Monday, April 09, 2012

Hilarious Jamie Gorelick Quote o' the Day

What's funnier than Bill Clinton talking about the virtues of chastity? That would be Jamie Gorelick extolling the high ethical standards required by members of the bar.

An American Bar Association group plans to meet this week to mull a question stirring up debate around the legal community: can someone who is not a lawyer own part of a law firm?

For 21 years, the answer has been no — except in the District of Columbia, the only jurisdiction in the United States that allows law firms to share fees and profits with non-lawyers...

...“Traditionally, law firms have been owned and controlled solely by lawyers, and they’re bound by a certain regulatory structure,” said Jamie Gorelick, a partner at WilmerHale who co-chairs the Commission on Ethics 20/20. “The concern is that a non-lawyer would not be similarly bound and doesn’t have the same ethical rules as lawyers.”

The same ethical rules as lawyers?

The... same... ethic --- HAHAHHAHAH AH AH AHA HAH AHHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA HA HA HAHAHAHAHHA AHHWHWAHAHHA AHWH AHW AHW HA HAHA HA HA HA AH AH AHHAHAW HA H HA AHHA (*choke*) AHHAWHAHA (*gurgle*) AHWHAHA (*wheeze*) ---

Must. Catch. Breath.

In 2004, observers were "astonished" to discover that a key member of the 9/11 Commission had a fatal conflict-of-interest. Jamie Gorelick had served as a Deputy Attorney General under Bill Clinton from 1994 to 1997.

It was later revealed that Gorelick had established a pre-Patriot Act "wall" that prevented the foreign intelligence and criminal investigative communities from collaborating.

Her 1995 memo, entitled "Instructions on Separation of Certain Foreign Counterintelligence and Criminal Investigations", stated explicitly that they would "go beyond what is legally required, [to] prevent any risk of creating an unwarranted appearance that FISA is being used to avoid procedural safeguards which would apply in a criminal investigation."

The result: shortly before 9/11, Gorelick's wall "specifically impeded the investigation into Zacarias Moussaoui", the so-called "20th hijacker."

At the time, an enraged FBI investigator wrote a memo to headquarters which included the sentence, 'Whatever has happened to this -- someday someone will die -- and wall or not -- the public will not understand why we were not more effective..."

The 2004 disclosure that Gorelick's service as a 9/11 Commissioner was the archetypical conflict-of-interest should have triggered a cacophony of complaints and demands for a new investigation. Instead, the mainstream media turned deaf and dumb and the controversy faded into the background.

Gorelick's "wall" wrapped a blindfold around America just when it needed its vision to stop the attacks that killed thousands and which sucked a half a trillion dollars out of the economy.

Where did Gorelick turn up next?

Though she had no training or experience in finance, Gorelick was appointed the Vice Chairman of Fannie Mae and served in the role from 1997 to 2003. During that six-year period, she earned over $26 million.

During Gorelick's tenure, FNMA suffered a $10 billion accounting scandal, an ominous harbinger of the firm's looming troubles. One of the falsified transactions helped FNMA hit earnings targets for 1998, which triggered bonuses for top executives including nearly $800,000 to Gorelick.

Put simply "Jamie Gorelick was one of the Fannie executives who benefited from inflated bonuses based on Enron-style accounting."

In 2002 Business Week interviewed Gorelick concerning the health of FNMA. She responded, "We believe we are managed safely. We are very pleased that Moody's gave us an A-minus in the area of bank financial strength -- without a reference to the government in any way. Fannie Mae is among the handful of top-quality institutions."

Less than a year later regulators "accused Fannie Mae of improper accounting to the tune of $9 billion in unrecorded losses."

Gorelick's highly unethical involvement with the 9/11 Commission, her malevolent entanglement with Fannie Mae, her ill-fated defense of Duke College [Ed: intentional Dukie antagonism] against its Lacrosse Team, etc. etc. long ago earned her the nickname "The Mistress of Disaster."

Anyone quoting Gorelick in an article about "ethics" deserves a heaping helping of ridicule. But this is The Washington Post we're talking about, after all.

And, if there were any justice to be found in the District whatsoever, Jamie Gorelick would be serving a 25-to-Life with a 5'9", 350 lb. cellmate -- and soon to be soulmate -- named Tina.


L.A. residents stunned to find out that solvency and 11% wage hikes for public unions may be mutually exclusive

I just want a Democrat to point me to one state, one municipality, one anything where their infernal policies of high regulation, high taxation, oppressive government and mirage-like Utopianism actually work.

But I won't hold my breath.

Offering a dire warning about potential bankruptcy, Los Angeles City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana said Friday the city will need to raise taxes, clamp down on employee pay and consider layoffs in order to keep solvent...

...The report comes two weeks before Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - who recently also warned of possible salary freezes and layoffs - releases his budget for the coming year...

..."The rise in the city's labor costs has not been as a result of increased employment levels, but rather increases in what the city spends on health care for employees, workers' compensation, employee compensation and retirement benefits," Santana said.

