's speeches were, eh, "selectively edited":

Nonsense, of course.

Here's where my ears prick up: I have said before that Obama could not possibly make Romney's Mormonism a campaign issue because of Obama's membership in an actual cult of hatred.

Right? One would imagine.

But is Axelrod's out-of-the-blue attempt to relitigate Jeremiah Wright, and claim he was quoted out of context by opposition researchers, an attempt to begin insulating Obama against charges about Wright, and thus freeing Obama and the Democrats attack Romney's Mormonism?

Ace, Ace, Ace... for a man who has compiled this list of historic firsts, you think that attacking his opponent's religion would be taboo?

As for sanitizing Jeremiah Wright's remarks, well, that might prove a tad difficult, Axelputz:

"The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing 'God Bless America.' No, no, no, G*d d**n America, that's in the Bible for killing innocent people... G*d d**n America for treating our citizens as less than human. G*d d**n America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme."

On 9/16/01, blaming the U.S. for the 9/11 attacks: "We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye... We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America's chickens are coming home to roost!"

"The government invented HIV to kill the man of color!"

In 2007, awarding the Church's Trumpeter award to racist Louis ("The Jews helped Hitler get the Third Reich on the road") Farrakhan: "Farrakhan epitomizes greatness."

"Barack knows what it means living in a country and a culture that is controlled by rich white people."

"Hillary is married to Bill, and Bill has been good to us. No he ain't! Bill did us, just like he did Monica Lewinsky. He was riding dirty!"

"We are deeply involved in the importing of drugs, the exporting of guns and the training of professional killers. ... We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority and believe it more than we believe in God. ... We conducted radiation experiments on our own people. ... We care nothing about human life if the ends justify the means... And ... And ... And! God! Has got! To be sick! Of this s**t!"

I don't know about you, but my preacher talks like this all the time.


Operation Grand Slam Nears Completion in Europe: Complete, Total Meltdown of Financial System

Mike Shedlock -- who has a damn good track record on macroeconomics over the past several years -- uses the following headline, which actually understates the problem.

Europe’s $39 Trillion Pension Time Bomb Explodes in 2012...


Even before the euro crisis, people were worried about Europe’s pension bomb.

State-funded pension obligations in 19 of the European Union nations were about five times higher than their combined gross debt, according to a study commissioned by the European Central Bank. The countries in the report compiled by the Research Center for Generational Contracts at Freiburg University in 2009 had almost 30 trillion euros ($39.3 trillion) of projected obligations to their existing populations.

...Stable or falling birthrates, plus rising life expectancies, are adding to pressures, with the proportion of economic output devoted to spending on retirement benefits projected to rise by a quarter to 14 percent by 2060, according to the ECB report.

Europe has the highest proportion of people aged over 60 of any region in the world, and that is forecast to rise to almost 35 percent by 2050 from 22 percent in 2009, according to a report from the United Nations. That compares with a global estimate of 22 percent by 2050, up from 11 percent in 2009.

...In so-called developed countries, the average lifespan will reach almost 83 by 2050, up from about 75 in 2009, the UN said.

...State pension obligations in France and Germany are three times the size of their economies, according to data compiled by Mercer.

Shedlock concludes: "The punchline to this economic disaster came in the middle of the article: 'Pension managers and governments are relying on economic growth to safeguard the promises they make.'"

Suffice it to say that Europe will be lucky to average any growth -- even one percent -- over the next five years given its imminent set of cascading defaults.

And, not to belabor the point, but this should serve as yet another alarm klaxon for any American concerned with the future of this Republic. That, of course, leaves out liberals, progressives and the rest of the Democrat Party, which appears bent on national suicide.


Image: Business Insider.

The haunting beauty of the welfare state evident in Greece as pedophiles awarded state disability pensions

The collapse of Greek society can't come quickly enough with news like this hitting the (virtual) presses:

There is a silver lining to America’s fundamental transformation into a replica of the bankrupt socialist basket case Greece. A least more people will qualify for special privileges and free handouts by being official victims. Greeks have extended that cherished status to pedophiles, exhibitionists, and kleptomaniacs, all of whom are now regarded as “disabled.”

The National Confederation of Disabled People called the action “incomprehensible,” and said pedophiles are now awarded a higher government disability pay than some people who have received organ transplants.

Also joining the ranks of the privileged: pyromaniacs, compulsive gamblers, fetishists, and sadomasochists.

