Thursday, May 03, 2012

Life of Barry

First look, I guess, at the O's new fundraising website, which reportedly accepts lost, stolen and foreign credit cards. Because he's for the common man.


Spotted at Ace o' Spades, who says it was "an exact screen shot. X-A-C-T. Exact."


Related: The Death of Julia (caution: graphic).

Say, did I tell ever you that I gave the order to kill Bin Laden?

Because the only thing this failed president can do is distract folks from his miserable record.

At the Los Angeles Times, "Long-term unemployment affects nearly 30% of jobless Americans":

Photobucket

Nearly 30% of jobless Americans have been out of work for at least a year, according to the Pew Fiscal Analysis Initiative report on the first quarter...

...The report found that of the 13.3 million unemployed workers in the country, 3.9 million had been jobless for all or most of 2011. That's more people than live in Oregon.

That 29.5% long-term unemployment rate is slightly off the peak reached in the third quarter of last year, when 31.8% of jobless Americans were out of work for a year. But the current rate is still more than triple the 9.5% from the beginning of the recession.

"The longer workers remain unemployed, the more likely they may lose skills and professional contacts, making workforce reentry even more challenging," researchers wrote in the Pew report. "Skill erosion may lead to lower future income for individuals and, for the economy as a whole, lower productivity and lost output."

Older workers were more affected than most, with nearly 44% of former employees older than 55 out of work for longer than a year.

By the way, did I mention that Republicans are trying to restrict your access to contraceptives?


Headline o' the day: Rip Van Wrinkle

Because it's not every day you see someone booked for this particular crime:



Larwyn's Linx: Obama caught in another falsehood

Send us tips! Bloggers: install a Larwyn's Linx widget. Get real-time news, 24/7, at BadBlue.
Obama caught in another falsehood: Q&O
Obama-endorsed Occupiers plotted to blow up GOP convention: S&L
A Psychologist Analyzes The President: Pelerin

Decoding Obama's Leftist Campaign Codewords: IBD
Occupy Chicago May Day pics you won't see in the old media: Marathon
SF May Day Occupier hurls bricks and iron bars at police: Tatler

Economy

Companies Would Save Billions by Dropping Health Coverage: Foundry
Companies To Save Money By Dropping Health Coverage: Cove
Another Texas Win: Best/Worst States for Business 2012: ChiefExec

Obama Is America's Biggest Job Outsourcer: IBD
Obama has a great jobs plan... for Europe: Beacon
Number of Occupiers Arrested Tops 7,000: WZ

Everyone Booze Up and Riot: Sultan Knish
Indiana Illegal Immigrants Receiving Massive Tax Refunds: Beacon
Europe's Scariest Chart Just Got Scarier-er: ZH

2012 Elections

W. Va. Dems Bail on Obama: Beacon
Obama Swiftboats Himself: CFP
Blogger offers $10,000 bounty for Obama college transcripts: DC

Scandal Central

Sens. Grassley, Thune Want Answers on Fisker Loan: NLPC
Latest Scam: Illegal Aliens Getting Bigger Tax Refund Checks: Your bloated government at work: GWP
Did Rielle Hunter almost have a drug-fuelled threesome with Molly Ringwald and Bret Easton Ellis?: Daily Mail

Climate & Energy

Cache of historical Arctic sea ice maps discovered: Watts
Taxpayers pay more than $150 million in EV tax breaks: Torque

Media

Soros Liberal Front Group Asks FCC to Cancel Fox Television's Licenses: NB
If you’re a blogger looking for a temporary boost in traffic today, try to piss off Stacy McCain: Troglo
Book cites journals of Obama's ex-girlfriend: USA Today

EPIC! Michelle Malkin torches Juan Williams for smearing the Tea Party as racist: Scoop
The Ineffable Sadness of the Obama Presidency: XCV
John Edwards' betrayed wife 'tore off bra': BBC

So What Else Did Obama Fake in his Memoir?: Tatler
Pamela Geller Takes on Catholic Slamming New York Slimes!: iOTW
Mob of between 30-100 black teens brutally beat white male and female in Virginia: FAM

World

Obama's Afghan trip: 14,000 miles for brief remarks lacking one crucial word: IBD
How The Palestinian Authority Fights Corruption: Gatestone
"Cuba May Be the Most Feminist Country in Latin America": Fausta

‘Forward’ Through History: Tatler
Classified Records Said to be Missing from National Archives: FAS
France: Islam in election debate: IIE

Sci-Tech

Frustrated advertisers to Facebook: Take our money -- please!: CNet
BlackBerry 10's bold new features explained: CNet
Source Says Documents Reveal “Something Big Is About to Happen” With Apple: iPhone5News

Cornucopia

Redneck Engine Removal: C&S
Hitler Discovers Obama Stole His Theme Song.: MOTUS
The 10 most expensive items ever listed on eBay: MarketWatch

Image: Weasel Zippers
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate: Pink-Slip Dick Lugar!

QOTD: "Here's what Obama got politically from [his Afghanistan visit] stagecraft: Bonus public attention focused on the Osama bin Laden assassination anniversary. Photos of troops clamoring for his fist bumps. An entire day focused on him, his words and non-stop talk of the 10-year war winding down.

An entire news day, one of only 189 precious ones left before Nov. 6, not focused on Solyndras, prostitution scandals, GSA parties, $5 trillion in new national debt, no federal budget for three years running, high unemployment, sluggish growth, legal crucifixions nor Mitt Romney.