There is an agreement to provide cost-of-living adjustments of 11 percent for the next two years and 11.75 percent for deputy city attorneys.

"It is not sustainable without further reductions to the workforce and essential public services," Santana said. "In addition, these increases create substantial compensation inequity within the workforce. This will result in significant pressure from other unions."

But, whatever you do, don't outlaw public sector unions, or raise the retirement age, or require reasonable contributions to pension and health benefits, or actually pay workers market wages.

Heavens, no.

These are Democrats we're talking about. And Democrats are big government. They are public sector unions. And, together, they're dedicated to extracting every last cent from you, the taxpayer.


Merrill Lynch Chart Kerplodes the Administration's 'Official' Unemployment Number

The central bankers-slash-crony capitalists who run the financial system can't be happy with Bank of America's disclosure of the following:

One can write lengthy essays, op-eds, and client letters explaining both why the labor force participation rate is plunging due to innocuous reasons such as everyone over 40 retiring yesterday full of jouissance and excitement to begin the sunset phase of their lives using copious life savings earning 0.0001% in interest, or, inversely, why this is one great big propaganda ploy by the BLS to make Obama look good a few short months ahead of the pre-election debt ceiling breach, pardon, his re-election date. We prefer cutting to the chase. Here is today's chart of the day from BofA, which begs one simple question: when will the two time series recouple, because recouple they will, and how will America react to the realization it was lied to for 2% worth of unemployment "improvement"? The chart says it all.

I can just see Turbo Timmy now, screaming at anyone who will listen, "BUT WE BAILED THEM OUT! WE BAILED THEM OUT!! AND THEY JUST STAB US IN THE BACK!!!"


Exclusive: Marion Barry Campaign Poster

Biff Spackle discovered this poster, which highlights Marion Barry's commitment to ethnic cleansing.


Remember: it's not racist unless Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson and Al "Diamond Merchant" Sharpton say so.


Asset Management Firm Describes the Real U.S. Employment Situation As 'Awesome'. Just Kidding. It's Horrific.

Zero Hedge passes on last month's macro job report from IceCap Asset Management and it is, in a word, glum.

At its peak in 2008, the US economy was supported by over 138 million workers. Today, despite the American government spending billions to create jobs and printing trillions to save the banks, the American job machine has a total of 132 million people working. That’s a full 6 million less jobs than 3 years ago and is actually the same number of people who were working 11 years ago. ..
Just before the onslaught of the Great Recession in 2007, about 4 million Americans were working part-time for economic reasons. Today, we have over 8 million. ..
...in the USA there is over $1 trillion in student loans outstanding. To make matters worse, we should also consider that over 25% of these student loans have not received a loan payment during the last 30 days...

Under this administration, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has become a thinly disguised, Soviet-style industrial propaganda engine, churning out happy-face news as more and more workers 'disappear' from the labor force.


Larwyn's Linx: The Swedish Disaster – America’s Future?

Send us news tips. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The Swedish Disaster – America’s Future?: CDN
Eric Holder: My boss is an idiot: Surber
He Will Not Rest... Until He Get In His 93rd Round of Golf: ScMonk

Divider-in Chief: Why Barack Obama’s Partisan Presidency Must Go: CDN
New Black Panthers: Race War For Trayvon April 9th: Breitbart
Legal Insurrection readers are patrolling: LI

Economy

A Record 88 Million Missing From Labor Force: Breitbart
A Wicked Financial Storm Descends On America: NoisyRm
Hidden Cost of Illegal Immigration: Health Care Offered by ICE: Virtuous

We Owe How Much?: ZH
GOP lawmaker: change how unemployment measured: Hill
Leader of Party Slams Anyone Who Notices Dem Failures: LoneCon

2012 Elections

Conservatives Continue to Resist Romney: Breitbart
North Dakota GOP Screws Over Santorum: RSM
American Crossroads to launch anti-Obama blitz: Politico

Scandal Central

Foreign company acquires leading U.S. vote processing firm: Nice Deb
Martha Johnson Resigns: Details On the $820,000 Conference: CDN
Obama to hand out millions of taxpayer dollars in green energy firm bailouts: Knight

Climate & Energy

Obama an ignoramus on the causes of high fuel prices: Moran
Your Tax Dollars at Work: EPA Funds Radical Groups Suing It To Shut Down Coal Plants: AllGov
New EPA rule threatens coal industry, electricity consumers: GoUpstate

Media

The New York Times Lobbies For More Welfare Slavery and More Government-Run Plantations: AmPower
Who Said It? Media Matters or White Supremacists?: JA
Media Matters’ Eric Boehlert: Readers Of Weasel Zippers Are Racists: WZ

For Second Time in Two Weeks, CNN Correspondent Says 'F***ing N****er' On The Air: NB
Female Gun-blogger Gets Angry at Bill Cosby: Mellow Jihadi
Mike Wallace, ’60 Minutes’ Pioneer, Dies: NYT

