French Leader Sarkozy Slams Obama, Warns He Might Be Insane | EUTimes.net
A new report circulating in the Kremlin today authored by France’s
Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) and recently “obtained” by the FSB shockingly quotes French President Nicolas Sarkozy [photo top right with Obama] as stating that President Barack Obama is “a dangerous[ly] aliéné”, which translates into his, Obama, being a “mad lunatic”, or in the American vernacular, “insane”.
Russia eyes U.S. air base in Kyrgyz turmoil | Reuters
Guy Faulconbridge and Robin Paxton - Analysis
MOSCOW
Fri Apr 9, 2010 1:29pm EDT
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian-backed coup or not, the uprising in Kyrgyzstan means the United States may have to bargain hard to keep its last military base in Central Asia.
Turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has thrust the fate of the Manas air base -- which is crucial for fighting the Afghan war -- to the forefront of rivalry between the United States and Russia.
Russia has long dreamed of evicting the United States from Central Asia and a Russian official said on Thursday that Moscow would urge the interim Kyrgyz government to shut the U.S. base.
Suspicions of the Kremlin's hand in the unrest were raised when Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first world leader to recognize the authority of the self-proclaimed government, just hours after it took power.
As a reminder, the air base at Manas International Airport plays a major role in our efforts in Afghanistan as detailed in this Business Week article from April 9th:
Last month about 50,000 troops passed through Manas on their way in and out of Afghanistan. It’s the only U.S. base in Central Asia, outside of those in Afghanistan.
Debt denial | The Daily Caller - Breaking News, Opinion, Research, and Entertainment
By James Rickards | Published: 04/07/10 at 12:00 AM | Updated: 04/09/10 at 8:42 AM
The sovereign debt crisis has crossed a threshold. It’s no longer
about economics. It’s about math and a complex system whose dynamics tell us there is little time to avoid catastrophe and almost no exit. Going forward, elections and policies will matter less as the debt plague takes hold and dictates hard outcomes.
Details, details, details.
American Thinker Blog: Graph of the Day for April 10, 2010
Randall Hoven
"It's a little hard for me to take criticism from folks about this recovery package after they presided over a doubling of the national debt
." President Obama.
Rep. Bart Stupak to retire, putting seat in play - Mike Allen and Josh Kraushaar - POLITICO.com
By MIKE ALLEN & JOSH KRAUSHAAR | 4/9/10 9:22 AM EDT
Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.), who had a central role in the health reform fight as the leader of anti-abortion Democrats, plans to announce Friday that he will not run for reelection, a Democratic official said. Without Stupak on the ballot, the seat becomes an immediate pickup opportunity for Republicans.
"Now with health care done, he’s retiring," a friend said. "He has thought about retiring for the last three cycles, but was always talked into staying: to elect John Kerry to help end the war, to elect a Democratic majority to get health care done."
President Barack Obama called Stupak on Wednesday and asked him not to retire. Stupak, 58, also resisted entreaties from Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the dean of the Wolverine State delegation.
Stimulus Facts: An Update - Veronique de Rugy - The Corner on National Review Online
Stimulus Facts: An Update [Veronique de Rugy]
It’s been almost a week since I was presented with some interesting feedback about my Mercatus working paper on the stimulus. As you may recall, the original findings in my study showed that there wasn’t any correlation between stimulus spending and where unemployment was the highest or where unemployment had deteriorated the fastest since the beginning of the recession. Also, the study showed that the party affiliation of the congressional district’s representative (whether the district was represented by a Republican or Democrat) did seem to matter in how the stimulus money was spent. The regression analysis doesn’t tell me how much it mattered, but only that it did.
Pelosi Celebrates Healthcare In SF - KCBS
“It’s like the back of the refrigerator. You see all these wires and the rest,” said Pelosi. “All you need to know is, you open the door. The light goes on. You open this door, you go through a whole different path, in terms of access to quality, affordable healthcare for all Americans.”