Nevermind the Kabul explosions, killing at least six, a couple of hours after his brief visit." --Andrew Malcolm

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

Beautiful: Obama IRS Refunding Billions to Illegals Who Are Claiming Kids... In Mexico

Just when you thought your outrage-meter had pegged the needle, you come across a brand new atrocity courtesy of a government that is completely out-of-control.

...Investigative television reporter Bob Segall of Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR TV Channel 13, was contacted by a long-time central Indiana tax preparer, who blew the whistle on a multi-billion dollar tax fraud about which the IRS has done nothing, according to the TV news show video segment that aired on Monday.

“There is not a doubt in my mind there’s huge fraud taking place here,” he said, slowly flipping through the pages of a [heavily redacted] tax return... “We’re talking about a multi-billion dollar fraud scheme here that’s taking place and no one is talking about it,” he said.

The scheme involves illegal immigrants that are filing tax returns, claiming child credits for multiple dependents under their support in “their” U.S. household, and collecting enormous cash refunds–such as one persons tax return that showed income of over $14,000, who collected a cash refund of over $10,300.

In 1996 during the Clinton Administration, the Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) was created in order for both resident and non-resident aliens, regardless of immigration status, to fulfill their tax filing and payment obligations under IRS regulations–even though an ITIN does not confer the right to work and receive income in the United States.

This year tax preparation offices across the country were flooded by an estimated 2 million illegal immigrants, who in growing numbers have been taking advantage of a tax loophole called the Additional Child Tax Credit–a fully-refundable credit of up to $1000 per child–meant to ease the income tax burden on working families who have children living at home.

However, Segall’s investigation and reporting found many illegal immigrants who were claiming these tax credits, but for kids who live in Mexico–even listing nieces and nephews.

“We’ve seen sometimes 10 or 12 dependents, most times nieces and nephews, on these tax forms,” the whistleblower told Eyewitness News. “The more you put on there, the more you get back.”

After Segall reviewed many of the heavily redacted tax returns, it was still clear that the tax filers had received large tax refunds after claiming child tax credits for many dependents... “Here’s a return right here: we’ve got a $10,3000 refund for nine nieces and nephews,” he said, pointing to the words “niece” and “nephew” listed on the tax forms nine separate times.

“We’re getting an $11,000 refund on this tax return. There’s seven nieces and nephews,” he said, pointing to another set of documents. “I can bring out stacks and stacks. It’s just so easy it’s ridiculous.”

Segall of WTHR was able to speak with several of the illegal immigrants who, using Segall’s translator–confirmed it is easy.

...Segall then met with Russell George, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Inspector General for Tax Administration, who stated … “The magnitude of the problem has grown exponentially,” but that the IRS has known about the problem for years...

...Mr. George said his department has repeatedly warned the IRS that additional child tax credits are being abused by undocumented workers–in 2009 alone, their annual audit report showed that ITIN tax filers received about $1 billion in additional child tax credits... The same audit report from 2010 showed it cost the American tax payers more than $4.2 billion...

One worker interviewed by Segall at his home admitted that four other illegals used his address to file tax returns, even though they don't live there. Between them, they claimed 20 children and a total of 30 people living in the residence. These individuals received tax refunds totaling $29,608.

The man admitted that none of the "20 children" live in the U.S., nor have they ever even visited!

And what does the IRS have to say about this? Yes, they're defending the practice:

The agency sent WTHR a statement, defending its policy of paying tax credits to illegal immigrants.

"The law has been clear for over a decade that eligibility for these credits does not depend on work authorization status or the type of taxpayer identification number used. Any suggestion that the IRS shouldn't be paying out these credits under current law to ITIN holders is simply incorrect. The IRS administers the law impartially and applies it as it is written," the statement said.

...Over the past month, WTHR has tried to ask the IRS more questions about its efforts to prevent abuse involving additional child tax credits... Despite repeated phone calls, e-mails and a visit to IRS headquarters in Washington, the agency said none of its 100,000 employees had time to meet with 13 Investigates for an interview. An IRS spokeswoman said all staff were too busy because of the tax filing deadline in mid-April.

Apparently, the IRS doesn't have time to respond to some tax preparers, either... Last year, our whistleblower noticed dozens of undocumented workers had used phony documents and false income to claim tax credits. He reported all of it to the IRS.

"These were fraudulent, 100% fraudulent tax returns, but I got no response; absolutely none. We never heard a thing," he said. "To me, it's clear the IRS is letting this happen."

The IRS tells WTHR it can do nothing to change the current system unless it gets permission from Congress. In other words, according to the IRS, closing the loophole would require lawmakers to pass a new law specifically excluding illegal immigrants from claiming additional child tax credits.

Folks: this is a huge story.

I urge you to pass it on to your mailing lists.

This kind of travesty must end in November. Or this country really will be "fundamentally transformed", as Barack Obama promised.


But they're for the little people: Michelle mingles with the rabble while wearing a $2,700 sweater

"...it wasn't until I stepped away from the corporate track and worked in city government and eventually helped to found the Chicago chapter of Public Allies, an AmeriCorps program, a national service program, that I realized how important public service and community service was to my own development... And now that the two of us have moved to Washington, our new home -- (applause) -- we both have continued to stress the value of national and community service..." --Michelle Obama, 17 March 2009


The phrase "public service" must mean something different to the Obamas than to you or I.

In March, the first lady visited her British counterpart Samantha Cameron wearing a L’Wren Scott sweater in a trendy bright yellow hue. The embellished cardigan costs $2,720.