Pyromaniacs and pedophiles are eligible for disability pay up to 35%. That beats being diabetic, which may only get you 10%.

Let this be a lesson to anyone who favors giving Greece one red cent of American money. They will flush it down the toilet, then use their utter helplessness as a weapon to morally mug us for more. Some derelicts are unworthy of charity until they repent and reform. The same goes for derelict nations.

Hell, I'm not worrying about paying Greek perverts (I'm sure Turbo Timmy will find a backdoor way to pull that off).

I'm worried about this delightful graph, which illustrates America's "fundamental transformation" into a social welfare state.

We are fast approaching Greece-level debts and, at the current trajectory of deficit spending, only three or four years will doom our financial system.

But at least we have warning signs.

The European socialist welfare states are collapsing before our eyes. What we are seeing in Europe is a preview of the Obama-Democrat agenda writ large. Socialism can't work, won't work, and has never worked in all of human history.

2012 may very well be our last chance to save this precious Republic.

You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done. --Ronald Reagan



Hat tip: Vicki.

Larwyn's Linx: Democrats and Executive Overreach

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Constitutional Crisis

Democrats and Executive Overreach: Michael McConnell
Obama’s Arrogant Authoritarianism: Foundry
House Republicans File Resolution Criticizing Recess Picks: Roll Call

Nation

Exposing Romney's fatal flaw: how conservatives can win: Riehl
All Of The Stars Align - Republicans and the Black Vote: Wolf Howling
Socialist Party USA to Rick Perry: Stop Calling Obama a Socialist: Blaze

Obama Appoints La Raza Radical to Control Domestic Policy: Pavlich
Romney Wins N.H.: Exam
VA court likely to allow Gingrich, Perry and Santorum on the ballot: Hot Air

Romney and McCain: The GOP Frenemies’ Club: Malkin
Mitt Romney's 'Inevitablity Factor': ConBlkChk
Chicago Political Turf War Heats Up: AT

Economy

The only known photos from Obamas' “Alice in Wonderland” party: Tatler
Man of the People: Obama Hosts Fundraiser at $45,000 per Ticket: Dossier
Making Young Voters Dependent on the Government: Scoville

In Greed I Trust: Williams
City: Rat population has ‘exploded’ around Occupy D.C. camps: DC
RomneyCare Just Got $150 Million More Expensive: Cato

Gunrunner & Energygate

DNC Chairwoman Getting ‘Fast and Furious’ with Eric Holder: Shark Tank
Finally: ATF Officials Involved in Fast and Furious Reprimanded: Pavlich

Climate & Energy

Don’t Listen To A Word Obama Says About Energy, Because He’s In An All-Out War Against It: HayRide
The EPA has a tough day in court: SAB
Massive oil deposit discovered in Arctic: Blaze

Obama to the EPA: 'Thanks for Being as Clear and as Least Bureaucratic as Possible.': Townhall
UK Report Says Wind Farming ‘Ineffective’ at Cutting Emissions: Blaze
Obama pledges to stand by EPA as it destroys economy: Hill

Media

Koch Derangement Syndrome: The New York Times’s Stalinesque Attacks On The Koch Brothers: Riehl
Politics Trumps the Left's Empathy: Steyn
Here's an Election Indicator Democrats Won't Like: MilPundit

Unseat These Atrocious Moderators: Bozell
Media Arrogance: Politico's Simon Suggests GOP Field Isn't Worthy of the Press Corps: NB
The Associated Press’s Stinky ‘New Distinctiveness’: PJM

PPP Poll Shows Santorum Most Electable In *NC Against Obama: Nice Deb
DeMint Predicts Romney Win in SC: Exam
Rush drops nuclear bomb on Newt’s Bain Capital argument: Scoop

World

The Euro Is Already Gone: Chicago Boyz
Champions of Freedom: Stossel
REPORT: Foxconn Employees Threatened A Mass Suicide Over Pay: Insider

Such a "Great" Idea It Can Now Be Proclaimed But Not Criticized: Obama Supports the Muslim Brotherhood: BRubin
Who Lost Nicaragua? Daniel Ortega Begins an Unconstitutional Third Term: Foundry
Filipino Catholics need massive military, police protection from Muslim threat: Creeping

Iran Reports Killing of Nuclear Scientist: BizWk
Federal Appeals Court Rules In CAIR’s Favor, Blocks Oklahoma Voter-Approved Ban On Sharia Law: WZ
Greece Bank Run Shows No Sign Of Stopping: Deposit Outflows Continue In November: ZH