Massachuetts has the equivalent of Obamacare as state law. All citizens are required to purchase health insurance. It was supposed to lower rates. It didn’t. The state is in the process of going to the next level in controlling rate increases – they are simply forbidding increases. What could possibly go wrong??
Insurers, state up the ante in health rates dispute - Daily Business Update - The Boston Globe
April 6, 2010 07:08 PM E-mail| |Comments (5)| Text size – +
By Robert Weisman, Globe Staff
The stand-off between Massachusetts regulators and health insurance companies intensified today as most insurers stopped offering new coverage to small businesses and individuals while state officials demanded that the insurers post updated rates online and resume selling such policies by the end of the week.
People seeking to buy health insurance for the first time, or existing customers looking to change policies, found themselves out of luck, at least temporarily, in the aftermath of last week's decision by the state Division of Insurance to reject 235 of 274 premium increases proposed by insurers for what is known as the small group market. The segment covers about 800,000 residents.
Golly, I sure didn’t see this coming. So, where is all the free care Obama promised?? Kinda reminds me of this interview with women from Michigan in line for Obama money from his stash.
Health care overhaul spawns mass confusion for public | McClatchy
By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.
Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups.
"They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.
Wow – in the NY Times – a plea to just say “no” to a doctor’s healthcare recommendation. But I thought that there would be no panels that would limit healthcare? No panels that would review doctor’s suggestions for treatment or tests and then say “no”? What if the person is old? What if the treatment is needed to extend their life for a month – or six and the panel says “no”?? Would this be the infamous “death panel”?
Just how will the Big “O” explain that saying “no” fulfills his promise of better, more comprehensive healthcare?
Economic Scene - To Cut Health Costs, U.S. Needs to Learn to Say No - NYTimes.com
Published: April 6, 2010
How can we learn to say no?
The federal government is now starting to build the institutions that will try to reduce the soaring growth of health care costs. There will be a group to compare the effectiveness of different treatments, a so-called Medicare innovation center and a Medicare oversight board that can set payment rates.
But all these groups will face the same basic problem. Deep down, Americans tend to believe that more care is better care. We recoil from efforts to restrict care.
Teachers balk, leave state union | desmoinesregister.com | The Des Moines Register
By STACI HUPP • shupp@dmreg.com • April 5, 2010
Teachers in a Marion County school district have become the first in Iowa to split from the state's largest teachers union.
Political differences fueled the move by teachers at the Twin Cedars school district in Bussey.
Some teachers say they opposed the Iowa State Education Association's push for the failed "fair share" bill, which would have let public employee unions charge service fees to nonunion workers.
Others didn't like that part of their annual dues is sent to the National Education Association, a powerful supporter of the Democratic Party.
Every family that balances a checkbook at the end of a week knew this was coming. We are in the very best of hands.
Kevin Price
Published 04/05/2010 - 8:28 a.m. CST
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Email:
kprice61@aol.com
About two weeks ago the Obama Administration was blushing as it boasted about the "favorable" numbers its administration received from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The fact that the CBO is appointed by members of the President's own party (the majority in Congress are Democrats) made some skeptical. However, the experts outside of the CBO and the White House looked at the numbers and said, "wait a minute!" The numbers are scary and the budget is pointing at a direction that will make the US appear to be little more than a typical debtor nation. This is not something "down the road," but just a few years away.
YID With LID: Et Tu Gallup? Second Polling Org. Shows Tea Party as Bi-Partisan, Bi-Racial Movement
For the second time in two days a national poll has destroyed the image of the Tea Party movement created by the Democratic party and the mainstream media. Yesterday's poll conducted by the Winston Group, reported that the 43% of the people in the Tea Party movement are not Republicans and their major concern is jobs and the economy. This is a far cry from the nonsense progressives and the mainstream media (is that redundant?) are telling the U.S., that the Tea Parties are comprised of the extreme right racist wing of the Republican Party, organizing to find a way to destroy the presidency of the first African-American to hold the office.