Obama, widely regarded as a fashion icon, likes the brand so much that she wore a peach cardigan from the same line last week during the Take Your Child to Work Day festivities.

The next day, she wore another sweater from L’Wren Scott, this one white with red trim from the Spring 2011 ready to wear collection, for a visit to Fort Stewart with the president.

She has been a fan of the brand’s cardigans since at least 2010, when she wore this black and white number to a childhood obesity event.

The first lady’s favorite embellished cardigans from L’Wren Scott range from $2,095 to $3,320. Plain cashmere-blend cardigans from the brand start at $910.

For Michelle, her selfless commitment to public service means living large while sticking taxpayers with the tab.

It translates to spending $10 million of the taxpayers' money on vacations in only a single year's time and living like, well, a millionaire or billionaire.

Michelle Antoinette is the very model of selfless public service.

Remember how the media viciously attacked Sarah Palin for her 2008 campaign wardrobe, which turned out to be borrowed?

Curious how you don't read a thing in old media about FLOTUS' extravagant lifestyle and wardrobe, eh?


Hat tip: BadBlue.com.

Good news, Californians: your support for the de-industrialization of America is working. The bad news: this means blackouts for you, dimwits.

Over the past several decades, the eco-Statists have infested every level of government in the great state of California. They have destroyed farmland in the Central Valley to save a creature no one even knew existed. They have issued an unceasing blizzard of regulations so formidable that businesses have been escaping the state en masse. And, in the ultimate irony, they have helped shutter power plants throughout the state.

And now, the piper must be paid.

Will blackouts darken Calif. this summer?


California could be headed into another “perfect storm” of coincidental events that may result in an electricity shortage during the hot months of July, August and September... ...the Independent System Operator (ISO) serves as the central operator for the state electric grid. The ISO said that, while statewide reserves are fine, local and regional shortages could emerge. Of particular concern is the San Diego area due to the San Onofre shutdown...

...Southern California is working fast to get back into service two gas-fired power plants in Huntington Beach that were mothballed last year. This indicates how fast events have turned around on electric capacity planners.

To comply with regulations, both of the decommissioned Huntington Beach gas power plants had their gas lines severed and three-foot holes were cut in the boilers...

Enjoy your blackouts, drones!

Put it this way: the eco-Statists, working with the EPA, are intentionally sabotaging power generation. Why? So the federal government can step in -- as they did in automobiles, health care, banking, and student loans -- to effectively nationalize another industry.

Don't believe me. Just review their 10-point plan.


Helpful hint for reading an article written by old media: if there are words in the story, you can be sure it's unmitigated bulls***

See if you can detect the sublime -- almost invisible -- bias from USA Today (PDF):

5 men targeted bridge near Cleveland, upset that Occupy wouldn't back violence

The FBI sting operation that led to the arrests of five men in an alleged conspiracy to blow up a Cleveland-area bridge involved now-familiar undercover techniques to identify a potentially dangerous terrorist plot...

...What sets the alleged Ohio operation apart is its link to self-proclaimed anarchists — with no connections to international terrorist organizations — who believed that members of the ubiquitous Occupy protest movement had not gone far enough to express their displeasure with high-flying corporate America...

...Almost immediately after the charges were announced, the Occupy campaign moved to distance itself from the allegations... Acknowledging that the suspects ... were "associated with Occupy Cleveland," the group said in a statement that the five were "in no way representing or acting on behalf of Occupy Cleveland.''

I've highlighted the attempts of old media -- including in a headline -- to distance the Occupiers from the Occupy movement. A movement, I might add, endorsed by Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi.

Pity that few media outlets also noted that the same group had plotted to bomb this summer’s Republican National Convention.

Of course, the real headline should have read: "Obama-Endorsed #OWS occupiers arrested for plotting to blow up bridge, GOP convention". But that would have required accuracy, honesty and integrity, three attributes sorely lacking in state-run media.


Larwyn's Linx: For The Truth About ObamaCare, Just Follow The Money

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

Nation

For The Truth About ObamaCare, Just Follow The Money: IBD
America’s Two-Faced Liberals: Williams
Mayor issues emergency order after mayhem in Seattle: NoisyRm

Marx, Engels, Lenin, Trotsky … Obama!: RSM
Judiciary Chairman Unleashes on Holder: PJM
The Warren Wreck: Beacon

Economy

The income-less Recovery: Peth
Tea Party Drives Educational Reform With Free Market Principles: IBD
Illinois Faces 25% Cost Increase to Borrow $1.8 Billion: Bloomberg

Three Years of Shame: Bise
Rupert Murdoch predicts global economic crash: Twitchy
Banks Get White Powder Letters For Occupy's May Day Insanity: Cove

Obama Lies To Union That Supports Keystone XL Pipeline: IBD
The Hypothetical President: Harsanyi
Total US Debt Soars To 101.5% Of GDP: ZH

2012 Elections

Obama still behind 2008 pace with Jewish voters: Barone
Obama's New Campaign Slogan Is a Nazi Marching Tune (and tied to Marxism, socialism) : HySci
Jewish voters leaving Obama: Beacon

Newt: All of us have an obligation to do everything we can to defeat Barack Obama: LI
Afghanistan Must Be A Swing State, Because Obama Just Landed There To Give A Speech: Ace
Wis. Gov. Walker raises $13M for recall election: USA Today

Scandal Central

Occupy Chicago May Day video: Teamsters boss swats down my camera: Marathon
What happens if Congress finds Attorney General Holder in contempt in the 'Fast and Furious' scandal?: Fox
Video: Why does President Obama take so much credit for killing Bin Laden?: Jawa