World

Islamic dawah ads on Toronto subways sparks debate: Creeping
"Submit to Sharia or get out" of Sudan: Christians must become citizens today or be deported: JihadWatch
If Assad Survives: WSJ

Islam Conquers European Football: Gatestone
North Korea readies longer range rocket; Japan, S.Korea wary: Reuters
Awesome: Portland State Offering How-To Class On “Revolutionary Marxism”: MBT

Sci-Tech

Nest Thermostat Is Part HAL, All Awesome: Wired
US government hires company to hack into video game consoles: ZDNet
Scientists closing in on black hole at center of our galaxy: Fox

Cornucopia

200,000 Titanic-related records are published online: BBC
Picture of Obama and his Ex: Blogmocracy
Blair Kiel, former Notre Dame QB, dead at 50: Trib

Image: Guardian UK
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "Unfortunately, the realization that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and absolute central planning leads to epic catastrophes without fail, seems a long way away: most seem content with their lot in life, with lies that their welfare money is safe, even as the future is plundered with greater fury and aggression every passing year, until one day the ability to transfer wealth ... from the future to the present is gone, manifesting in either a failed bond auction or hyperinflation. The timing or shape of the transition itself is irrelevant, what is certain is that America is now on collision course with certain collapse unless something changes. And one of the things that has to change for hope in the great American dream to be restored, is the role, composition and motivations of government, all of which have mutated to far beyond what anyone envisioned back in 1776. Because America is now saddled with a Government Out Of Control." --Tyler Durden

Sunday, April 08, 2012

The Coming Reckoning

The civil society may be defined as follows:

...the totality of voluntary civic and social organizations and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society as opposed to the force-backed structures of a state (regardless of that state's political system) and commercial institutions of the market.

The civil society is something we Americans take for granted.

But what happens when promises to huge segments of society simple can't be fulfilled?

The next decade in Illinois will yield some answers; it represents the problems of the country in microcosm.

Illinois has combined $137 billion in pension and healthcare liabilities on top of $9 billion in current unpaid bills. Yet, Illinois legislators will not even ask 6-figure pensioners to pick up a portion of their health premiums...

...The Illinois Policy Institute ... is releasing 133 pages of frightening data. Beyond that $83 billion in unfunded pensions, state government alone faces an unfunded liability of more than $54 billion in retiree health liabilities over the next 30 years.

During the 2011 deliberations, two groups helped block retiree health reform: lawmakers of both parties who have state institutions (and thus state retirees) in their districts, and well-paid lobbyists whose prior careers in government entitle them to, yes, fat public pensions. If that happens this year, we want to read names.


Who is to blame for this mess?

• Public unions
• Politicians in bed with public unions
• Voters who vote for politicians who are in bed with public unions

Yet this problem wasn't supposed to happen.

Already levying one of the nation's highest tax burdens, Illinois' Democrat governor decided to raise taxes to help "close the gap". In January of 2011, Governor Quinn predictably broke a campaign promise and raised income taxes by a stunning 66 percent.

Problem solved, right?

Of course not. Because Democrats and public sector unions -- the unholy alliance designed to extract ever-increasing amounts of money from taxpayers -- choose to ignore history, facts, logic and common sense.

In a study for the Brookings Institution, Richard Goode (1983, pp. 96—97) expressed some of the all-too-predictable problems with raising taxes on the productive members of society (PDF).

High taxes may make people less willing to work, to assume managerial responsibility, to make innovations, to save and to invest.

The more progressive a tax the more likely it is that. . . incentives will he damaged. . . . Government use of tax revenues to subsidize or provide free goods and services that people would otherwise buy for themselves, such as food, housing and medical services, will accentuate the adverse effects on incentives. . .

Resistance may take the form of increased evasion . . [or] diversion of activities from commercial or organized markets to other channels that are less exposed to taxation, . . . Migration and capital flight to [regions]
with lower taxes are strong forms of resistance.

In other words, the act of raising taxes invariably fails to successfully raise revenue.

There is a reckoning coming. Retirees will not get the pensions and health care benefits they were promised. Vendors will not get paid in full.

The extra-Constitutional promises of temporary politicians have set this society on a course for an inevitable conflict.

It is our job -- it is our duty -- to re-moor this society to the Constitution. The alternative is too painful to consider. The alternative is to abandon this, the most magnificent society ever seen on Earth, to the rubrics of corrupt and power-hungry politicians.

And this I refuse to do. November is coming.


Delightful News: New Black Panthers Organizing 'Race War' -- Someone alert Eric Holder. Oh, Wait.

Well, this news should pose an interesting conundrum for our divider-in-chief and his henchman Eric Holder.

Unbelievable Audio From the New Black Panthers: ‘Suited, Booted, and Armed’

The New Black Panthers had a group phone call Friday to discuss the April 9 rally for Trayvon Martin... Hosted primarily by Michelle Williams and Chawn Kweli, the New Black Panther’s chief of staff in Tampa and a national spokesman, respectively, the call was filled with violent, hate-filled speech outlining the party’s future plans.