Sci-Tech

How the Brain Spots Faces: Wired
Banks Unite to Battle Online Theft: WSJ
With Search+, Google Fires Another Shot at Facebook: Wired

Cornucopia

Lipstick on your collar: C&S
Day by Daley CHANGEs: MOTUS
Furniture Blogging Gary Locke, Tim Geithner, and Xi Jinping: Mellow Jihadi

Image: Gateway Pundit
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Support Rick Santorum - a Constitutional Conservative for President

QOTD: "The dangers of the underclass here in the poorest quadrant of the poorest county in poor California are obesity rather than malnutrition. The local state dialysis clinic is tragically full of far more heavy than lean poor. (Yes, I grant that arugula costs more than Hostess CupCakes). More suffer from an expensive ingestion of an unlawful drug than the unavailability of a cheap ingestible prescription drug. The parking lots are full of Tahoes and Yukons; the public trolley for the indigent goes by empty.

Keep all that in mind as we enter the most divisive, class-warfare campaign in recent memory. We are living in the upside-down world Orwell wrote about. A president who likes upscale golf a lot, and Martha’s Vineyard even more, who has hired three “fat cat” bankers as his chiefs of staff (how odd that Emanuel and Lew probably both made a lot out of the Freddie/Fannie bubble), and who is the largest recipient of Wall Street cash in history now argues that half of America suffers from the hands of “them.”" --Victor Davis Hanson

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Militant Quaker Starts Shooting At Cops In Alabama

Did I say "militant Quaker"? Cause I meant to say the usual, CAIR-supported Jihadists.

Alabama man suffers sudden jihad syndrome and starts shooting at the cops.

Luis Ibarra-Hernandez wanted to do something extreme “to draw attention to Islam and himself.” So he fired on the police. The Gadsden Times reported:

A man thought to be an Islamic extremist is believed to have shot the windows out of at least two businesses in Alabama City early Sunday to lure police officers to the area and engage them in a shootout.

Luis Ibarra-Hernandez was charged with attempted murder.

Luis Ibarra-Hernandez, 21, from Albertville, was charged today with attempted murder, according to a news release from the Gadsden Police Department.

“After the man was taken into custody, he reported that he knew he must do something extreme to draw attention to Islam and himself, so he planned to shoot police officers,” Gadsden Police Capt. Regina May said.

Gadsden police officers responded to alarm calls for glass breakage after doors were shot out about 1:30 a.m. Sunday at AutoZone and Rainbow Food Mart near the intersection of 27th Street and West Meighan Boulevard.

The article did not say if he was here legally but the department is checking his immigration status.


I blame Bush.

Oh, wait. That's Ron Paul's line.


Chart: The Price of Gold Since... The Year 1265 A.D.

Tyler Durden offers the following graph courtesy of the Bank of England, which reinforces the notion that what goes around comes around.

We have often seen requests to show the price of gold going back as long as possible. Tonight we can oblige, with a gold price chart, indexed in 2010 British Pounds, going all the way back to 1265...

...To the surprise of many, the early 1980s gold price surge is not the only time in history when gold exploded. It appears that based on the surge in gold back in the late 15th century, there was actually quite a serious need for Columbus to go forth and find a source of gold, because last we checked Ferdinand and Isabella did not have Bernanke's money printers back then. And yes, as Goldman says, there were no ETFs back in the 16th century to draw demand away from the real deal and into make believe exposure.

Ben Bernanke could not be reached for comment at press time.


Related: Introducing the Obama Financial Anxiety Index Level™ (O-FAIL for short)

Men Who Seriously Lack Female Supervision [Bernie]

Bernie:









Related: A Photo Essay: Why Women Live Longer Than Men.

Tehran TV's Iranian Idol: Ron Paul

Kenneth Timmerman pulls back the covers on the Crackpot-In-Chief's campaign, revealing an ugly scene in Tehran. Turns out the Mullahs love Ron Paul (not like they love goats, mind you, but strictly in a platonic way).

The Iranian regime’s English language propaganda channel, PressTV, has discovered a new American idol: presidential contender Rep. Ron Paul.

PressTV has stepped up its coverage of Paul’s campaign to win the Republican presidential nomination in recent weeks, featuring his anti-Israel rants, his claim that sanctions against Iran are “acts of war,” his approval of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, and much more.