Climate & Energy

Obama’s Crucifixion of “Big Oil”: Foundry
Vermont: doing their part to save the planet, one scoured mountain top at a time.: SDA
Quite possibly the funniest weather/climate photo, evah: Watts

Keeping Nature Exactly as Is … Forever: Stossel
Will blackouts darken Calif. this summer?: Cal Watchdog
Coincidence? Obama Praised EPA In Speech About Cuyahoga River In Cleveland Last January: Glob

Media

Exclusive: Obama Insider Reveals Secret Strategy to Beat Romney: Klavan
Washington Post‘s Dana Milbank Calls Obama’s Constant Campaigning ‘Sleazy’: Mediate
Hey, Girl! It's Paul Ryan!: RWN

There are no more "indispensible" political news or opinion sources: Hawkisn
Trayvon Martin, George Zimmerman, Sadly A Perfect Storm...: Traditional Woodsman
Five Mostly Peaceful Anarchists Charged With Trying to Blow Up Cleveland Bridge: JWF

Jarvis DeBerry’s Predictably Ignorant Column Attacking The 2nd Amendment: HayRide
Our Anti-Obama Press?: Bozell
Pathetic Michelle Obama spins a fable about her own mother Marian Robinson at a fundraiser: FAM

World

The path to bin Laden’s death didn’t start with Obama: Rodriguez
Communism Still a Horror; People Still Flee: Mead
Happy Victims of Communism Day! (2010): Somin

Vice President’s office behind turning away of senior Chinese defector from consulate in China: Beacon
Europe’s Jew Hatred Isn’t Just On The Fringe: Mead
Obama Campaign Slogan “Forward” Has History in Communist Propaganda, Probably Just a Coincidence: AllAm

Chris Christie's Islam Problem: Pipes
West Point Cadets Spend Night in Jersey Mosque: Creeping
No, really: 'Man marries goat' captivates millions: Telegraph

Sci-Tech

'Meat glue' poses health risks for consumers: KABC
Court bans Microsoft products from German market: Reuters
Historic Photos From the NYC Municipal Archives: Atlantic

Cornucopia

BO the Builder: skills, not so hot, butt he sure can dress the part: MOTUS
The Obama Bounce Test: Looking Spoon
Brutal ad slams Obama: Heroes don’t spike the football: Scoop

Image: Painters suspended on cables of the the Brooklyn Bridge, on October 7, 1914
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Now or Never: Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "In a Washington Post op-ed, Jose Rodriguez, a CIA veteran and author of the new book "Hard Measures: How Aggressive CIA Actions After 9/11 Saved American Lives," concedes that Obama "deserves credit for making the right choice."

But he notes that like the moon landing, the killing of bin Laden was merely the culmination of an effort that predated the incumbent's arrival in the White House by years: "[Obama's] administration never would have had the opportunity to do the right thing had it not been for some extraordinary work during the George W. Bush administration." Rodriguez notes further that "much of that work has been denigrated by Obama as unproductive and contrary to American principles."" --James Taranto

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Illustration: The President Honors SEAL Team 6's Need for Anonymity

Our winner: AfterMath, courtesy Laughing Conservative:


Interesting.


Obama taking credit for the Bin Laden hit is like Nixon taking credit for the moon landing

Read, rinse, repeat and forward:

Imagine if President Nixon had decided to base his 1972 re-election campaign on the boast that he landed on the moon. His predecessors tried and failed for eight years. It wasn't an easy decision--what if something went wrong? But that's why you hire a president, to make those gutsy calls. Which path would George McGovern have taken?

That's analogous to President Obama's effort to campaign on the killing of Osama bin Laden. His absurd braggadocio is turning one of the few successes to occur under his leadership into a political liability.

I know this much. The SEALs have had enough.

Navy SEALs blasted Barack Obama for taking credit for the killing of Osama Bin Ladent. One SEAL went as far as to say Obama did not even make the call.

‘In years to come there is going to be information that will come out that Obama was not the man who made the call. “

This was devastating. Leave it to the British press to get to the facts of the matter.

Mitt Romney had a good line when he stated that "even Jimmy Carter" would have ordered the UBL hit. Not only that, even Moonbeam Kucinich would have as well.

And then there's this:

Remember when Obama threatened to prosecute the CIA interrogators whose work led to the Bin Laden killing?

Remember when Obama put three (3) Navy SEALs on trial on the word of a murderous, scumbag al-Qaeda terrorist?

Remember when Obama installed a man who had defended Al Qaeda terrorists as #3 in the Justice Department, in charge of Gitmo terrorist trials?

And remember when Obama denounced the same enhanced interrogation techniques that led trackers to Bin Laden?

There's hypocrisy. There's Democrat hypocrisy. And then there's Obama.

Chevy Volt: The Only $41,000 Car In the World That Leases for $350/mo., Courtesy of... You

According to Investors Business Daily, the special inspector general overseeing the TARP bailout says that GM and its lending arm still owe taxpayers more than $40 billion.

GM ... still owes more than half the $50 billion in federal funds it received when the combination of the recession and its costly union contracts drove it into bankruptcy. And its lending arm, GMAC (now Ally Financial), still owes $14.5 billion...

...What's worse, it's not clear that GM actually repaid what it's gotten credit for repaying. Check out this note buried in the inspector's report: "As part of a credit agreement with Treasury, $16.4 billion in TARP funds were placed in an escrow account that GM could access only with Treasury's permission."

