Awesome: Informative and Entertaining Stimulus Video

I loved it, so will you. – This video also tells you step by step – in a fun way, how to fix the housing industry. Any good student of economics can tell you how to do it, so why isn’t Washington even addressing it seriously?

When there are a ton of foreclosures, too much supply, low consumer confidence resulting in low demand how do you fix it – you raise the demand. How do you do that? – Watch this video.

VIDEO: John Kerry – You Can’t Be Trusted With Your Own Money, Only Government Can

Contempt for freedom, contempt for you.

From the porkulus bill debate:

Stealth Gun Bans in Omnibus Senate Bill

This is exactly the sort of thing the Democrats promised would not happen in the campaign:

GOA:

Lost in all the news of the massive bailout bill that just passed the Senate is another enormous bill, one that increases federal control of public and private land.

Of particular concern to gun owners is that the bill, S. 22, will greatly expand the amount of land controlled by the National Park Service. NPS land is currently subject to a gun ban.

While President Bush took steps in the waning days of his presidency to reverse the ban, the new regulations apply to persons who carry a concealed firearm with a permit. Non-permit holders and open carry are not explicitly addressed.

Another eyebrow-raising aspect of this bill is that it is actually a compilation of over 150 separate pieces of legislation that never passed out of Congress on their own merits.

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) successfully held up over 100 of these bills, until anti-gun Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid rolled all of the bills into one so-called Coburn Omnibus and forced it through the Senate in January on a vote of 73-21.

As the House prepares to take up the bill, the Democrat leadership has taken procedural steps to ensure that the measure cannot be amended or altered in any way. That means that if it passes the House, it goes right to President Obama’s desk, where it will be signed into law.

The full House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the bill this Wednesday or Thursday.

Unless the NPS gun ban is repealed and the rights of gun owners are protected, Gun Owners of America opposes the bill in its entirety.

ACTION: Please urge your Representative to repeal the NPS gun ban in S. 22, or to vote against the entire bill.

http://gunowners.org/a021009.htm

Economists Launch Ad Against Porkulus Bill

New York Post Ad:

http://www.cato.org/special/stimulus09/cato_stimulus.pdf

With all due respect Mr.President,that is not true.

There is no disagreement that we need action by our government, a recovery plan that will help to jumpstart the economy.

Notwithstanding reports that all economists are now Keynesians and that we all support a big increase in the burden of government, we the undersigned do not believe that more government spending is a way to improve economic performance.

More government spending by Hoover and Roosevelt did not pull the United States economy out of the Great Depression in the 1930s. More government spending did not solve Japan’s “lost decade” in the 1990s. As such, it is a triumph of hope over experience to believe that more government spending will help the U.S. today. To improve the economy, policymakers should focus on reforms that remove impediments to work, saving, investment and production. Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth.

The list of economists is pretty long.

Henrietta Hughes Gets a House – UPDATE – From a Republican

Henrietta Hughes begged president Obama for help today during his meeting in Florida.

The woman, who identified herself as Henrietta Hughes, said she was unemployed and homeless, and living with her family in a very small vehicle. “The Housing Authority has two years waiting list. We need something more than a vehicle and parks to go to. We need our own kitchen and our own bathroom.”

She pleaded, “Please help.”

President Obama walked over to her, and said, “We’re going to do everything we can to help you. I’ll have my staff talk to you after the town hall.”

While many people are homeless by choice or because of substance abuse or mental illness, I will go out on a limb and say that in her case it seems like it is not the case at least so far.

Some conservative bloggers are crying “setup”. I cant blame them because Hillary’s town hall meetings were scripted to appear spontaneous and so were CNN’s. As for me, my initial take is that this poor woman is on the level. I may end up eating my words for saying that because I could be wrong, but for now I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I am glad that a private citizen came to help Ms. Hughes.

Henrietta Hughes was offered a home by Chene Thompson, wife of State Representative Nick Thompson, who heard the homeless woman’s pleas for help to President Obama before a local and national crowd.

The house is in LaBelle, the first home Scere Thompson bought after law school. She told Hughes, “Just give me the opportunity to help you.”

Hughes broke down in front of thousands when she told the president that she and her son have been homeless for more than a year. They are living in a pickup truck.

http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090210/OBAMA/90210038

Michelle Malkin and I have a different take on this, and I think this maybe the first time I have ever disagreed with her. She has a point but in my opinion she is being a little too cynical although Malikin may very well end up being right about this event. I would like to know how Ms. Hughes ended up homeless and what her story is. Don’t be surprised if she ends up on Oprah.