Williams: I just want to say to all the listeners on this phone call, that if you are having any doubt about getting suited, booted, and armed up for this race war that we’re in that has never ended, let me tell you somethin…the thing that’s about to happen these honkeys, these crackers, these pigs, these people, these motherf*er…it has been long overdue.”

Kweli: “Ya, what she said was right– we got to suit up and boot up…and get prepared for the war that we’re in…this stuff got to boil over, and all your great’s talked about that happened to be bloodshed involved with revolution- true revolution means some bloodshed, so there‘s blood being spilled because there’s a new life that is beyond this bloodshed. There is a new reality that is built upon your original African principles and spiritualities and values and norms that is beyond this bloodshed. But we gotta go do it.

...We’re talking about some blood. You’re gonna have to cross some blood, and go through some blood and some battles.

“And there are those who wish they could stand in this hour, to see the destruction of the devil‘s world and the devil’s society- and I‘m ain’t talking about no dude underneath the ground with a pitchfork and pantyhose. I’m talking about that blonde haired, blue-eyed, sometimes brown-eyed, Caucasian walkin around with a mindset, a demonistic mindset, and a nature to do evil and brutality.”

...Williams: “I say to everyone that is on this call right now, I‘m comin’ out of the gate…my prize right now this evening is going to be the bounty, the arrest– dead or alive– for George Zimmerman.

...Kweli: "...we want the complete removal of capitalism. Why? Because capitalism sets up a class structure and a class society. As I said in the beginning of the “haves” and “have nots,” [the] pivotal point is racism, it is racism that keeps them perpetuating a capitalistic motion. So yes, we want capitalism completely eradicated, especially from the minds and hearts and dealings of black people."
Obama's divisive rhetoric -- his tacit naming of enemies, from Republicans, the Koch Brothers, "the rich", the health insurance companies, etc. -- has set the stage for the unraveling of the civil society.

I've got a news flash for the president. This may be your last chance to speak out against this incitement.


The Definitive Leftist Family Tree

Spotted at The Looking Spoon, a complete genealogy of the Statist Left.


The complete poster version of the image was created by Curtis Bowers and is available for purchase at The Agenda Documentary:


So now you know the lineage of the Democrats' catastrophic philosophy.

And anyone claiming to be a conservative who sits out this election -- because they don't like this one or that one -- should be considered a deserter. For they are AWOL on the battlefield.


It's so touching that CBS News runs an affirmative action program for microcephalics, which seems to explain Andrew Cohen

On Friday, March 30th, Andrew Cohen -- the so-called "chief analyst and legal editor for CBS Radio News" -- authored what could be the most preposterous excuse for analysis this side of Paul Krugman.

Cohen’s cheap shot... came in #7 of [his Atlantic article entitled] “13 Final Thoughts About the Health Care Arguments.”

Cohen, who back in 2005-2007 appeared occasionally on CBS News television newscasts but is now, thankfully, confined to a few brief soundbites on the radio side, asserted in the blog post:

7. Smug justice. I admit I lost my temper on Wednesday. The arguments in the Care Act cases may be funny to Justice Antonin Scalia, the bully that he is, but they aren't funny to the single father who will avoid bankruptcy because of the law, or to the millions of others who will benefit from the Medicaid expansion or from the provision that allows young people to stay longer on their parents’ health care plans. Justice Scalia gets his health insurance from the government. To him, the care act is just another statute. Fine. Let him be so dispassionate when his conservative fellow travelers ask him to endorse an act of Congress.
Let me repeat:

"The arguments in the Care Act cases may be funny to Justice Antonin Scalia, the bully that he is, but they aren’t funny to the single father who will avoid bankruptcy because of the law."

Really?

Avoid bankruptcy? As the country itself is drowning in a cesspool of debt and unfunded liabilities?

But don't believe me -- believe the Medicare Actuaries or the Trustees of the Social Security Administration.

Medicare: $24.8 trillion -- Obligation per household: $212,500

Social Security: $21.4 trillion -- Obligation per household: $183,400

Federal debt: $15 trillion -- Obligation per household $128,000

Hey, Cohen: where's all that "free health care" coming from in your pathetic excuse for an analysis?

From the taxpayers?

From a country headed into a cyclonic funnel of fiscal torment?

Cohen, the sad thing is you're too dim to realize the evil of the unfettered government spending you're espousing. Because you're a mathematic ignoramus, a chronic putz, whose religion is Statism. You're a walking, talking joke.