I find it amazing that the entire country is shouting at him we are overtaxes. This gentle woman, is the most direct way possible simply tells her president she is taxed enough already – and the takes 17 minutes to tell her why she isn’t. His deafness is stunning.
44 - Obama's 17-minute, 2,500-word response to woman's claim of being 'over-taxed'
by Anne E. Kornblut
CHARLOTTE - Even by President Obama's loquacious standards, an answer he gave here on health care Friday was a doozy.
Toward the end of a question-and-answer session with workers at an advanced battery technology manufacturer, a woman named Doris stood to ask the president whether it was a "wise decision to add more taxes to us with the health care" package.
"We are over-taxed as it is," Doris said bluntly.
Obama started out feisty. "Well, let's talk about that, because this is an area where there's been just a whole lot of misinformation, and I'm going to have to work hard over the next several months to clean up a lot of the misapprehensions that people have," the president said.
True knowledge, when making federal policy, is actually important.
Glenn Harlan Reynolds: Progressives can't get past the Knowledge Problem | Washington Examiner
By: Glenn Harlan Reynolds
Contributor
April 4, 2010"If no one among us is capable of governing himself, then who among us has the capacity to govern someone else?" -- President Reagan, Jan. 20, 1981.
Economist Friedrich Hayek explained in 1945 why centrally controlled "command economies" were doomed to waste, inefficiency, and collapse: Insufficient knowledge. He won a Nobel Prize. But it turns out he was righter than he knew.
In his "The Use of Knowledge In Society," Hayek explained that information about supply and demand, scarcity and abundance, wants and needs exists in no single place in any economy. The economy is simply too large and complicated for such information to be gathered together.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 10:13 PM
Jim Hoft
The highest tenured faculty member at Chicago Law spoke out on Barack Obama saying, “Professors hated him because he was lazy, unqualified, never attended any of the faculty meetings.”
Doug Ross reported this and more:I spent some time with the highest tenured faculty member at Chicago Law a few months back, and he did not have many nice things to say about “Barry.” Obama applied for a position as an adjunct and wasn’t even considered. A few weeks later the law school got a phone call from the Board of Trustees telling them to find him an office, put him on the payroll, and give him a class to teach. The Board told him he didn’t have to be a member of the faculty, but they needed to give him a temporary position. He was never a professor and was hardly an adjunct.
A Mount Dora doctor posted a sign telling Obama health care supporters to go elsewhere.
MOUNT DORA — A doctor who considers the national health-care overhaul to be bad medicine for the country posted a sign on his office door telling patients who voted for President Barack Obama to seek care "elsewhere."
"I'm not turning anybody away — that would be unethical," Dr. Jack Cassell, 56, a Mount Dora urologist and a registered Republican opposed to the health plan, told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday. "But if they read the sign and turn the other way, so be it."
The devil is always in the details.
So the wave of corporate writedowns—led by AT&T's $1 billion—isn't caused by ObamaCare after all. The White House claims CEOs are reducing the value of their companies and returns for shareholders merely out of political pique.
A White House staffer told the American Spectator that "These are Republican CEOs who are trying to embarrass the President and Democrats in general. Where do you hear about this stuff? The Wall Street Journal editorial page and conservative Web sites. No one else picked up on this but you guys. It's BS." (We called the White House for elaboration but got no response.)
VIN SUPRYNOWICZ: Please don't call it 'state socialism' - Opinion - ReviewJournal.com
VIN SUPRYNOWICZ
MORE COLUMNSThe modern Prussian police state was built by Bismarck and others in the 19th century on a Spartan model, giving the central government vastly greater control over the individual than had ever been considered possible before.
Bismarck's program centered squarely on insurance programs designed to increase support for the ever larger and more powerful government. The program included health insurance, workman's compensation, disability insurance and old-age retirement pensions, all innovations at the time.