Malkin also points out that there is no way that Hughes could afford the taxes on such a house both local and IRS. The president should see to it that Ms. Hughes gets a waiver for those taxes until she can get on her feet. If the IRS or the local government tries to put her on the street again over a BS tax issue it is going to cause a PR nightmare for the country that that will be used as propaganda against us around the world.

UPDATE: Here is the House

…and one of those evil Christian right wingers too….

Senator Schumer: The American People Really Don’t Care

I am so glad I didn’t vote for this Democrat.

Wall Street Panics as Geithner Unveils New Economic Plan

It is 12 Pm and that is todays stock performance as the text of Obama’s new Treasury Secretary’s economic plan was released. Tim Geithner is the Secretary of the Treasury’s name. It may sound familiar because his nomination was controversial because he is a tax cheat.

Read the plan carefully. If you have been watching the IUSB Vision’s coverage of this issue this means that the government has/will spend 9.7 trillion to give to banks to buy each other up and they will give a pittance 50 billion for regular folks who are in trouble with mortgages because of the crisis the government caused.

CNBC:  

US stocks fell sharply Tuesday in a broad-based decline as the government announced details of its latest bailout plan.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down nearly 300 points after Treasury Secretary Tim Geither revealed details of the bank-bailout plan. Earlier, the blue-chip index was down less than 100 points.

Some market pros said the market selloff was simply a case of buy on the rumor, sell on the news.

The “Financial Stability Plan,” as it’s now called, consists of four main components:

1) It will set up a public-private fund to mop up to $500 billion of spoiled bank assets.

2) It will set up a consumer-lending facility to support up to $1 trillion in new lending.

3) It will devote up to $50 billion to help stem home foreclosures.

4) It will provide new funding to banks after a “stress test” to determine if the bank is healthy.

Some market watchers remain skeptical over the benefits of the plan and legendary investor Jim Rogers told CNBC it could even make things worse. The bailout will plunge the US further into debt and it is designed by the same people who failed to forecast the crisis in the first place, Rogers said.

Comrade Update: Glenn Beck on Obama’s Ridiculous Fear Mongering

If we don’t pass the pork lined corruption packed special interest give away bill now we are all doomed. That is the message of HOPE and CHANGE from the White House these days.

And here is a serious interview with two authors of books on economics and recessions. This video is an absolute must see.

See how the authors of these books on the history of depressions and recessions said that the unemployment under the New Deal was 21%. Well this very undergrad (me) who studies rhetoric, political science and economics told you the same thing in this post HERE.

SHOCKER: AP Calls out Obama on Misleading the Public on Porkulus Bill

Ladies and gentlemen I am floored. The news organization that has been the most dishonest and the most in the tank for Obama has appeared to have had enough ( just as ABC’s Jack Tapper has) and blasts Obama for misleading statements and for trying to have the “facts” both ways.

Associated Press:

A look at some of Obama’s claims in Elkhart, Ind., in advance of a prime-time news conference called to make his case to the largest possible audience:

OBAMA: “I know that there are a lot of folks out there who’ve been saying, ‘Oh, this is pork, and this is money that’s going to be wasted,’ and et cetera, et cetera. Understand, this bill does not have a single earmark in it, which is unprecedented for a bill of this size. … There aren’t individual pork projects that members of Congress are putting into this bill.”

THE FACTS: There are no “earmarks,” as they are usually defined, inserted by lawmakers in the bill. Still, some of the projects bear the prime characteristics of pork – tailored to benefit specific interests or to have thinly disguised links to local projects.

OBAMA: “I’ve appointed hundreds of people, all of whom are outstanding Americans who are doing a great job. There are a couple who had problems before they came into my administration, in terms of their taxes. … I made a mistake … I don’t want to send the signal that there are two sets of rules.”

He added: “Everybody will acknowledge that we have set up the highest standard ever for lobbyists not working in the administration.”

THE FACTS: Two of his appointees, former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle for secretary of health and human services and Nancy Killefer as his chief compliance officer, dropped out after reports they had not paid a portion of their taxes.

OBAMA: “The plan that we’ve put forward will save or create 3 million to 4 million jobs over the next two years.”

THE FACTS: Job creation projections are uncertain even in stable times, and some of the economists relied on by Obama in making his forecast acknowledge a great deal of uncertainty in their numbers.

Beyond that, it’s unlikely the nation will ever know how many jobs are saved as a result of the stimulus. While it’s clear when jobs are abolished, there’s no economic gauge that tracks job preservation.

CBO: Porkulus Bill spends $200,000 to $600,000 per job it creates.

How is that for efficient? Maybe they should just cut our taxes or give us the money.