Larwyn's Linx: Obama Jumps the Shark, Takes One Leap Too Far

Send us news tips. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

Obama Jumps the Shark, Takes One Leap Too Far: Foundry
Even 'Politifact' blisters Obama's SCOTUS claims: AllAm
Obama attacks as gullible minions continue drinking the Kool-Aid: CFP

The Real War on Women: Palin Vindicated: Pollak
Oklahoma police arrest two suspects in Tulsa shootings: Fox
Obama, the Happy Drug Warrior: RWN

Economy

IL Admits $137B in Pension, Health Liabilities: Mish
Two OWS Clowns Busted After Recording Vandalism for TV: JWF
Energy Dept. offers prize to create mobile apps that already exist: DC

2012 Elections

Quote of the Day: Do as I say, not as I do edition: Q&O
Court Watching: 2008 Democrat Vote Fraud (IN, VA): Publius
Santorum to spend Monday with hospitalized daughter: Politico

Scandal Central

Dubious Donations Illustrated (Illegal Contributor Edition): Power Line
EPA Overreach: Law.com
Man pleads guilty to gun charges in botched F&F probe: ABC-LA

Climate & Energy

FAIL. Obama’s Favorite Green Energy Success Story – Spain – Halts All New Renewable Energy Projects: GWP
Good News Enviro-Kooks: California Nuclear Plant Shutdown Could Trigger Power Outages: CBS LA
Lisa Jackson's EPA Goes Rogue: USN&WR

Anchorage breaks seasonal snow record last set in 1955: Watts
An about face by China on solar power: Watts
Idiot Marxist Kook Dick Durbin: Drive Hybrids To Stop Tornadoes: IHTM

Media

Obama's Network: Beacon
John Derbyshire’s parental ‘talk’ about race sets off Twitter firestorm: Twitchy
Use ‘Derbyshire’ as a Verb: RSM

The Administration’s Press: Driscoll
My So-Called Blogging Career: Riehl
Parting Ways: NRO

The Left is Losing the Media Wars: Lifson
Black Male Guns Down Handicapped 'White Hispanic', National Media Curiously Disinterested: JWF
NBC probe centers on staffer in shooting story error: Reuters

The Los Angeles Times Should Release the Khalidi Tape for Passover: Simon
Profiles in Narcissism: Charles Johnson Blinded by His Own Self-Righteousness: RSM
CBS News Analyst Blasts ‘Smug’ Scalia as ‘Bully’ for Daring to Doubt Constitutionality of ObamaCare: NB

World

Muslim Brotherhood’s $1.5 billion Holy Week Windfall: CFP
Men get seven years prison for cartoons of Mohammed on Facebook: Creeping
Avalanche buries 124 Pakistani soldiers and 11 civilians: Reuters

An open letter to Chilean communist student leader Camila Vallejo: Babalu
Pastor Terry Jones Calls Mohammad a “Liar, Pedophile & False Prophet” at Dearborn Protest: GWP
Germany Proposes Youth Tax to Pay for Baby Boomer Pensions and Bills: GWP

Obama Shows Support For Women... By Embracing The Taliban: Jawa
Report: U.S. operated inside Iran to collect information on nuclear program: Haaretz
Malmö: Hatred of Jews in a Swedish city: JPost

Sci-Tech

Inside the Army’s Secret Cold War Ice Base: DefTech
Dan Catt: New Aesthetic isn’t about 8bit retro, the Robot Readable World, computer vision and pirates.: Wired
REVEALED: The Price Of A Bunch Of Surgical Procedures: Insider

Cornucopia

Easter is a good time to learn how to defend the resurrection of Jesus: Wintery Knight
The Great Painters Commemorate Easter Sunday: Barnhardt
Pope marks Easter with call for Syria violence end: AP

Heating Up Our Voting Blocs: MOTUS
Top five regrets of the dying: Guardian
Tip Drill Makes Her Comeback Debut at Dream: Miami New Times

Image: AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Rick Santorum for President

QOTD: "It’s Easter weekend of an election year, and we all know what that means: President Obama will be spouting scripture in every direction. I find the sight nauseating, not just because I have doubts about the faith of a man who could spend 20 years listening to the hate-filled rants of Reverend Wright, but because Obama tends to get his scripture wrong. He desperately wants the Bible to support socialism and when it doesn’t, he hammers the Word into a square hole anyway.

Watching our president quote scripture is like watching a fish ride a bicycle." --J.P. Travis

Saturday, April 07, 2012

Hey, Justin Bieber Fans: Hope You're Ready To Pay Special 'Youth Taxes' To Cover Your Elders' Screw-ups

Via the indefatigable Gateway Pundit comes this delightful news:

Germany set to tax young


GERMANY is proposing to levy extra taxes on the young to pay for the costs of the country's growing numbers of old people, under government plans for a ''demographic reserve'' levy.

...The German Chancellor's ruling party is seeking extra sources of revenue to pay for soaring pensions and bills for social care costs as Germany's ''baby boomer'' generation ages amid a decline in the birth rate.

...The proposals, to be adopted by Dr Merkel's party cabinet after the Easter break, have not yet set a figure on the age tax but officials are considering a special levy of about 1 per cent of income.

Because of a slump in Germany's population, as more ageing Germans retire there are fewer young workers to replace them as taxpayers to fund generous welfare and pension arrangements.