The Iranian government channel portrays Ron Paul as an American hero, and brings on conspiracy theorists masquerading as political “analysts” to laud him for “challenging the American establishment” and the “corporate neo-conservative Zionist consensus,” that cabal of Jews, banksters, and Reagan Democrats who in Tehran’s eyes (and in the eyes of these Ron Paul supporters) run the world.

It’s a script taken almost word-for-word from the infamous anti-Semitic forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

...No contemporary U.S. political leader has been so in sync with Tehran as Ron Paul. Here are just a few of the recent Ron Paul sound bites on Iran and U.S. policy toward Iran prominently featured by PressTV:

“Just think of how many nuclear weapons surround Iran. The Chinese are there, the Indians are there, the Pakistanis are there, the Israelis are there, the United States is there. All these countries—China has nuclear weapons! Wouldn’t it be natural that they might want a weapon? Internationally, they’d be given more respect… They have no evidence that they are working on a weapon. “Paul blasts US policy on Iran, Aug. 12, 2011.

“I think we’re looking for trouble because we put these horrendous sanctions on Iran… Sanctions against Iran are definite steps toward a US attack.” “Iran sanctions ‘acts of war’: Ron Paul,” Dec. 31, 2011; “Ron Paul raps US hostility toward Iran,” Jan. 7, 2012.

Iran’s leader, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had never mentioned any intention of wiping Israel off the map.” Quick Facts: Ron Paul on US Foreign Policy, Dec. 24, 2011.

“Iran is not a physical threat to us. They do not have capabilities. The stories you might hear about them being on the verge of a nuclear weapon is not true by our CIA and by the United Nations. They are not on the verge of it.” Quick Facts: Ron Paul on US Foreign Policy, Dec. 24, 2011.

“Who are they [Iran] going to bomb? If they had one or two bombs, they are going to bomb Israel? Israel has 300 of them! And our submarines all around there passing and everything else.” Quick Facts: Ron Paul on US Foreign Policy, Dec. 24, 2011...

Of course, Paul -- an unabashed propagandist for the Mullahs -- willfully ignores their well-documented threats, screeds and promises of destruction.

"We have a strategy drawn up for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization... we must make use of everything we have at hand to strike at this front by means of our suicide operations or by means of our missiles." -- Hassan Abbasi, "strategic adviser" to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"We are in the process of an historical war between the World of Arrogance [the West] and the Islamic world, and this war has been going on for hundreds of years... Is it possible for us to witness a world without America and Zionism? ...you had best know that this... goal [is] attainable." -- Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

"We have established a department that will take care of England. England's demise is on our agenda." -- Hassan Abbasi

But maybe the Iranians are just kidding about destroying America and Israel. Kinda like Hitler's satirical work, Mein Kampf.


Genius: Companies being fined by EPA for not using biofuel that hasn't been invented yet

Isn't this the perfect microcosm of the flat-earth, no-growth, eco-Marxists who today are running wild in the Obama administration?

When the companies that supply motor fuel close the books on 2011, they will pay about $6.8 million in penalties to the Treasury because they failed to mix a special type of biofuel into their gasoline and diesel as required by law.

But there was none to be had. Outside a handful of laboratories and workshops, the ingredient, cellulosic biofuel, does not exist. [Ed: but that never stopped an eco-Marxist, did it?]

In 2012, the oil companies expect to pay even higher penalties for failing to blend in the fuel, which is made from wood chips or the inedible parts of plants like corncobs. Refiners were required to blend 6.6 million gallons into gasoline and diesel in 2011 and face a quota of 8.65 million gallons this year.

“It belies logic,” Charles T. Drevna, the president of the National Petrochemicals and Refiners Association, said of the 2011 quota. And raising the quota for 2012 when there is no production makes even less sense, he said.

Penalizing the fuel suppliers demonstrates what happens when the federal government really, really wants something that technology is not ready to provide. ...Even advocates of renewable fuel acknowledge that the refiners are at least partly correct in complaining about the penalties... “From a taxpayer/consumer standpoint, it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense that we would require blenders to pay fines or fees or whatever for stuff that literally isn’t available,” said Dennis V. McGinn, a retired vice admiral who serves on the American Council on Renewable Energy.

Yes, but don't ya know that a bunch of masterminds in Washington -- who have never produced a drop of oil, or refined a gallon of gasoline, or know jack-squat about anything related to energy -- are fully capable of producing regulations, fees, and fines, all with the force of law, to demand that technological innovation keep pace with their dreams and desires?