McCain also tells about how the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says that this bill will be a net loser for the economy. We reported that story HERE.

Bloomberg: The Feds to Limit Your Medical Care – Yup its in the Porkulus Bill

OUTRAGE!

Is this Job Stimulus??

Bloomberg News:

Senators should read these provisions and vote against them because they are dangerous to your health. (Page numbers refer to H.R. 1 EH, pdf version).

The bill’s health rules will affect “every individual in the United States” (445, 454, 479). Your medical treatments will be tracked electronically by a federal system. Having electronic medical records at your fingertips, easily transferred to a hospital, is beneficial. It will help avoid duplicate tests and errors.

But the bill goes further. One new bureaucracy, the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, will monitor treatments to make sure your doctor is doing what the federal government deems appropriate and cost effective. The goal is to reduce costs and “guide” your doctor’s decisions (442, 446). These provisions in the stimulus bill are virtually identical to what Daschle prescribed in his 2008 book, “Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis.” According to Daschle, doctors have to give up autonomy and “learn to operate less like solo practitioners.”

Keeping doctors informed of the newest medical findings is important, but enforcing uniformity goes too far.

New Penalties

Hospitals and doctors that are not “meaningful users” of the new system will face penalties.  “Meaningful user” isn’t defined in the bill. That will be left to the HHS secretary, who will be empowered to impose “more stringent measures of meaningful use over time” (511, 518, 540-541)

What penalties will deter your doctor from going beyond the electronically delivered protocols when your condition is atypical or you need an experimental treatment? The vagueness is intentional. In his book, Daschle proposed an appointed body with vast powers to make the “tough” decisions elected politicians won’t make.

The stimulus bill does that, and calls it the Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (190-192). The goal, Daschle’s book explained, is to slow the development and use of new medications and technologies because they are driving up costs. He praises Europeans for being more willing to accept “hopeless diagnoses” and “forgo experimental treatments,” and he chastises Americans for expecting too much from the health-care system.

Elderly Hardest Hit

Daschle says health-care reform “will not be pain free.” Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them. That means the elderly will bear the brunt.

Government to spend 9.7 Trillion in bailouts. Enough to pay off 90% of all mortgages. – UPDATE: 12.8 Trillion

But I don’t think you and I will see a dime.

Maybe I should go to work for ACORN (you remember these guys, the vote fraud people) as they are getting 4.1 billion in this porkulus bill.

Bloomberg News:

U.S. Taxpayers Risk $9.7 Trillion on Bailout Programs
By Mark Pittman and Bob Ivry

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) — The stimulus package the U.S. Congress is completing would raise the government’s commitment to solving the financial crisis to $9.7 trillion, enough to pay off more than 90 percent of the nation’s home mortgages.

The Federal Reserve, Treasury Department and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have lent or spent almost $3 trillion over the past two years and pledged up to $5.7 trillion more. The Senate is to vote this week on an economic-stimulus measure of at least $780 billion. It would need to be reconciled with an $819 billion plan the House approved last month.

So almost all of us could have had our mortgaes paid off, no one would have had to lose their home, yet while banks are spending billions in our bailout money to buy each other up, how much of that money have you gotten, how much has given you more security, how much has helped you keep your home?

9.7 Trillion…… poof ….. granted not all of it is spent yet, but are you holding your breath?

Is there a better example that shows why government spending doesn’t work? They should have just given us the money or let you keep more of your own.

It would have been cheaper to suspend all taxes for eight months. Imagine what you could have done with that extra money. The middle class and the poor have been shafted again.

UPDATE:

I am watching Obama talk this evening and it is clear that he has decided to just lie about what is in the porkulus bill and lie about the Republican’s and 11 Democrats reasons for opposing it. Obama is saying that those people just philosophically believe that the government should do nothing.

I have watched this bill and the debate very closely and I have not seen anyone say that the government should do nothing. Some have said that doing nothing is better than THIS bill. As we have reported earlier Obama’s own CBO says that this bill will lower the GNP over time. Its a bad bill.

One great idea that has been proposed us to cut taxes in half for the first $30,000 of income for everyone. That would free up money in the economy now and raise consumer spending now which is good for jobs. That kind of policy has worked every time it has been tried. This bill doesn’t do that.

Obama said in this evening press conferance this is the worst economy since the great depression. This is also not true. The recession of 73 was worse, remember misery index and all that under Carter? The recession of 1981 was also worse. The numbers are well published for anyone who would like to look it up.

For those who are new just click the “Government Gone Wild” category link below or the “Obama and Congress” category link to see our previous coverage of the junk and payoffs and corruption that is what this bill is.  