When the people of our best ally in the Mideast views our president as having a “Messiah Complex” – well – that just can’t be good news.
Candidly Speaking: Confronting Obama’s Messiah complex
By ISI LEIBLER
30/03/2010 23:09Intoxicated by his health care victory, it seems the president has decided to take on Netanyahu with his outrageous demands.
Seemingly intoxicated by Congress’s endorsement of his health care legislation, President Barack Obama appears to have been overcome by a Messiah complex. His actions relating to the Middle East during recent weeks oblige us to face realities about our “unshakable” alliance with the United States.
I suppose it is unkind to point out the irony about a Global Warmist freezing to death – but what the hell.
ecoEnquirer: Global Warming Activist, Journalist, Perish in Antarctica
Global warming activist James Schneider and a journalist were found frozen to death only 90 miles from their destination, South Pole Station, seen here during the warm season.(Punta Arenas, Chile) Famed global warming activist James Schneider and a journalist friend were both found frozen to death on Saturday, about 90 miles from South Pole Station, by the pilot of a ski plane practicing emergency evacuation procedures.
"I couldn't believe what I was seeing", recounted the pilot, Jimmy Dolittle. "There were two snowmobiles with cargo sleds, a tent, and a bright orange rope that had been laid out on the ice, forming the words, 'HELP-COLD'".
Hope and Change, Hope and Change. Who needs death panels when you can simply reduce the number doctors and nurses. It all works out so well.
New York Hospitals to Cut 2,600 More Jobs - WSJ.com
New York City System Aims to Cut 2,600 More Jobs as State Funding Drops
By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL and SUZANNE SATALINE
NEW YORK—The nation's largest public hospital system plans to slash its work force—including doctors and nurses—by about 10% over two years as government aid drops and the number of uninsured patients jumps.
With its budget deficit set to top $1 billion, New York City's Health and Hospitals Corp. plans to eliminate 2,600 jobs in the fiscal year that begins July 1. That comes on top of 1,300 positions to be eliminated this year.
So, should we now place a limit on the number of miles a person bikes?? Things that make you say Hummmmm!
Pajamas Media » Do Bicycles Actually Have a Lower CO2 ‘Footprint’ Than Cars?
The transportation secretary wants you to ride a bike to work to stop the "warming." Does he realize that humans, while exercising, are CO2 factories?
March 28, 2010 - by Ronnie Schreiber
Page 1 of 2 Next -> View as Single Page
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood wants us to ride bikes to work instead of our cars.
One of the reasons he gives is environmental — what could be greener than riding a bike? Walking perhaps, and actually LaHood wants us to wear out the shoe leather too, but for most people walking to work isn’t an option. Riding a bicycle, which can easily hit 20 mph or more, is a viable alternative to driving for many folks.
Hope and Change!
The most telling sentence:
Spread across the American population of 310,000,000 souls, Caterpillar's model indicates that America's wealth declined by $1,229.00 per citizen this week.
American Thinker Blog: Obamacare: Running the numbers
John Peeples
The real cost of health care reform, as recognized by the nation's business community, is just beginning to take shape. Bloomberg Business Week (picked up by Drudge) reports that SEC filings by such companies as AT&T
Caterpillar: Health care bill would cost it $100M - Chicago Breaking Business
Published on March 19, 2010 7:10 AM | Submit a comment
A worker at Caterpillar's plant in Mossville, Ill. (José Moré/Chicago Tribune)
Dow Jones Newswires | Caterpillar Inc. said the health-care overhaul legislation being considered by the U.S. House of Representatives would increase the company's health-care costs by more than $100 million in the first year alone.
In a letter Thursday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and House Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio, Caterpillar urged lawmakers to vote against the plan "because of the substantial cost burdens it would place on our shareholders, employees and retirees."
Deere & Company, Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer, said in a statement this morning that the recently passed health care legislation will cost the company $150 million after tax this year.