These bureaucrats demand -- demand! -- that innovation keep up with their central planning! How else can they organize an entire society?

That was me sighing. If this isn't the prototypical example that illustrates the utter insanity of modern liberalism, I don't know what is.


Hat tip: Vicki.

Larwyn's Linx: Palin, Limbaugh: Democrats want to run against Romney

Have a news tip or great story? Drop me an email. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget!

Nation

Palin, Limbaugh: Democrats want to run against Romney: GWP
Romney, the weak frontrunner: NRO
Huntsman, Gingrich, Perry all go Occupier; Santorum declines: Malkin

No hope that Obama changed: ConCom
You will love this GOP candidate for Utah-4: Lid
Gov. Haley Barbour Pardons FOUR Convicted Murderers: Bruce

Romney slides 10 points in 5 days in the NH Suffolk poll: Hot Air
Youth Vote: Our Future Laughed Off Stage: Alexa
Why is Ron Paul allowed to Continue Participating in Debates?: RS

Is Mitt This Election Cycle’s Linda McMahon?: RWN
Crime without punishment: AT
Incredibly, Pelosi Continues to Blame Bush: MB

Constitutional Crisis

No you don't, Sparky: Flopping Aces
There Was No Nomination of Cordray before the Senate: Cato
Santorum: Obama Reelection means America Will Be Gone: Tatler

Economy

National Debt Now Equals Entire US Economy: S&L
Obama’s Medical Records Requirements Already Causing Job Loss: Publius
Mitt Romney's RINO Austerity Economics Make Him Least Electable: Forbes

UAW Fund, Underfunded By $20 Billion, To Cut Retiree Benefits: LUR
DHS Program Completely Wasted $45 Million in Illinois: PubInt
Incoming Chief of Staff Jack Lew’s Past Statements: Bizarre: BG

Climate & Energy

Sackett v. EPA: Supreme Court Takes Up Property Rights Case: Foundry
Carbon Dioxide, The Wonder Gas -- Will It Save Us From The Next Ice Age?: Wolf Howling
Supreme Court to hear case of dream home quashed by EPA: CSM

Media

How Media’s Malpractice With Obamas’ Halloween Bash Hurts Conservatives: Loesch
MSNBC Puts Two and Two Together and Comes Up with Zilch: Truth About Guns
Krugman: Redefining “Equal Opportunity”: Q&O

Michelle Obama "distressed" that "white Irish Catholic[s] ...locked up" power in Illinois.: Sun-Times
Conservative Bloggers Should Moderate GOP Debates: Glob
Occupy the Quakers: Marathon

Homeland Security monitors journalists: RT
NYT's Bill Keller Endorses Obama-Clinton Ticket In 2012: NB
GA School Uses Slavery In Math Questions: S&L

RedState's Defense Makes No Sense: Riehl
Rick Santorum does NOT support SOPA: Scoop
Religious Player Hating: Tebow and Suggs: Alexa

This Week’s MSM Bias Award Goes to George Stephanopoulos: DLim
Former Olby Staffer: A "Walking Hostile Work Environment": Ace
Who is Paul Mulshine?: Riehl

World

Iran's ayatollahs are again testing US resolve: Bolton
Florida Muslim Arrested in Plot to Bomb Crowded Tampa Mall: GWP
China Slams U.S.' New 'Asian Focused' Defense Strategy: Fox

WaPo: Obama Foreign Policy an Abject Failure: Big Peace
Obama To Betray Missile Defense Secrets To Moscow: IBD
Feds: Man planned terrorism attacks in Tampa: Tampa Bay

The Shocking List of Gitmo Detainees Obama Plans to Release in Deal with Taliban: Blaze
Obama Finally Boots Venezuelan Diplomat Who Planned U.S. Attack: JW
Ahmadinejad’s “Hate America” tour to Latin America, threatens U.S. National Security: Babalu

Sci-Tech

India Reports Completely Drug-Resistant TB: Wired
Hell on Earth: NASA’s Toxic Venus Test Chamber: Wired
Google Intensifies Its Guerrilla War Against The TV Business: Insider

Cornucopia

Are we... living in a sports movie?: Moe Lane
'Second rate': What the Nobel Prize jury thought about Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings: Daily Mail
The Theme of Obama's Second Inaugural (defaced by some capitalist pig enemies of the state).: SSI

Images: Buzzfeed: 50 Unexplainable B&W Photos: and Ace o' Spades
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "According to Fed chairman Ben Bernanke (and I believe he is correct on this point) it currently takes about 125,000 jobs a month to hold the unemployment rate steady, down from about 150,000 in 2000. I expect that number to drop for a few more years due to boomer demographics, but the key point is the number is positive not negative.