Here is a great article with a video that explains what happend to cause this mess in a very brief yet intelligent manner. Read it – http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/one-honest-democrat-journalist-finally-tells-the-truth-about-who-caused-the-mortgage-crisis/#comment-19370

UPDATE II - April 1. Bloomberg News now reports 12.8 trillion.

March 31 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. government and the Federal Reserve have spent, lent or committed $12.8 trillion, an amount that approaches the value of everything produced in the country last year, to stem the longest recession since the 1930s.

New pledges from the Fed, the Treasury Department and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. include $1 trillion for the Public-Private Investment Program, designed to help investors buy distressed loans and other assets from U.S. banks. The money works out to $42,105 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. and 14 times the $899.8 billion of currency in circulation. The nation’s gross domestic product was $14.2 trillion in 2008.

Dem Congressman: Reid and Pelosi Have Failed

Politico.com:

Pelosi, Reid have “failed,” Shuler says

 

Rep. Heath Shuler (D-N.C) has further ingratiated himself with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — not — by declaring that Pelosi and Harry Reid “failed” the bipartisanship test on stimulus.

“In order for us to get the confidence of America, it has to be done in a bipartisan way,” Shuler said in Raleigh following an economic forum, according to the AP.

“We have to have everyone — Democrats and Republicans standing on the stage with the administration — saying, ‘We got something done that was efficient, stimulative and timely.’”

Here’s the kicker: “I truly feel that’s where maybe House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed.”

Shuler, rumored to be mulling a ’10 Senate run, was one of 11 House Democrats to vote “no” on the stimulus and was already deep in Pelosi’s doghouse. Now he’ll have to build a Harry Reid wing.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/glennthrush/0209/Pelosi_Reid_have_failed_Shuler_says.html

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the Senate Version of Porkulus

Wow, its that bad….

Obama in Elkhart – Rasmussen Reports: Support for Porkulus Corruption Bill Down to 37%

I listened to the Obama speech in our neighboring city of Elkhart today. Obama spoke in platitudes:

We must do what must be done

We must do it now

We must get back to work and build schools

There were very few specifics  he spoke of. During the question and answer session when pressed on a few specifics it became clear that Obama just doesn’t know what is in the bill. That is no surprise because he let Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid write the bill and he didn’t lead on it at all.

Support for the bill is still falling and today’s campaign event was not very effective.

By the way, the 4.1 BILLION for ACORN (the vote fraud people) is still in the bill.

A PDF of the bill is HERE(thanks to the lovely and brilliant Michelle Malkin for hosting it).

Rasmussen Reports:

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% favor the legislation, 43% are opposed, and 20% are not sure.

Two weeks ago, 45% supported the plan. Last week, 42% supported it.

Opposition has grown from 34% two weeks ago to 39% last week and 43% today.

Sixty-four percent (64%) of Democrats still support the plan. That figure is down from 74% a week ago. Just 13% of Republicans and 27% of those not affiliated with either major party agree.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Republicans oppose the plan along with 50% of unaffiliated voters and 16% of Democrats.

Related survey data shows that half the nation’s voters say the plan that finally emerges from Congress may end up doing more harm than good.

Did the Jewish Resistance Over React to Nazi Aggression in WWII?

The entire “proportional response” argument implies the following narrative:

Israel should count the number of rockets and mortars shot against them and fire the exact same number back, that way it is “fair” and “proportional”.

Do you now see how foolish such a position is? If Mexico had launched 10 rockets a week against the United States and one of those killed your family, would you demand that the United States fire 10 rockets back and stop?

Or would you demand that your government provide some security and see to it that Mexico could never launch a rocket again?

The real question is; how can anyone apply such a preposterous argument against Israel and not expect to get pegged as an antisemite?

This is from our friends at the People’s Cube:

Three Republican’s Cave to the Corruption Lined Porkulus Bill

I wonder what they got in the bill for their districts or supporters that convinced them to vote for it. The text of it is linked below so we will see soon enough.

Michelle Malkin’s post is so good that I know I can’t do better so here it is:

 

Burning the midnight oil: The Sellout Amendment is here

By Michelle Malkin  •  February 7, 2009 11:29 PM

The full, cave-in “compromise” porkulus amendment of GOP Sens. Collins, Specter, and Snowe finally arrived in my inbox tonight at 11:14pm Eastern.

So, your representatives of the “most deliberative body in the world” have barely a day to digest and debate the 778-page legislative text before rushing to vote on cloture Monday evening.

Like Dave Ramsey says: “Desperate always reap stupid.”

I’m uploading the whole thing for you so you can see it, too.

Click here for PDF file.

Get out your hip-waders.