The company said the impact would be felt primarily in the second quarter, between April 1 and July 1.
Social Security in the Red | Cato @ Liberty
Posted by Doug Bandow
Social Security is officially in the red. The New York Times reports that the system will pay out more than it takes in this year. Explains the Times:
On Sunday night several members of the St. Louis Tea Party Coalition held a prayer vigil at Russ Carnahan’s office for the millions of babies that will be slaughtered under the democrat’s pro-abortion health care bill. We also prayed for the handicapped and the elderly who will be turned away as they face the death panels created by this bill. And, as we stood outside his office in the rain, we prayed for our country and for the democrats in Washington DC who were stealing away our freedom at that very moment.
So I was working with one of my customers today, a small care facility in the Midwest with around 150 employees. She had undergone an upgrade to a fair amount of their facility’s computers including their primary server and they were suffering through the usual bumps with such an upgrade.
While I was loading software I asked Mary – the HR Director – what she thought about the new healthcare bill. Honestly, I expected her to go right to Medicare reimbursement and loss of income. My mistake – she went right to her employees health insurance needs.
Remember, health insurance can’t be sold across state lines. This particular state has just a handful of insurance companies that service the state. When they were searching for a provider they found a single company that was willing to provide insurance to their employees. They have already been notified by their provider that they may not be willing to cover their facility's employees, they are studying the bill further.
Obviously, this raises a problem so Mary has been checking into alternatives. They currently spend between $1,000 - $1,500 per employee per month, an annual fee of approximately $15,000 per employee or $2,250,000 annually. However, if they simply discontinue their health insurance plan, their annual cost per employee drops to a fine of approximately $3,000 per employee or a total annual cost of $450,000. This represents a savings of $1,800,000 each and every year. Care to guess what way they are leaning?
Hope and change you can believe in!
House votes to exempt TRICARE from health reform bill (3/21/10) -- GovExec.com
By Katherine McIntire Peters kpeters@govexec.com March 21, 2010House lawmakers over the weekend voted to protect TRICARE and Defense non-appropriated fund health care beneficiaries from unintended consequences of national health reform.
The exemption (H.R. 4887) applies to the health care coverage provided by the Defense Department to military service members, retirees and their families. It clarifies the tax code to stipulate that coverage provided by Defense is treated as minimal essential coverage, ensuring that service members and their families will not need to purchase additional coverage to meet new health insurance requirements.
Federal Health Spending | Cato @ Liberty
Yep, no kidding, according to President Obama, companies will save 3,000% on the cost of insurance for each employee. That would pencil out to each insurance company PAYING a company around $120,000 per insured employee.
Liar Obama: Your Insurance Premiums Will Decrease by 3,000% Under Obamacare (Video)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 6:14 AM
Jim Hoft
Amazing. And, they actually take this liar seriously…
Obama told a group of guppies yesterday that with Obamacare their premiums will decrease by 3,000%.
And, they actually clapped and screamed when he fed them this manure:
Via Free Republic
I’m convinced, if he told them to walk off a cliff they’d do it.
They have no ability to think.
A bit of perspective on global warming over the past 4000 years.
Global Temperature Trends Since 2500 B.C.
Until recently, global temperatures were more than a degree Fahrenheit warmer when compared to the overall 20th Century mean. From August of 2007 through February of 2008, the Earth’s mean reading dropped to near the 200-year average temperature of 57 degrees. Since that time, the mean reading has been fluctuating.
The devil is always in the details.
Insurers’ Profits Aren’t the Problem [Jeffrey H. Anderson]
For an administration that says it’s committed to using empirical evidence to determine “what works,” and a president who says he’s “not an ideologue,” Obamacare’s
Investors.com - Class Warfare's Next Target: 401(k) Savings
By NEWT GINGRICH AND PETER FERRARAPosted 02/17/2010 06:52 PM ET
You did the responsible thing. You saved in your IRA or 401(k) to support your retirement, when you could have spent that money on another vacation, or an upscale car, or fancier clothes and jewelry. But now Washington is developing plans for your retirement savings.