Ain't socialism great, kids?

Supermarket Logic Problem

Uncle Ben sent this one in.

A woman was shopping at the local supermarket where she selected: A half-gallon of 2% milk, a carton of eggs, a quart of orange juice, a head of lettuce, a 2 lb. can of coffee, and a 1 lb. package of bacon.

As she was unloading the items on the conveyor belt to check out, a drunk standing behind her watched as she placed the items in front of the cashier.

While the cashier was ringing up the purchases, the drunk calmly stated, 'You must be single.'

The young woman was a bit startled by this proclamation, but she was intrigued by the derelict's intuition, since she indeed had never found Mr. Right. The woman looked at the six items on the belt and saw nothing particularly unusual about her selections that could have tipped off the drunk to her marital status.

Curiosity getting the better of the woman, she said, 'Yes you are correct. But how on earth did you know that?'

The drunk replied, 'Cause you're ugly.'

How George W. Bush Destroyed the Economy In Only Eight Short Years

The conventional wisdom among the denizens of the left is that George W. Bush took a surplus and destroyed the economy in only eight short years. The following illustrated story describes just how he pulled off this difficult task.

In 1997 President Clinton's HUD secretary, a man named Andrew Cuomo, claimed Fannie Mae had exhibited "racial discrimination" and proposed that 50 percent of the GSEs' (Fannie and Freddie) mortgage loan portfolio be made up of loans to low- and moderate-income borrowers by 2001.

In August of 2008, Wayne Barrett at the Village Voice wrote, "[Clinton appointee] Andrew Cuomo... made a series of decisions between 1997 and 2001 that gave birth to the country's current crisis. He took actions that... helped plunge Fannie and Freddie into the subprime markets without putting in place the means to monitor their increasingly risky investments. He turned the Federal Housing Administration...into a sweetheart lender with sky-high loan ceilings and no money down, and he legalized what a federal judge has branded 'kickbacks' to brokers that have fueled the sale of overpriced and unsupportable loans."

At the time, Cuomo said "GSE presence in the subprime market could be of significant benefit to lower-income families, minorities, and families living in underserved areas."

As the housing market unravelled thanks to these policies, even The New York Times' Paul Krugman admitted that, "homeownership isn't for everyone," adding that "as many as 10 million of the new buyers are stuck now with negative home equity... So many others have gone through foreclosure that there's been a net loss in home ownership since 1998."

From 2001 to 2008, the Bush administration tried more than 18 times to bring Fannie and Freddie under heel.

For example, Richard Banker opened testimony on October 6, 2004 in the House Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises with an almost unbelievable summary of a report entitled, "Allegations of accounting and Management Failure at Fannie Mae."

"[This] is indeed a very troubling report... it is a report of extraordinary importance [to] the taxpayers of this country who would pay the cost of cleanup. ....[the report questions] the validity of previously reported financial results, the adequacy of regulatory capital, the quality of management supervision, and the overall safety and soundness of the Enterprise..."

"We all know that the Enterprise is very thinly capitalized, but the potential effect of requiring a responsible capital level would be to adversely affect earnings per share, and consequently make the payment of bonuses [to Fannie executives] much less likely...

...I also wish to inform members of the Committee of another troubling incident... About a year ago, I corresponded with the Director’s office making inquiry about the levels of executive compensation at the enterprise for the top twenty executives...

...Now I understand why the Enterprise [Fannie Mae] was so anxious not to have public disclosure of compensation of an entity that was created by the Congress, and supported by the taxpayer... As a direct result of abhorrent accounting practices, executives have been able to award themselves bonuses they did not earn and did not deserve."

In 2003, the effort to rein in Fannie began in earnest with a GOP bill ("H.R. 2575—THE SECONDARY MORTGAGE MARKET ENTERPRISES REGULATORY IMPROVEMENT ACT"). The bill would have strengthened an independent regulator that did not have to kowtow to the political establishment. Like most efforts aimed at reformation of Fannie, the committee votes were typically on the straight party line.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): "I think it is clear that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are sufficiently secure so they are in no great danger... I don't think we face a crisis; I don't think that we have an impending disaster. ...Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac do very good work, and they are not endangering the fiscal health of this country."

Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA): "I have sat through nearly a dozen hearings where, frankly, we were trying to fix something that wasn't broke. [sic] ...These GSEs have more than adequate capital for the business they are in: providing affordable housing. As I mentioned, we should not be making radical or fundamental change... If there is anything to fix or improve, it is the [regulators]."

Rep. David Scott (D-GA): "...affordable housing goals for both Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae require that 50 percent of units should be built for low-and moderate-income home buyers, and 20 percent for very low-income families... Yet, from 1998 to 2002, African-American home ownership rates only rose from 45.6 percent to 47.3 percent, less than 2 percent compared with the white average increase from 72 percent to 74.5 percent, huge gap remains. Clearly, the mission of Freddie Mac, and especially Fannie Mae, is to close that gap..."