Highlights coming.

In the meantime, make note of this observation from Justin Hart in response to the earlier chart outlining the Sellout Amendment’s bottom-line spending statistics (which I blogged about this afternoon here):

[figures in the thousands]
Agriculture: $5,109,430
Commerce: $21,513,000
Defense: $3,746,000
Energy & Water: $53,843,000
Financial & Gen. Govt: $10,762,000
Homeland Security: $5,076,700
Interior: $11,643,600
Labor, HHS, Education: $169,184,000
Military & VA: $7,428,295
THUD: $60,580,500
Appropriations: $365,629,525 (of course, this one isn’t broken out)

Bottom line: Global Warming, Government Healthcare, Teachers Unions, School Building Contractors, Subsidized Housing, and MASSIVE Pork.

Thanks, Turncoat Caucus.

Nancy Pelosi Then & Now

Denver Post:

In October 2008, Nancy Pelosi had this to say:

“Elect us, hold us accountable, and make a judgment and then go from there. But I do tell you that if the Democrats win and have substantial majorities, Congress of the United States will be more bipartisan.”

Today, Pelosi said this:

“Washington seems consumed in the process argument of bipartisanship, when the rest of the country says they need this bill.”

Change.

Washington Post: The Fierce Urgency of Pork

By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, February 6, 2009; A17

“A failure to act, and act now, will turn crisis into a catastrophe.“

– President Obama, Feb. 4.

Catastrophe, mind you. So much for the president who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared “we have chosen hope over fear.” Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill.

And so much for the promise to banish the money changers and influence peddlers from the temple. An ostentatious executive order banning lobbyists was immediately followed by the nomination of at least a dozen current or former lobbyists to high position. Followed by a Treasury secretary who allegedly couldn’t understand the payroll tax provisions in his 1040. Followed by Tom Daschle, who had to fall on his sword according to the new Washington rule that no Cabinet can have more than one tax delinquent.

The Daschle affair was more serious because his offense involved more than taxes. As Michael Kinsley once observed, in Washington the real scandal isn’t what’s illegal, but what’s legal. Not paying taxes is one thing. But what made this case intolerable was the perfectly legal dealings that amassed Daschle $5.2 million in just two years.

He’d been getting $1 million per year from a law firm. But he’s not a lawyer, nor a registered lobbyist. You don’t get paid this kind of money to instruct partners on the Senate markup process. You get it for picking up the phone and peddling influence.

Read the rest here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502766_pf.html

CBO: Porkulus Bill Will Depress the Economy

That’s right folks, the Democrats own Congressional Budget Office says that this bill is a net loser. It seems like the American people are figuring this out. This is government corruption in action and the special interests and partisan outfits are getting paid bigtime, at your expense.

Via Washington Times:

President Obama’s economic recovery package will actually hurt the economy more in the long run than if he were to do nothing, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday.

CBO, the official scorekeepers for legislation, said the House and Senate bills will help in the short term but result in so much government debt that within a few years they would crowd out private investment, actually leading to a lower Gross Domestic Product over the next 10 years than if the government had done nothing.

CBO estimates that by 2019 the Senate legislation would reduce GDP by 0.1 percent to 0.3 percent on net. [The House bill] would have similar long-run effects, CBO said in a letter to Sen. Judd Gregg, New Hampshire Republican, who was tapped by Mr. Obama on Tuesday to be Commerce Secretary.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/04/cbo-obama-stimulus-harmful-over-long-haul/

Unemployment. We have had the largest job losses since 1974.

Democrat Number Six With Tax Evasion Issues

In case you missed it, details on Democrat number five HERE.

 USA Today:

WASHINGTON — The confirmation of another Cabinet member stalled Thursday because of unpaid taxes after USA TODAY disclosed that the husband of Labor secretary nominee Hilda Solis paid about $6,400 this week to settle numerous tax liens against his business dating to 1993.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2009-02-05-solis-husband-taxes_N.htm

It’s a Circus: More Stimulus Bill Details Out

Senator Lindsay Graham tells it like it is, how the process is not bipartisan, how the Republicans have been locked out, how the bill is filled with payoffs for cronies and scare tactics are being used by the administration to pass it.

My description does not do this video justice, it is a must see.

Obama’s oped is HERE that Graham refers to. It is filled with platitudes could be refutted point by point with relative ease if anyone wished to take the time. It is no wonder that most of the American people are now against this bill. Click the Government Gone Wild link below for previous updates and the text of this bill.

Glenn Beck also has his say, as usual Beck lays on the satire pretty thick, but he makes some very important points so this video is a must see. Towards the end after the Rev. Petersen interview Beck starts reading off the crap that is in this bill. 