U.S. state pension funds have $1 trillion shortfall: Pew | Reuters
WASHINGTON
Thu Feb 18, 2010 12:15am EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. states face a total shortfall of at least $1 trillion in their funds for employees' pensions and retirement benefits, and their financial problems are quickly mounting, according to a report released by the Pew Center on the States on Thursday.
The next time someone brings up the argument that they have full confidence in the local government to provide immediate assistance through a simple call to 911 – keep this story in mind.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
By Sadie Gurman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
In his first call to 911, Curtis Mitchell sounded calm, explaining to dispatchers that his "entire stomach [was] in pain."
By the time his longtime girlfriend made a 10th call nearly 30 hours later, she was frantic. He wasn't breathing. He was cold to the touch.
The devil is always in the details and the science.
The AGW Smoking Gun
By Gary ThompsonA key component of the scientific argument for anthropogenic global warming
I find I am actually speechless at this story.
Berkeley High May Cut Out Science Labs | News | East Bay Express
The proposal would trade labs seen as benefiting white students for resources to help struggling students.
By Eric Klein
Earth Day, Then and Now
The planet's future has never looked better. Here's why.
Ronald Bailey from the May 2000 issue
Thirty Years ago, 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Fifth Avenue in New York City was closed to automobiles as 100,000 people joined in concerts, lectures, and street theater.
So you put a CO2 monitoring station down wind from an active volcano. You “discover” that CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are sharply increasing. You determine that the only reasonable answer is man’s increasing carbon footprint. You apply for federal funds to investigate the coming catastrophe. You become famous for discovering this tradgey in progress – and your funding increases.
Things that make you say hummmmmmm!
Greenhouse Gas Observatories Downwind from Erupting Volcanoes
By Andrew WaldenProblems in the collection of atmospheric CO2 data parallel other absurdities in the global warming fraud. The Climategate scandal is exposing the massive and systematic fraud behind the fabrication of the worldwide temperature record necessary to make the case for global warming. But what about the record of atmospheric CO2?
The amount of fraud in climate science, particularly that being used to support the theory of man made global warming, is stunning. This article seems to describe the cornerstone.
Dead Ringer
By Ross Kaminsky on 12.4.09 @ 6:07AM
"Climategate" is first time that the magnitude of bad behavior by climate alarmist scientists was so large and so easily understood by non-scientists that even the liberal mass media can't completely ignore it (though they're doing their best.)
But the release of e-mail and data from the Climate Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in Britain showing global warming alarmist "scientists" manipulating and deleting data is far from the first time these same people have been found to be acting in distinctly non-scientific ways.
Bring the troops home – NOW! And stop capturing these animals – kill them!!!!
Navy SEALs Face Assault Charges for Capturing Most-Wanted Terrorist
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
By Rowan Scarborough
AP
March 31, 2004: Iraqis chant anti-American slogans as the charred and mutilated bodies of U.S. contractors hang from a bridge over the Euphrates River in Fallujah, Iraq.
Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.
Al Gore: Meteorologist?? I don’t need no stinking meteorologist!!!
With Hurricanes At Thirty Year Low, Gore Turns To Photoshop
The King of cap and trade simply airbrushes them in to his new book to create a more scary earth.
Hope and Change, yep, that’s the ticket.
Chasing Corporations Out Of The U.S.
By ROBERT J. HERBOLD AND SCOTT S. POWELLPosted 11/16/2009 06:16 PM ET
Unemployment is foremost on everyone's mind today. Yet jobs can continue to leave the U.S. because of the threat of new taxes, the convergence of technology, the ease of digital collaboration and ready access to abundant foreign engineering talent.
Multinational corporate executives may have to move R&D, product development, management and manufacturing overseas when there is no longer a comparative advantage to staying in the United States. A shocking thought for sure, but it's the new reality.