As it turns out, GM got Treasury's OK to "repay" more than $6.7 billion "using a portion of the escrow account that had been funded with TARP funds." So GM is merely paying the government back with government money, not money GM is earning selling cars, as the administration has claimed.

Worse, GM in effect is still borrowing money. Consider this item from the report: "What remained in escrow was released to GM." Bottom line: Taxpayers have not been paid back and are still on the hook as GM continues to require government help. Yet Obama has hailed the GM bailout as the signature achievement of his big government programs.

As if to illustrate the administration's lies, a friend checked out a lease on a Chevy Volt (MSRP: $41,000). He reported back that the car leased out at $350 a month for 36 months!

I figured he had to be lying. After all, he's a Dem. But, it turns out, he wasn't fibbing a bit.

...although most of the world will surely report on how the Volt MSRP of $41,000 puts it out of the reach of the average consumer, ... the real story is the fact that, if you lease the Volt, it will cost you the same as leasing a LEAF: $350 a month for 3 years.

That certainly makes things interesting, doesn't it?

...So how did GM make the Volt available for the same lease price as the LEAF given that the Volt's base MSRP is $8,000 higher than the LEAF's? For starters, when you lease a plug-in car from a manufacturer, the manufacturer can take the available $7,500 federal tax credit for themselves and roll that into paying down the MSRP. Add to that the Volt's $2,500 down payment, and now you're paying a lease on a $31,000 vehicle instead of $41,000...

The magic all comes down to the manufacturer's calculated residual value—how much they think the car will be worth at the end of the lease. GM has made the calculation that the Volt will maintain a very high value over the first three years of its life. As a result, GM has effectively engineered a situation where the vast majority of Volt buyers will decide to lease the car. Twinges of the EV1 days will surely flit through the minds of the old school California mandate folks when GM took all the EV1's back at the end of their leases and crushed them...

In other words, GM loses money on every car, but they make it up in volume.

Or, by filching money from the taxpayers while claiming all of their loans were repaid.

This, my friends, is lawlessness, but not unexpected coming from the parasites infesting the Democrat Party.

Here's why they call it "Taxmageddon"

Forward, lemmings -- off the fiscal cliff:

There’s some evidence that President Obama would consider letting all the Bush-era tax cuts expire (see [accompanying] chart from Strategas Research) at year’s end, even though that would mean a massive tax hike on middle incomers during a time of economic weakness. (Former Obama economic adviser and deficit hawk Peter Orszag is for doing just that)...


...I wonder if this [is] the Obama view:

– Tax hikes would ding growth, not destroy it.

– Top rates should be raised and tax breaks scaled back.

– Tax hikes would mean lower deficits and less pressure to trim back the welfare state.

And if that is what the president believes, we just might all go right off that fiscal cliff next year.

As a commenter observes, "The $494 billion tax increase above the 2012 expected revenues of $2.468 billion is a federal tax increase of 20%. Taxmageddon."

Of course, the "taxing the rich productive sector" strategy worked out swimmingly in Argentina, so it figures Democrats would copy it.


"Forward": a Gallery of Inspirational Posters Celebrating the President's 2012 Campaign Slogan

Because, given the economy, "Hope" and "Change" were both pink-slipped.








Of course, given young Barry's upbringing, this new slogan can't have come as much of a surprise.



Larwyn's Linx: Empire of Poverty

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

Nation

Empire of Poverty: Sultan Knish
Totalitarian Left Targets Conservative Bloggers, Twitter Users: Camp
Ex-CIA Chief: Nancy Pelosi Lied About Waterboarding: Scoop

FCC votes to make broadcasters’ political ad info available online: DC
Conservatives Gain, But Need Help Biting McConnell: RS
Are you on a “Block-List?”: CDN

Yes, these are the kind of people who should run healthcare: ProWis
“Unite Against the War on Women” march, Los Angeles: Zombie
Dems Introduce Bill to Seal Obama’s Presidential Records: Nice Deb

Economy

There's no way Democrats will cut the Obamacare slush fund: Ace
Obama’s NLRB Unleashes Ambush Elections on Job Creators: LUR
Most Useless College Majors: OTB

A Mournful Milestone: Beacon
Obama: I can Barely Hammer a Nail Into a Wall: Dossier
It's back - fake Food Stamp challenges: Thurber

Obama's clever campaign plan: Blame Bush, again: Exam
Free enterprise isn't part of Obama's vision for America: Elephant
Why the presidential election could be over at 8:30 a.m., October 26: Peth

I'm Swapping Some Gold for Silver: Mish
Occupy? Suspicious powder shuts 3 Wells Fargo branches in NYC: USA Today

Scandal Central

The 'Disgusting and Shameful' Obama/Holder Justice Department: HySci
Obama’s Solyndra Plant Now a Toxic Wasteland: JWF
Debunking the Big Lie that American Conservatives are Like Fascists: CDN

2012 Elections

Dick Lugar campaign abandons the Republican party: Hoosier Access
Harvard’s ‘populist’: Liz Warren’s pathetic pose: Post
Dick Lugar's Voting Record: RS

Climate & Energy

So What’s a Few Crucifixions, If It Keeps Everyone in Line?: Sundries
Why climate science is a textbook example of groupthink: Watts
No, Speculators Did Not Cause Oil Prices to Rise: SAB

Media

Good For Her–Arianna Huffington: Obama’s Bin Laden Ad “Despicable”: Bruce
#NotGoingDown – Warrior Chris Loesch Responds to Leftist Attempts to Silence Him: GWP
WashPost Writes The Public Be Damned: They're Biased If They Think We're Biased: NB