The only reason unemployment rate has dropped recently is because [Ed: the highly politicized] BLS surveys say the number is negative (a shrinking labor force).

Based on historical data and Bernanke's estimates, one would have expected the unemployment rate to have risen during 2010... Instead, the unemployment rate fell from 10 to 8.5. " --Mike Shedlock

Monday, January 09, 2012

12 Freakiest Electron Microscope Photos














Maybe I ought to increase the zoom on that last one.


Pictures: Boston Globe, Amazing Data, IO9, SI Live, Natural History Museum, Telegraph (UK).

Rick Santorum: How are those Romney-style "moderate" candidates like McCain and Dole working out for ya?

Mitt Romney, contrary to popular belief, would be the easiest of the Republican candidates for Barack Obama to defeat. Not to say I wouldn't support Romney if he were the nominee (after all, he's not a radical Alinsky-ite bent on destroying "transforming" the country). Hell, I'd vote for a Golden Retriever over Barack Obama... it would certainly do less damage.

But Romney's so-called "electability" is an ill-disguised myth. He can't attack Obama on the Democrats' biggest Achilles' Heel: Obamacare. His Wall Street background, as we have seen in recent days, is ripe for an attack from the populist angle, whether it's warranted or not. And, as Rick Santorum pointed out this evening, "moderate" GOP establishment candidates have a horrible track record in presidential elections.

Drawing an implicit contrast with Mitt Romney on the eve of the first-in-the-nation primary, Rick Santorum [reminded the crowd of] a centrist, establishment candidate... the 2008 Republican nominee, [and] the people of this small New Hampshire town bordering Maine wanted none of it.

“Let’s put up Bob Dole, because it’s his turn,” Santorum said ironically of the 1996 GOP nominee. “Let’s put up John McCain, because it’s his turn.”

Some in the crowd started booing, while others cried out “No!”

...“Give us an opportunity to be that conservative alternative, not just in this primary, but the conservative alternative that will draw clear contrast,” he said, “and be able to attract the votes and voters we need to win this election.”

I urge you to support a true Constitutional conservative for President.

I urge you to support Rick Santorum.


A Letter to My Former Employees [Papa B]

Papa B writes, "This is a real letter (see Snopes) written by a businessman to his former employees, who he was forced to lay off during the ongoing economic downturn."

October 5, 2011

To All My Former Valued Employees:

You are the best of the best.

It took me years to attract a talented group of engineers like you and build this company into what it was. Like other small businesses that have struggled through this economic plague, we were forced to trim our workforce. Now it’s just me. I hope you are all well and I sincerely miss the good days when we were working together.

My goal as an employer was to give you a great place to work, a good salary, benefits, and good projects to work on that would challenge you intellectually. I think we accomplished this. We built a very comfortable office with a full kitchen where we would take turns cooking on Fridays, we went deep sea fishing twice a year, the company treated employees and wives or girlfriends to dinner once a month, and we all even went on a cruise together one year. Some business owners would not have done most of these things, but my goal was to have the best employees and to provide a great place to work. And, it paid off well. Together we were a great company, we were profitable, and I thank you for your efforts.

When the economy started to decline I held on to you guys. I probably held on for too long, but finding great employees was difficult. Back in 2008 we kept saying things would get better "after the election". Ironically, we are saying the same thing in 2011

because the country is no better off now than we were then. In fact, things have gotten worse. I know where each of you has landed, and I am happy that you are all well.

Unfortunately, the regulatory climate in this country simply isn’t conducive to anyone starting or growing a business. That means I won’t be hiring you back, or anyone like you, anytime soon. Simply stated, business hates uncertainty. The regulatory climate in this country and the attitude of our lawmakers breeds uncertainty. I have no idea what hiring an employee is going to cost me in taxes and medical insurance.

I have no idea what my personal tax situation is going to be. The banking system has crawled into its shell in fear of additional regulations. They aren’t lending any money to anyone — despite the money — our tax dollars — that the government gave them. There is just too much uncertainty, and there is absolutely no incentive for guys like me to try to break out and grow. That is precisely the wrong attitude that we should have in times like these when unemployment is so high. I employed 15 people a few years ago. A drop in the bucket? Maybe. But I had 15 great employees that earned good wages. A couple of you got married, bought a house, and started a family during the time you worked for me. Certainly that helped the economy. If hundreds or thousands of small business across the country had enough confidence to hire and expand, think of the immediate and beneficial effect that would have on you, me, and the country.