Reading the news lately I got a bit nostalgic for 1969 – it seemed that surely I have been transported back in time. It was a bit more than a year after Tet (does anyone remember what “Tet” was??) and I had just received orders for Vietnam. I was on a small island off the west coast of Taiwan and had volunteered for Vietnam a few months earlier. My orders were my Christmas present for my mother. She was devastated, I was elated and excited. I’m not sure she ever understood my decision or forgave me for her year of fear and worry.
However, unbeknownst to me, at home the tide had turned against the Vietnam War. I was to become a “baby killer”, a destroyer of villages and the hopes of the Vietnamese. Who knew? By the time I returned to “the world” in April of 1971 our nation had begun to abandon the victory of Tet, decrease our troop strength to the point that previously secured areas quickly became more dangerous and funding for our Vietnamese allies began to dry up in our Congress. Four short years later, as the North Vietnamese abandoned the Paris Peace Accords and launched full scale invasion, our Congress pulled all funding – assuring the death of 3 million innocents and the subjugation of the Vietnamese people that continues to this day. I am still ashamed of America’s choice.
Which brings me to todays’ headlines and our current situation in Afghanistan. The current headline in favor sounds something like “Obama continues to dither”. Buried beneath the defense of his actions resides a simple truth – he is totally incapable of making a decision. That was clear prior to his election by a simple review of this state and federal voting record. His single most favorite vote was “present”. A year after election he has yet to find his footing. As a retired officer with 21 years of service, perhaps I could offer a few ideas.
Have a clear-eyed mission.
Muster all necessary resources – money, equipment and soldiers.
Accept nothing but victory.
President Obama is either unwilling or unable to do these three things. Our path forward in Afghanistan is then clear – surrender and leave – quickly! As I type these words, we as a community, have one of our Troop 47 Eagle Scouts doing convoy duty in Baghdad. Two others are attending BOLC (one awaiting Ranger school and the other preparing for deployment in the Spring) and yet another in ROTC at U of I. Not to mention the other community members, family and friends we have all seen pack their rucksacks and get on the bus. They deserve a clear mission, total support and the opportunity for victory. They are not getting this from this administration. To me, that means it’s time for them to come home – quickly.
There will be consequences to this withdrawal of course.
The Taliban will be resurgent and will surely retake the country. For those who do not remember their rampage against civil society and the women of the country, a search of YouTube still displays their public executions, beheadings and beatings of women and girls. Ah, the return to the good old days.
The training camps will return as well, allowing ample space for planning the next attack on the U.S. – which will follow our exit as surely as it did when we ran with our tail between our legs from Somalia after President Clinton sacrificed the 18 Rangers made famous by “Blackhawk Down”.
Finally, our abandoning the fight will strengthen our enemies, embolden their attacks and virtually ensure a new and devastating attack on our homeland.
On the plus side, our troops will be safe within our borders and they will have some time to refit and heal before the next attack.
By the time I returned to the U.S. soldiers that were killed in Vietnam were called “wasted”. President Obama does not have the courage, heart or willingness to commit to victory in Afghanistan, it’s time to come home – NOW – to insure not a single soldier’s life is “wasted”!
Climate bill's 'emergency provision' gives Obama strong-man powers UPDATED! | Washington Examiner
By: EXAMINER EDITORIAL HOT ZONE ALERT
-
November 10, 2009(AP Photo/Harry Hamburg)
Both the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade energy approved earlier this year and the version just okayed by Sen. Barbara Boxer’s Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s Democrats (Republicans boycotted the vote) contains an obscure but nasty bureaucratic provision that requires President Obama to act like Venezuelan strong man Hugo Chavez.
Here’s how: The bills require a federal declaration of a “climate emergency” if world greenhouse gas levels reach 450 parts per million. Guess what? The Pacific Northwest National Lab says it is a virtual certainty that level will be reached within a few months. The bill then requires the president to “direct all Federal agencies to use existing statutory authority to take appropriate actions...to address shortfalls" in achieving needed greenhouse gas reductions.