Obama Campaign Slogan “Forward” Has History in Communist Propaganda, Probably Just a Coincidence: AllAm
Antonio Gramsci Is Smiling Up From Hell At Obama’s New Campaign Slogan: HayRide
NLRB ‘ambush rule’ goes into effect: Hotel News Now

Obama's Chicago-Style Campaign: Lasky
Hitler's Deathday: Would-Be Dictators Need to Learn from Today in History: AmDigest
I thought I was suffering from blogger burnout once. Turned out I was just hungry.: Troglo

World

Navy SEALs: Yeah, Obama Should Probably Shut Up About bin Laden Now: JWF
Hey-O! Romney: “Even Jimmy Carter” Would Have Given Order to Kill Bin Laden: GWP
Taking away our soldiers' right to self-defense: Exam

Obama Ignores Law, Shovels Our Money at Palestinian Terrorists, Then Lies : MB
How to stop Obama and Clinton from funding the 'Palestinians': Matzav
Kuwait Considering Death Penalty for Blasphemy : Gatestone

Terrorists with body bombs may target US-bound planes: KABC
Obama funds Palestinians, gives middle finger to Congress : ProWis
SEALs slam Obama for taking credit for bin Laden killing during election campaign: Daily Mail

Sci-Tech

Analytics Reveal 13 New Basketball Positions: Wired
Microsoft is investing $300 million in Barnes & Noble: Insider
Missing rocks may explain why life started playing shell games: Ars Tech

Cornucopia

A civilian walked past a Secret Service Cadillac at the Naval Observatory...: Mellow Jihadi
How does Obama celebrate 3 years without a Democrat budget? He goes golfing for a record 96th time: FAM
Clive Palmer plans to build Titanic II: smh

Image: Zombie: “Unite Against the War on Women” march, Los Angeles
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Now or Never: Support Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate

QOTD: "A popular view is that the surge in the price of oil during 2003-08 cannot be explained by economic fundamentals, but was caused by the increased financialization of oil futures markets, which in turn allowed speculation to become a major determinant of the spot price of oil. This interpretation has been driving policy efforts to regulate oil futures markets. This survey reviews the evidence supporting this view. We identify six strands in the literature corresponding to different empirical methodologies and discuss to what extent each approach sheds light on the role of speculation. We find that the existing evidence is not supportive of an important role of speculation in driving the spot price of oil after 2003. Instead, there is strong evidence that the co-movement between spot and futures prices reflects common economic fundamentals rather than the financialization of oil futures markets." --Study, "No, Speculators Did Not Cause Oil Prices to Rise"

Monday, April 30, 2012

But there's no GOP Establishment: Ludicrous "Young Guns" Back Dick Lugar Over Tea Party Conservative

If you needed additional proof that our current House "leadership" -- including John Boehner and Eric Cantor -- needs to go, I refer you to Exhibit Z:

...Politico’s Maggie Haberman is reporting that the leadership-affiliated Young Guns Network has sent out mailers asking Democrats to vote for Dick Lugar (not exactly a young gun) in the Indiana Republican primary against Richard Mourdock on May 8. But that’s not all. They are stirring up Democrats by referring to Mourdock as extreme. In what way is he extreme? He wants to eliminate the Department of Education!

Do you want to know what is really extreme? The creation of the Department of Education, after surviving almost 200 years without it. Since the DOE was created, the cost of college tuition has increased over 439% adjusted for inflation! The rate of increase is almost exactly commensurate with the rate of growth of DOE subsidization. As you can see from this chart, the government-induced housing bubble pales in comparison to the government-induced Big Education bubble.

Remember that the Department of Education began operating on May 16, 1980. Imagine how extreme the inflation in education costs would have been had the extremists thwarted the creation of the DOE back in 1980? Come to think of it, what would we have done had Dick Lugar failed to vote to create the Department of Green Energy in 1977? I guess that part was left off the mailer.

This is all economics 101 for Republicans, but I guess they feel they can say anything to an audience of Democrats, as long as they serve the purpose of reelecting an 80-year old liberal. The real irony here, as Bill Kristol points out, is that Young Guns was created to “chart a new course for the center-right movement and the House majority.” Lugar is neither new, center-right, or in the House!

The Department of Education has contributed mightily to the explosion in tuition costs. Just as the government's tampering with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac helped cause the housing crash, literally every unconstitutional endeavor in which this federal gaggle of bureaucrats has engaged has ended up in failure. Economist Richard Vedder explains:

When someone else is paying the bills, people want to buy more of the good or service in question at prevailing prices than when the customer pays the bills. This means a higher demand for higher education, and other things being equal, higher tuition costs. … Each one dollar in grant aid leads to tuition fees somewhere around 35 cents higher than would otherwise be the case. Just as third-party payments in medicine have led to escalating health care costs, so increased student financial payments have contributed to soaring tuition costs...

So getting rid of the Department of Education is not only rational, it's what I would call "a good start".


Daniel Horowitz accurately calls this madness from Eric Cantor's "Young Guns" treachery. And he's right.

I urge you to support Richard Mourdock for U.S. Senate. It's time someone put their foot down on the GOP establishment. And that foot is us.

To paraphrase Animal House.

Caption Contest: Still Life With Drones

I need better captions for the bubbles.


First prize gets a half-off coupon from the International House of Pancakes, expiration date unknown. Cause things are tough all over, man.