ABC News’ Jake Tapper Destroys Obama’s Press Secretary Over Lack of Transparency

Transparency was a key theme of the Obama Campaign, a theme that they reversed literally within minutes of taking office. It seems like every other day day the Washington press corps rips this guy apart. Scott McClelland call your office. This guy was picked as Press Secretary because he is affable, a guy who you can feel sorry for and right in line with “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky, he comes across as someone who is no threat at all.  

The obligitory “Ashley Judd has no idea what she is talking about in regards to Palin” post…

This is why most actors should about making public political PR campaigns. The problem is that most every statement made in this ad is misleading or a direct falsehood. Here is the ad:

Governor Palin’s office put up a press release rebuking the ad . It was strong in rebuke but light on substance so I called Governor Palin’s press Secretary Bill McAllister and asked him to provide a link so we can look up the policies for predator control in Alaska on our own. This morning a new link appeared at the bottom of the press release (good job Bill).

Through that link I started reading, and reading, and reading and I found this report titled “Wolf Management in Alaska with an Historic Perspective Presentation to the Alaska Board of Game March 2002“. This report explains the history of wolf/predator control policy in Alaska almost step by step going back to the 1940′s.

You can read the report in full or I can just give you the “Cliff’s Notes” version; wolf control policy has been a subject of great political, scientific, and ethical study in Alaska for decades. After years of bipartisan efforts working with the scientific community as well as conservation experts, hunters, etc Alaska worked out a predator control policy that is limited and reasonably effective.  Much of the current law and scientific studies were completed before Palin was elected in previous administrations such as former Democrat Governor Tony Knowles. After reading this report no one could honestly say that Alaska’s predator control laws are unscientific.

UPDATE: Ed Morrissey at Hotair.com asks if Ashley Judd supports packs of wolves eating all the baby caribou. He also points out that the Anchorage Daily (who is often unfair to Palin) News has recently pointed out that Alaska’s predator control policy works and that previously the wolf population had gotten excessive resulting in significant losses in the caribou population.

Stimulus Bill to ban teaching of religion or religious activities at universities

How will this create jobs? I know, it will get dozens of universities and the government sued and be a cash cow for lawyers. Is this what you voted for when you voted Democrat?

This is so obviously unconstitutional that the courts will throw it out, but not before millions are spent on lawyer’s fees. This speaks volumes about the Democratic Party leadership in Congress and their contempt for the First Amendment, student academic and religious freedom.

HERE is Liberty Council’s press release on the matter with the text of the bill so you can see for yourself.

Symbolism Over Substance

While it is difficult to overstate the value of good and effective communications, it is also important to ensure that those communications are ethical, have clarity, and do justice to explaining the subject at hand and are not misleading or disingenuous. In general the more clarity you have the more ethical the communication is.

Sometimes the idea of “effective” can be taken too far and proceed at the expense of the other values mentioned above. Here is a likely example:

Is Columbia’s Journalism School a Joke?

The problem is that they did not disclose who the author of the article was and that axe he had to grind. The Result? Columbia J Review put out a partisan political hit piece as straight reporting.

Mark Steyn with Sean Hannity on Obama’s “moral promise”

I like Mark Steyn a great deal, as a foreigner he has a more objective and detached view of America which gives him a special wisdom as a commentator.

Glenn Beck – Obama’s “Change Towards Socialism”

Glenn is a master of satire and humor, but like most of the best satire it makes a deadly serious point.

When politicians use an “emergency” to rush through policy that if fully explained to the American people would be rejected by wide margins; those are the tactics used by despots and communists in world history.

Clinton Took $6 Million From Foreign Interests

Nope no conflict of interest here with Hillary being Secretary of State…

And we wonder why there is so much corruption and real change can’t get done. Hillary will make $191,300 as Secretary of State, but that chump change to what they can get from one speech, and a little arm twisting here and there.

Before we go on I should also point out this previous news from the AP:

Secretary of State nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton intervened at least six times in government issues directly affecting companies and others that later contributed to her husband’s foundation, an Associated Press review of her official correspondence found.

The overlap of names on former President Bill Clinton’s foundation donor list and business interests whose issues she championed raise new questions about potential ethics conflicts between her official actions and her husband’s fundraising. The AP obtained three of the senator’s government letters under the Freedom of Information Act.

http://iusbvision.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/pay-to-play-corruption-hillary-busted/

This brings us to today  – Associated Press:

The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press show that $4.6 million of the former president’s reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources, including Kuwait’s national bank, other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal and a Hong Kong-based company that spent $100,000 on federal lobbying last year.