I started my first company 17 years ago. I worked from home, and my wife supported us, took care of the family, and paid off my student loans while I worked on the business. Any small business owner will tell you that it takes hard work and dedication to make a company succeed. This one was no different. My office was in my house, making working long nights and weekends the norm. We seldom went on vacations because with me out of town the company stopped operating. I didn’t leave the office for fear of missing a phone call. When we made enough money to get cell phones we were able to "relax" as the office was now extended to the car, or wherever I happened to be. Days were spent in meetings while evenings were spent drafting, doing design work, and scrambling to meet the next days’ deadlines.

Any small business owner will tell you that you never leave work. They are right. Everything depended on my ability to produce. You never leave your work "at the office". Employees have the luxury of walking away at 5:00, but the owner is still working late into the night, and then stays awake at night worrying about the next day. Family life suffers. Sometimes your health suffers, but you can’t afford to be sick. One day, God willing, you get successful enough to add employees. My first employee worked in my house. That worked for a little while but you just can’t have employees working in the same small house that you and your family live in. Luckily we were able to rent a small office and move out of the house. That simple move changed a lot of things. Suddenly you go from just doing the work to being a property manager, office manager, and payroll manager, along with all of the other tasks you were already doing. Those long nights you put in working from home are now a long lost luxury since you are now putting in long nights away from home.

Why do we do this? Because someday it will all pay off, or so we keep telling ourselves. My finest moments were hiring a staff of good engineers like you. I felt a sense of accomplishment when I was responsible for the livelihood of 10 engineers, being able to offer up to 15 of us a good salary, good benefits, and being able to give bonus checks at the end of a banner month or year. It felt good to be able to share what I had built with you guys, and to see genuine appreciation in your faces and in the way you worked hard every day.

So what went wrong? For my part, I should have let you go years earlier than I did. If I had, I might have made it through the storm a little better. I’ve already told you why that wasn’t possible for me. My worst day was when I had to invite you into the conference room to tell you that your employment with me was over.

The government says we are in this mess because Americans went on a spending spree they couldn’t afford. People bought houses they shouldn’t have and brokers packaged up all the risky loans into cool and lucrative new investment vehicles. If you listen to the government, what went wrong is totally our fault.

I think they, being the politicians, forget that it was government programs that encouraged people to get into homes they couldn’t afford. It was government ignorance of many publicly stated warnings against mortgage backed securities that allowed these vehicles flourish. I guess if you consider that it was us that elected these guys then they are right: it’s our fault.

In 2008 this country needed the best President in history. The country needed leadership. We bought "hope and change" believing that the new administration would bring an end to politics as we knew it and focus on America to bring the economy out of the worst decline in recent history. What we got was more of the same. It amazes me that the administration blames the other party for not being able to get any legislation passed when that same administration had control of the House and Senate for two years and still couldn’t get anything passed. We need leadership. The needs of the country demand it...

...Since the 2008 election we have spent ... billions of dollars in failed stimulus efforts, and put legislation into place that has scared the business community from expanding or hiring additional staff. Where is this money coming from? The Republican leadership is criticized for asking that same simple question, and then demonized for simply asking the government to match additional spending with cuts elsewhere. Small business owners understand budgets, being frugal, and controlled spending. We know that we can’t spend more than we make. The result is called bankruptcy. Why can’t the government understand this? What is so wrong with expecting the Government to spend within its means? What is wrong with demanding that the government clean up the wasteful spending that is both inherent and chronic in Washington?

I have always said that if every American had to write a check on April 15th to pay their taxes, this country would have a drastically different tax code. Instead of actually writing a check, most Americans have taxes withdrawn at every paycheck and they simply lose track, or get immune to the deduction. The biggest joke is the "refund". Wow! Bonus money in April. Can people really be that immune to what they are actually paying that they are tricked into thinking they are getting something free? I can assure you that I have never received a “refund” from the government.

I am one of the 50% of Americans that actually pay taxes. You heard that right: 50% of Americans don’t even pay taxes. As a small business owner, tax season is generally a bloodbath. It is amazing what I have paid in taxes. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that every American should pay for the privilege of living here and should share the cost of running this government. But when you actually see the amount you pay, you really start to wonder what you received in benefit for the money you paid.