Obama Works His Way Down the Wikipedia Definition of Totalitarianism

Funny how liberals try to tar conservatives, Tea Partiers and others who believe in the tenets of America's founding as some sort of nascent fascists.

Because if you go down the official totalitarian checklist, it's the progressive movement that is ticking off the requisite agenda items, one by one.

Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible.[2] Totalitarian regimes stay in political power through an all-encompassing propaganda campaign, which is disseminated through the state-controlled mass media, a single party that is often marked by political repression, personality cultism, control over the economy, regulation and restriction of speech, mass surveillance, and widespread use of terror.

Let's go down the list, shall we? Yes, we can.

• "...where the state recognizes no limits to its authority..." - as I have copiously documented ("President Barack Obama's Complete List of Historic Firsts"), the president recognizes no Constitutional limits on his power. Just a few examples:

In an maneuver unprecedented in American history, Obama declared the Senate in recess over a long weekend to make recess appointments that could never have passed Senatorial scrutiny.

He became the first president to violate the War Powers Act by bombing Libya and claiming NATO was in charge, not him.

In four years, he doubled the debt issued by the United States for all previous presidents combined, which resulted in a first-ever downgrade for America's debt.

His administration lied to a court regarding the Gulf oil drilling moratorium and was found in contempt of court.

When a federal judge ruled Obamacare unconstitutional and issued an ordered HHS to cease implementation of the law, his administration ignored the judge and feigned ignorance of the order.

When Congress refused to pass the wildly unpopular "DREAM Act", which would offer a form of amnesty to illegal aliens, he ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to cease deportations and issue work permits for illegals instead.

He ordered his Justice Department to sue states for requiring valid identification to vote, despite the fact that the Supreme Court had earlier ruled such laws were valid.

His Labor Department banned Boeing from opening its $1 billion facility in a Right-To-Work state, an unprecedented act in all of American history and a tacit payoff to the unions that have funded his campaigns.

Oh, that's just the tip of the iceberg. You can review the complete list here. Suffice it to say that Obama recognizes no Constitutional limits on his power. And, furthermore, can you imagine what this man will do if there's no reelection hanging over his head?

• "...strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life..." - the Obama regulatory regime controls all forms of energy production (and wants to regulate the air we exhale, carbon dioxide); the cars we drive; the size of toilet tanks we can install; the kind of light bulbs we can buy; the maximum legal water flow permitted in our shower heads; the kind of health insurance policies we can buy; how much money a bank can charge to issue a credit card; what kind of medical innovations may be introduced by private companies into the health care market; the water in your backyard (it may be a "wetland"); and the list goes on and on and on. In fact, no one knows how many millions of pages of laws and regulations we are expected to know under penalty of fines and imprisonment.

• "...stay in ... power through an all-encompassing propaganda campaign, ... disseminated through the state-controlled mass media..." - from NPR to The New York Times, mass media never attempts to vet Obama, his background, upbringing, or core beliefs. In "The Secret Scrapbook of Barry Soetero", I offer a tongue-in-cheek review of his rise to the presidency. But suffice it to say that no one in media delved into his relationship with Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers; how he paid for Columbia and Harvard; what his grades were; why his medical records were never disclosed; etc. Old media is state-controlled and the constant flow of reporters to politics and vice versa is proof that they are in lock-step, something never envisioned by this country's founders.

• "...often marked by political repression..." - when was the last time a presidential campaign named private citizens as "enemies" because of their political donations? For that is precisely what the Obama campaign has repeatedly done, demonizing those who dare offer support to his opponents:

[There has been] a multi-year effort by the ongoing Obama campaign to vilify specific donors to competing philosophical causes... In each of these instances, President Obama has relied on a vast grassroots network to coerce, bully, boycott and vilify individuals lawfully taking part in the political process, just as his own donors and supporters are freely allowed to engage.

...There is no current evidence the President has manipulated the federal machinery punitively. But the message remains clear, if you support a philosophical adversary, you will face some retribution. The media has so far given this White House tactic a pass... What name will elicit a defense of Constitutional freedoms? Must it be one of their own, as was the case under Nixon?

Shouldn’t every American be protected against the heavy hand of governmental intimidation? The President must explain his intimidation of people who have lawfully participated in the political system and have borne no electoral injustice to our nation other than participating in lawful industries the President finds objectionable and supporting organizations and campaigns the President opposes.

• "...personality cultism..." - Do we really need to review this?


I couldn't help but notice....

• "...control over the economy..." - again, I don't think we need to review nationalizing two auto companies, crushing the private student loan industry (enjoying those interest rates, kids?), effectively nationalizing much of the banking industry through onerous and prescriptive legislation, effectively nationalizing health care through the disastrous PPACA (Obamacare), and "fixing" housing while avoiding the tough problems that include Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, otherwise known as the job shops for connected Democrats. Need we review all of that?

• "...regulation and restriction of speech..." - they started with the "Fairness Doctrine", moved on to "community standards", and are now trying to eradicate conservatives' social media accounts -- in many cases, successfully. In short, the totalitarian left despises free speech and critics of the First Amendment include President Obama, who has repeatedly hectored the Supreme Court for honoring the Bill of Rights, as in the case of Citizens United.

• "...mass surveillance..." - they've not quite gotten there yet, but the Obama administration gave the go-ahead to the "CISPA Internet surveillance bill". Suffice it to say that we really don't know what kind of surveillance is occurring and it will, should this man be reelected, get much worse.