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY): "...I have to go to another hearing, I will try to be just real quick... I am just pissed off at [the regulator] because if it wasn't for you I don't think that we would be here in the first place. ...we are faced with is maybe some individuals who wanted to do away with GSEs in the first place, you have given them an excuse to try to have this forum [to change the] mission of what the GSEs had, which they have done a tremendous job... There has been nothing that was indicated is wrong, you know, with Fannie Mae... The question that then presents is the competence that your agency has with reference to deciding and regulating these GSEs."

Franklin Raines, former Clinton official and then-Chairman and CEO of Fannie Mae: "...In 1994, we launched our trillion-dollar commitment, a pledge to provide $1 trillion in financing for 10 million underserved families before the decade was over... In 2000... we launched a redoubled new pledge... to provide $2 trillion for 18 million underserved families before this decade is over. ...we are one of the best capitalized financial institutions in the world, when compared to the risk of our business... ...these assets are so riskless that their capital for holding them should be under 2 percent."

Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA): "I don't see any financial crisis."

Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL): "A concern that I have... is you are making very specific... broad and categorical judgment about the management of this institution, about the willfulness of practices that may or may not be in controversy. You have imputed various motives to the people running the organization... That sounds to me as if you have gone from being a dispassionate regulator to someone who is very much involved and has a stake in this controversy... And I will follow up on Ms. Waters's point because I think it is very well taken: Her observation is that the political context surrounding your investigation was that serious doubts were being raised about OFHEO... In fact, frankly, doubts were raised about your leadership of OFHEO. And all of a sudden, the response to that is to produce an enormously critical report."

Late in 2008, even ex-President Clinton admitted that the Democrats were guilty of destroying Fannie and Freddie... and responsible for the current crisis that has left the entire U.S. economy on the brink of depression: "I think that the responsibility that the Democrats have may rest more in resisting any efforts by the Republicans and the Congress or by me when I was President to put some standards and tighten up a little on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac."

And who were the top recipients of Fannie Mae's money-dispensing leaf-blower? The top three were Chris Dodd (D-CT), Barack Obama (D-IL) and John Kerry (D-MA).

And where are these Fannie Mae executives -- all former Clinton administration officials -- now? Are they serving time in prison as they likely deserve? No. They're enjoying their riches:
  • Franklin Raines ($90 million in compensation): Democrat adviser and one-time adviser to Barack Obama
  • Jamie Gorelick ($26 million): left-wing lawyer and Democrat fundraiser
  • James Johnson ($21 million): Democrat adviser and one-time adviser to Barack Obama
These Democrat crony capitalists -- and their friends in Congress -- greased each others' palms in a series of scandals, accounting frauds, and skulduggery that would make Bernie Madoff blush. When Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac collapsed thanks to their actions, AIG and Lehman Brothers soon followed, their portfolios undergirded by investments in the "ultra-safe" GSEs.

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

Oh, on second thought, the title of this piece is incorrect. Bush didn't cause the economic meltdown. In fact, he tried to fight it -- on at least 18 separate occasions.

More importantly, the conventional wisdom among liberals -- the dishonest talking points -- are completely and utterly wrong. That is, if you rely upon history, facts, logic and reason. Which appears to be a stretch for many liberals.

No matter your political affiliation, if you value the truth you will vote in November to fire every Democrat running for office. Because there are no "moderate Democrats" left.



Hat tips: Naked Emperor News, Ann Coulter, Barking Moonbat, Country Store ("Jamie Gorelick: the pinup girl for Democrat foolishness strikes again") and Gateway Pundit.

But She's Not Bitter

I refer, of course, to this hilarious report from Taegan Goddard's Political Wire:

Clinton Will Skip Democratic Convention

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will not be attending the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the Charlotte Observer reports.

"This year, she's secretary of State. And as the country's chief diplomat, she's expected to stay above all things partisan" as "various federal statutes and the State Department's ethical guidelines will keep Secretary Clinton in Washington."
Hillary Clinton. "Above all things partisan."

BWWHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHWHWHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHWHWHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAH AHA HHWHAWHWHAHAHHAHWHWHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAWH HWHAHHAHWHHAHHA (*gasp*) AHAHSHWHHWHAHAHAHHWHAHAHHAHA (*wheeze*) AHAHHHAHAHWHWHHHWHWHAHAHHHAH (*choke*) HAHWA (*oww*) HAH --- (*gurgle*) ---

Hold on. Must. Catch. Breath.

I think I just wrenched my clavicle.

See, there's this amazing new tool called "Google" and -- in about 17 seconds -- discovered the following news items from the last couple of months alone. Yes, I discovered the following severely partisan statements by none other than Hillary Rodham:

CNN, 1 April 2012: "Clinton criticizes Romney's remarks on Russia"

The Hill, 27 February 2012 - "Hillary: These Republicans are inflaming the situation in Afghanistan by criticizing Obama for apologizing"

Fox, 26 February 2012 - "Hillary Clinton Urges Muslims To 'Not Pay Attention' To Republicans"

Two more diametrically opposed concepts you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere: (a) Hillary; and (b) Above partisanship.