Did I get any benefit at all from the stimulus package that I contributed to? Absolutely not. Am I going to benefit from Obamacare, which will eventually cost me a pile of money if I ever intend to hire employees again? Absolutely not. Do I get even a fraction of that money back in government services? No way. Since I am not a user of (or eligible for) government programs where I could get free stuff, I am simply forced to pay for others that are. A more fair way to would be for the government to charge for the services you use. That will never happen. But what is so wrong with a flat rate tax code? Everyone pays the same rate regardless of what you use. While the imbalance will still be there between those addicted to government handouts and those of us that aren’t, at least all Americans would pay something and everyone would have the same obligation.

The current focus on taxing the rich really cracks me up. Who defines rich? The current administration keeps sliding that number around. One day its people who earn $1 million per year, the next it falls to $250,000, and I’ve even heard numbers as low as $100,000. Some 70% of tax revenues in this country come from the top 20% of wage earners. So the current administration wants them to pay more? Wants them to "pay their fair share"? Are we to now believe that they aren’t paying a fair share of the burden? That’s crazy. It’s these people that have struggled like I have to build a good life and a good company. We’ve put in our time and we actually share the rewards with our employees and through the taxes we already pay. How about the other 50% that pays nothing? Should the top wage earners — and job creators — continue to pay for those who have managed to pay nothing?

So what went wrong? We bought hope and change and got despair and continued partisan bickering. We wanted leadership and we got none. We wanted a savior but we didn’t get one. So what went wrong? We did, and we had better get it right in 2012. The country simply can’t survive another 4 years of incredible spending and lack of leadership.

So what can we do? Vote, and pray. We need to vote for lawmakers that will stand up for the ideals that will bring this country back to the place of prominence it once was. America has lost the moral high ground, its place of prominence technically, and the strength of a thriving economy. We need to vote for lawmakers that will solve our problems today, and not pass them along to our children and grandchildren in the form of astronomical debts. We need a government that will live within its means just as we are expected to live within ours. We need a President that will rise above politics to lead different groups of interests to a solution that is best for the country. Most of all we need to unite as Americans and demand that our government fix the mess they have helped to create.

And then, we should pray. I am a Christian and I believe that Jesus Christ died on a cross to take the punishment for sin so that we wouldn’t have to. Because of sin, we couldn’t enter Heaven unless a sacrifice was made on our behalf, and Jesus made that sacrifice for us. The Bible tells us that in order to get to Heaven we must believe. And we must pray. We must pray that God helps us through these hard times and that this great country can be great once again. Whatever your faith, whatever your beliefs, we must pray.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Crowley, PE
Crowley & Associates, Inc.
Professional Engineers
Wake Forest, NC 27587


Malkin: Should the Secret Service be at all concerned that those Hollywood stars never showed up in the White House visitor logs?

You've probably heard by now that President and Mrs. Obama threw a crazily over-the-top, Hollywood-style Halloween Party in 2009, during the depths of the ongoing national recession. Alice in Wonderland director Tim Burton transformed the White House into a reproduction of the movie set; and stars Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska appeared in costume.

Of course, a compliant and docile legacy media reported none of this for fear of a political backlash.

But America's best independent investigative reporter, Michelle Malkin, noticed something interesting: none of the big Hollywood stars appeared in the White House visitor logs. The logs, of course, are all part of the administration's "commitment to government transparency."

Well, I’ve just finished scouring the White House visitor logs.

Regular readers know I seem to be one of the few in the media who actually does such a thing.

Regular readers also know that I’ve pointed out time and again that the logs are incomplete, misleading, obtuse, and designed to make it as difficult as possible to figure out who has visited and when.

So, it is no surprise that neither director Tim Burton nor actor Johnny Depp — hosts of the big 2009 Hollywood Halloween bash at the White House — show up in the visitor logs.


Perhaps the spokes-idiot Jay Carney will blame the Cheshire Cat; you know, that it used its cloak of invisibility to render Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Mia Wasikowska invisible to the Secret Service.

So much for even the last shred of credibility the White House had regarding "transparency".

The accuracy of the White House Visitor Logs appear to be roughly equivalent to that of the rest of President Obama's promises. Which is to say, every one of this administration's pledges are backed by the full faith and credit of a Greek 20-year note.


Pictures: Big Journalism.