The final tenet of the totalitarian agenda is terrorism. The progressive-Communist Left can't quite pull that off yet, though I would remind you of Obama's multiple exhortations to create a "civilian national security force". Remember this golden oldie?

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.

You starting to get the picture, Sparky? Why they're constantly attacking the Second Amendment?

It's the last domino on the road to totalitarianism.

But don't believe me. Read the definition again and do the math.

I shudder to think what this country will become if this man gets reelected.


And Axelrod Wept: Why Millions of Youth Voters Will Reject Barack Obama and the Failed Democrat Agenda

If a picture is a worth a thousand words, this infographic could be worth five million youth voters who have sadly come to the realization that the Utopian fantasies of Statist oligarchs are actually nightmares.

From high school to grad school, students across the country are preparing to get their diplomas and move into the next phase of their lives. This is always a time of hope and excitement, but there is no denying the obstacles young people face in today’s economy. Many will have to move home to save money. Many will struggle to find work. And those who can strike out on their own often won’t earn what they would have 5 years ago.


You cannot impose ObamaCare, borrow $1 trillion every year, restrict energy production, constantly threaten higher taxes, and still expect entrepreneurs and small businesses to take the same risks and hire the same numbers that they otherwise would. We need a new approach that gets the government out of the way and gives Americans – young and old – the freedom to chase their dreams.


Sources: The Associated Press, TIME, Economic Policy Institute, Pew Research Center

Resist we much.


Larwyn's Linx: At War With Our Own Party

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

Nation

At War With Our Own Party: RS
Sebelius forced to admit total constitutional ignorance: NB
Twitter's infestation of radical flag-spam abusers: Twitchy

A not-friendly reminder to the Activist Left about Gitmo: Moe Lane
The Truth Gets a Hearing in Dearborn: Atlas
Master of Lies: CDN

Economy

Uh Oh: World Food Prices Spike As Soy Harvest Collapses: Mead
NYT Shields Readers From Walker's Gains in WI: Mead
Obama's Wasteful Spending Ad: Publius

Meet the New Farm, Same as the Old Farm?: Zombie
10 Dubious Obama Records: FAM
What Have Democrats Been Doing for 1,000 Days?: ATR (1/24/12)

Chart of the Day: Obama Stimulus Spending Per Capita by State: VR
We don't need to reform the TSA, we need to get rid of it: SAB
Spain Joins 10 Other Western Countries in Recession: ZH

2012 Elections

Obama Losing Rock-star Status Among Young Voters: Barone
Mitt Still Hasn’t Convinced: Huston
Lugar to target cell phones near Mourdock events: LI

Scandal Central

Trayvon: 46 Days; Fast and Furious: 527 Days and Counting: AT
Senate Democrats Can’t Pass a Budget Because They’re Too Busy Setting Traps for Republicans: LoneCon
Solyndra Not Dealing With Toxic Waste At Milpitas Facility: CBS SF

Climate & Energy

EPA and the White House Wash Their Hands of the ‘Crucifixion’ Mess: RS
Transcript: Al Gore Got ‘D’ in ‘Natural Sciences’ at Harvard: CNS
Wind farms linked to temperature increase: ABC Australia

Media

Google Chief Schools Krugman: 'Surely You're Not Arguing Government Should Hire All Unemployed People': NB
Reuters analysis of Obama failures abroad pretty much as expected: LI
#FreeChrisLoesch: Twitter and Conservatives: Breitbart

Ashley Judd Makes Cruel and Tasteless Jokes About Abortion in Political Video: RSM
Maureen Dowd's Screech: 'American Women Are Hunted Creatures' by Catholics, GOP: NB
Krauthammer’s Hilarious Takedown Of EPA: NoisyRm

"Breitbart Is Here" DC Chapter of FreeRepublic "Freeps" The White House Correspondent's Dinner: Marin
18 funniest jokes by Jimmy Kimmel at the White House Correspondents' Dinner: Politico
California Lottery Edits Ad After Radical Feminist Groups Complain Against 'Glamorizing Violence': AmPower

Twitterverse Mocks NPR Over Shameless, Obama Boot-Licking Headlines: GWP
Fareed Zakaria Shocker: Buffett Rule Is 'Bad Politics' for Obama: NB
Everybody Keeps Getting a Busy Signal at the Blogger Burnout Hotline Nowadays: RSM

World

What the Times and the Post have ignored in April: Matzav
Aerial Armada Assembles Off Iran: Wired
Red Cross: 16 killed in attack on Catholic worship service at Nigeria university: Fox

Progressives Claim Radical Islamists Taking Power in Mid East is Good For the World: BRubin
Why isn't Muhammad Abu Shahala all over the western media?: Matzav
CIA Told Obama Case for WMD in Iraq Was Stronger Than Bin Laden Being in Abbottabad: NB

Sci-Tech

How I learned to say, 'Hi, Google Docs; bye, MS Word': Cooper
Real ‘Beautiful Mind’: College Dropout Became Mathematical Genius After Mugging: ABC
Sitting Can Kill You: Insider

Cornucopia

Pictures of The Day: Personal Responsibility in a POTUS: Babalu
Andrew Breitbart’s Assigned Coroner? Dead, Heart, Poison Suspected: NoisyRm
Seven dead after van flies over railing into Bronx Zoo: Post

Image: Marooned in Marin
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: The Senate Conservatives Fund Needs Your Support

QOTD: "Al Gore launched Current TV in 2005 and it took off like a North Korean rocket. To be honest, I didn't even know that Current TV was still on the air, but then I don't get channel 'a million'." --Jimmy Kimmel