Executives at many of the firms that paid honoraria to Bill Clinton have also donated large amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation, according to documents it released last year as part of an agreement with Congress on Hillary Clinton’s nomination as secretary of state.

…

The Hong Kong firm, Hybrid Kinetic Automotive Holdings, paid Clinton a $300,000 honorarium on Dec. 4, 2008. Twenty five days later, on Dec. 29, a man listed as the company’s chief financial officer, Jack Xi Deng, made a $25,000 cash donation to the Virginia gubernatorial campaign of Clinton confidant Terry McAuliffe, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the Hong Kong firm paid at least $100,000 in 2008 to lobbyists on immigration issues.

The other foreign honoraria Bill Clinton received in 2008 are:

– $450,000 from AWD Holding AG, a German-based international financial services company.

– $350,000 from the state-owned National Bank of Kuwait. The Kuwaiti government donated between $1 million and $5 million to the Clinton Foundation, according to the foundation’s disclosure.

– $325,000 from the Lisbon, Portugal company Cunha Vaz and Associados, an international communications consulting and lobbying firm.

– $300,000 from Value Grupo Financiero SA de CV, a Mexico-based financial holding company, whose chief executive officer, Carlos Bremer Gutierrez, is one of the Clinton Foundation’s leading donors. Gutierrez donated between $250,001 to $500,000 to the foundation, according to foundation’s documents.

– $250,000 from the Mexican branch of the Friends of ZAKA. ZAKA is an Israeli-based relief agency that operates around the world, delivering humanitarian assistance to the victims of terrorism and natural disasters.

– $250,000 from Mexico’s Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turistico, an association of Mexican travel and tour companoies.

– $250,00 from Germany’s Media Control Gmbh, which bills itself as the world’s leading provider of entertainment data and was founded by Karlheinz Koegel, who contributed $100,001 to $250,000 to the Clinton foundation.

– $200,000 from Germany’s Schwartzkopff TV Productions, a unit of the giant German media conglomerate Axel Springer AG.

– $200,000 from Malaysia’s Petra Equities Management on behalf of the Sekhar Foundation run by Malaysian multimillionaire Vinod Sekhar who donated between $25,001 and $50,000 to the Clinton Foundation, according to its documents.

– $175,000 from Green Living Enterprises, a Toronto-based consulting, publishing and event management firm that specializes in environmentally friendly projects.

– $175,000 from the Economic Club of Toronto, a non-profit, non-partisan group that brings current and former world leaders to speak to its members.

– $150,000 from the India Today Group, a New Delhi-based multimedia company that publishes newspapers and magazines and owns television and radio stations throughout the country.

In addition to the foreign earnings, Bill Clinton made just over $1 million from domestic speaking engagements, including $250,000 from MSG Entertainment, $225,000 from the National Association of Home Care and Hospice, $200,000 from the United Nations Association, $175,000 from the ING North America Insurance Corp., $125,000 from the Rodman and Renshaw Capital Group and $100,000 from the Hollywood Radio and Television Society. 

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/politics&id=6627444

UK Telegraph on American Media Bias

Media love for “widely admired” Tom Daschle

By: Toby Harnden

The coverage of Tom Daschle’s withdrawal  as nominee for Health and Human Services Secretary seems to have left some in the American media utterly bereft. I’ve never met Senator Daschle and I have no doubt that he was a dedicated elected official who did much good in his time. He seemed well fitted in many respects to tackle healthcare reform.

But check out the quotations below and ask youself whether any Republican – never mind one who had enriched himself to the tune of millions by peddling influence after being voted out of office and was embroiled in a scandal over non-payment of $128,000 in taxes for a limousine and chauffeur - would ever be spoken about by CNN pundits in these reverential tones:

David Gergen, on Tuesday: “He clearly was contrite tonight. He’s apologetic…I think that…he’s going to get the job, he’s going to be confirmed. One cannot underestimate how widely admired Tom Daschle is in Washington for his integrity, for his public service…The general view in Washington has always been extremely positive toward Tom Daschle.” (Hat tip Alex Massie)

David Gergen, on Wednesday: “I think most of us who have known and worked around or with Tom Daschle over the years are actually very saddened tonight… There’s nothing villainous about Tom Daschle. He’s been a terrific public servant who is known for his integrity, as well as his sort of general likability.”

Er..”cannot underestimate how widely admired Tom Daschle is in Washington for his integrity”? Gergen, of course, is the personification of Washington conventional wisdom (wrong, as it so often is, in this case – he wasn’t confirmed).