And now, a word from our sponsor: the EPA-ACLU-PETA-approved Obamamobile, new for 2012



U.S. News & World Report: Lisa Jackson's EPA Goes Rogue.

Flowchart for Undecided Voters

With November approaching, please print out a few copies and hand 'em to any undecided voters you know.



New Look for the Blog

After years of putting off a move to Blogger's new templates, I've finally taken the leap and converted over. The advantages:

• Cleaner look on most HTML5 standard browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari and IE9 (earlier versions of Internet Explorer will work fine, but it will look a bit clunkier)

• Better mobile support: it should automatically render correctly on Android, iPhone and iPad browsers

• A much nicer archive: if you scroll down a bit on the right side, you'll see a much more useful archive capability, with post titles of recent articles tagged by date

• Much better navigation: you can now scroll backwards and forwards through the blog using controls at the bottom of each page (I had to write this support myself in the old version and it only worked one way -- i.e., show the prior 10 posts)

Do you like the new look? Hate it? Let me know in the comments, where Biff Spackle will be fielding your responses with heartfelt missives.

And for those bloggers who also would like to upgrade to the new template structure -- but are afraid of losing all of their customizations -- I hope to write a quick guide to best practices at some point. It's not for the faint of heart, especially if you have a lot of custom CSS, HTML and Javascript.

Larwyn's Linx: The coming Libertarian Revolution

Send us news tips. Bloggers: you can install a Larwyn's Linx blog widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.

Nation

The coming Libertarian Revolution: Jer Jer
Marion Barry and the Left’s hatred of Asian entrepreneurs: Malkin
Bill Would Suspend Passport Rights For Delinquent Taxpayers: CBS LA

The Administration’s Press: Blumer
U.S. Brags About Quality Medical Care For Detained Illegals: JW
What’s Obama Thinking? Wickard, not Marbury: PJM

Economy

There are now 88 million workers who are “Not In Labor Force": LUR
The big March jobs miss--and why unemployment sure ain’t 8.2%: Peth
4 Months Of ‘Strong Hiring’ Cuts Jobless .2%: S&L

Union Wakes Up to High Price of Hopey Change: MB
Stuart Varney: Why Food Prices Have Skyrocketed: NoisyRm
Another Plunge in Petroleum and Gasoline Usage: Mish

Scandal Central

Access to F&F Witness Blocked; Ball Back In Issa's Court: Nice Deb
Issa, Grassley hammer White House for stonewalling on F&F: DC
Alaska gun stores say ATF engaging in new illegal activity: Examiner

2012 Elections

Wasserman Schultz payoff to big Dem donor with DNC job for daughter: LI
Obama Looks To Patronize Women With A “Female Forum”: Pirate's Cove
Obama White House Reinvents Republican War on Women: GayPatriot

Climate & Energy

Green Energy Fuzzy Math: AT
The Obama Administration’s Dishonest Claims on “Big Oil Tax Giveaways”: CFP
EPA's new farcical carbon mandate: Exam

Media

Kabuki: Arby’s fakes a Rush Limbaugh advertising protest; Update: Walgreen’s joins hands with Soros mob: Malkin
NPR Touts Leftist Campaign Against 'Hardline Conservative Policies': NB
Fox News Hires Supporter of Jeremiah Wright and Derrick Bell: NoisyRm

Breaking: NBC Fires Producer Who Created False Zimmerman Audio: NB
Trayvon Martin - Day Three Of Eerie Silence At NY Times: JOM
Jon Stewart has had it with Obama's fundraising spam: PolWire

Was the White House Press Question About Augusta a Plant?: Tatler
‘Obama’s War On Women’: Driscoll
Mr. Obama's Own War on Women: AT

World

Just in time for election, 9/11 mastermind to face Gitmo trial, death penalty: Creeping
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez heading to Brazil for medical emergency: Babalu
Camel testifies in Saudi court room: Bikya Masr

Why Israel Will Attack Iran: Forbes
The Obama Administration loves tax cuts….in China: Hawkins
Report: Obama Tells Iran He'll Accept Their Nuclear Program If They Promise Not To Build Weapons: WZ

Sci-Tech

Prototype Google Glasses spotted in the wild: CNet
Controversy Deepens Over Pesticides and Bee Collapse: EPA
Is Wind Spreading a Mysterious Disease Across the Pacific?: Discover

Cornucopia

Them’s the Rules, them’s the breaks: Cold Fury
CBS announces new venue for the next Survivor series: CrimeInChicago
Pilots eject as Navy jet crashes in Virginia Beach, wiping out part of apartment complex: Fox

Image: iOwnTheWorld
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: DEFEND HIM NOW: Marine to be Discharged for being a Tea Partier

QOTD: "I don’t know which is scarier—if Israel attacks Iran or if they don’t attack Iran." --Gen. David Petraeus