A former Nixon, Reagan and Clinton aide, Gergen is now deeply enamoured of President Barack Obama, though his ardour will doubtless cool if the President’s approval ratings should slip. If you’ve never read this brilliant, devastating piece about him by the late Michael Kelly then you should.

Gloria Borger, on Wednesday: “Tom Daschle, being an honourable man, knew that he was, as he put it in his statement, a distraction to the new president, and that he didn’t want to stay that way…Suddenly, his nomination had become very partisan. Health care is one of the new president’s priorities. And Tom Daschle’s been around Washington for a while, and I think he knew that it was probably time for him to pull the plug on this, on his own. By all accounts that is what he did, that the president did not nudge him at all.”

Hey “Sportsman for Obama”: Obama’s New OIRA Director Says It’s Time to Ban Hunting

Wasn’t it PT Barnum who said, “There is a sucker born every minute and you can fool some of the people all of the time.”

Remember the folks at “Sportsman for Obama” who served as a propaganda tool to cover up Obama’s far left anti-gun record including the fact that Obama voted to allow prosecution of those who were forced to defend their own lives with a gun in their own home? Or were they just actors wearing shooting glasses because where are they now?

Remember this???

Center for Consumer Freedom:

Barack Obama’s pick for “regulatory czar,” Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein, may be the incoming president’s most popular appointment so far. Judging from his resume — best-selling author, “pre-eminent legal scholar of our time,” and an endorsement from The Wall Street Journal — we can almost understand why. Almost. Because as we’re telling the media today, there’s one troubling portion of the new Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) Administrator’s C.V. that has seems to have flown under everyone’s radar: Cass Sunstein is a radical animal rights activist.

Sunstein delivered a keynote speech at Harvard University’s 2007 “Facing Animals” conference. (Click hereto watch the video; his speech starts around 39:00.) Keep in mind that as OIRA Administrator, Sunstein will have the political authority to implement a massive federal government overhaul. Consider this tidbit:

“We ought to ban hunting, I suggest, if there isn’t a purpose other than sport and fun. That should be against the law. It’s time now.”

Sunstein also argued in favor of “eliminating current practices such as greyhound racing, cosmetic testing, and meat eating, most controversially.”

The Video (his speech is 39 minutes in):

“Never in our nation’s history have we had an incoming President and Vice President more supportive of strong gun laws. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence strongly endorsed the Obama-Biden ticket, and for good reason.” – The Brady Campaign

Obama CIA Director Nominee Took $700,000 From Wall Street and Other Special Interests

Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON — The White House’s nominee for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Leon Panetta, has earned more than $700,000 in speaking and consulting fees since the beginning of 2008, with some of the payments coming from troubled financial firms and from a firm that invests in contractors for federal national security agencies, according to financial disclosures released Wednesday.

Mr. Panetta received $56,000 from Merrill Lynch & Co. for two speeches and $28,000 for a speech for Wachovia Corp., according to disclosures released ahead of Thursday’s scheduled Senate hearing on Mr. Panetta’s nomination.

Both Merrill and Wachovia reported big losses last year and were acquired by larger firms. The Wachovia honorarium was dated October 30, and the last Merrill Lynch honorarium was dated October 11, according to disclosure forms filed by Mr. Panetta in connection with his nomination. At the time, Bank of America had agreed to a rescue of Merrill Lynch; Wachovia had agreed to be acquired by Wells Fargo & Co.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123378062602049003.html

Rasmussen Reports: Support for Stimulus Package Falls to 37%

Rasmussen Reports

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Support for the economic recovery plan working its way through Congress has fallen again this week. For the first time, a plurality of voters nationwide oppose the $800-billion-plus plan.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 37% favor the legislation, 43% are opposed, and 20% are not sure.

Two weeks ago, 45% supported the plan. Last week, 42% supported it.

Opposition has grown from 34% two weeks ago to 39% last week and 43% today.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/business/economic_stimulus_package/support_for_stimulus_package_falls_to_37

U.S. Government bringing in 1.5 million foreign workers to replace Americans.

This new ad from AmericanWorker.org is right on the money. The government is actively bringing in foreign workers to replace Americans in information technology  jobs, construction jobs and other industry.

More than 11 million Americans are looking for work. Yet our government allows more than 1.5 million foreign workers a year to legally enter the U.S. for jobs. That doesn’t include millions of illegal foreign workers.

They are right. Now there are consulting firms who teach companies how to skirt the law and hire foreign workers on H1B Visa’s to avoid hiring Americans. Senator Dick Lugar has been one of the worst on this issue. Several years ago when I contacted him on this issue when I saw Americans replaced by workers from India who were brought here to replace them he made it crystal clear that he could care less.