Perfect, just perfect!
Twenty years later: Why the Berlin Wall fell:Swaminomics:S A Aiyar's blog-The Times Of India
Twenty years later: Why the Berlin Wall fell S A Aiyar Sunday October 25, 2009
We are approaching the 20th anniversary of the fall of Communism. This comprehensively refuted the Communist claim to represent the people. Yet, the claim continues, sometimes dazzling a new generation of youngsters with no inkling of why the Berlin Wall fell on November 9, 1989.
My favorite paragraph:
Communists and socialists everywhere, including in India, were dismayed. They could not understand why East Germans blessed with income equality, free social welfare and full employment should flee to the highly unequal West, which bristled with unemployment and social perils. An answer came in a letter to a newspaper editor.
‘‘My daughter’s hamster (a pet white mouse) has food, water, shelter and even medical care, and a cage full of fun curly tubes. The hamster responds by constantly trying to chew his way to freedom. I think we all understand what freedom is, and it is not a gilded cage.’’
Is anyone in Congress paying attention?? Anyone?
Betsy McCaughey: What the Pelosi Health Care Bill Really Says - WSJ.com
What the Pelosi Health-Care Bill Really Says
Here are some important passages in the 2,000 page legislation.
By BETSY MCCAUGHEY
The health bill that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is bringing to a vote (H.R. 3962) is 1,990 pages. Here are some of the details you need to know.
I love Rush. Two reasons: 1) he goes straight at you. There is no hidden agenda. He knows what he believes and he states it clearly and plainly. 2) He backs up what he says with clear and concise points. This has got to be driving the Obama left nuts today!
For your viewing pleasure.
Let me get this straight: Russia complains about a missile defense system that the US is about to build in Poland to protect Europe from nuclear missile attacks because it poses a "threat" to them. Obama bows and stops the installation - on the anniversary of the invasion of Poland by Russia.
Russia returns the favor by launching a simulated nuclear attack on Poland during their most recent war games.
Am I missing something??
Russia 'simulates' nuclear attack on Poland
Russia has provoked outrage in Poland by simulating an air and sea attack on the country during military exercises.
When Europeans think that Obama has become a coward it's something our enemies take note of.
It is to Obama's credit that he has boldly called for an assessment of the situation in Afghanistan after a seven-year US presence there. Nevertheless, as Clausewitz wrote, "courage is not simply a counterweight to danger, to be used for neutralizing its effects: It is a quality on its own," and Obama's administration currently creates the impression that it has been abandoned by courage.
"Abandoned by courage" - what a nice turn-of-phrase. Much nicer than coward.
Rush has been playing clips from what has become known as Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech given in 1964 on national television on behalf of, and sponsored by, Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign. I remember this speech, it was part of my 8th grade government class. If was nearly one year after Kennedy's assassination and a few weeks before the 1964 election. Goldwater was badly beaten by LBJ and the Republican party was pronounced dead. Reagan came back with unbelievable strength in 1980 beating Jimmy Carter and starting a two-term presidency that saw the fall of the Soviet Union, the reduction of taxes by nearly 50% and an increase in federal revenues that few have matched. Entrepreneurs made good use of this new found wealth to introduce America to home computers, a flood of software products and the cell phone creating untold millions of jobs.
His speech is worth the 1/2 hour invested in listening to it.
Here are links to the text of the speech as well as the youtube video.
We have certainly drifted from Reagan's common sense view of America, its purpose and its foundation.
Over half of our electrical power comes from coal. To those who actually listened to Obama as he campaigned, his war on coal comes as no surprise. Evidently those living in coal states weren't listening.
War on coal
While campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination, Barack Obama said his cap-and-trade tax plans would "bankrupt" anyone building a coal-fired power plant. Although those taxes haven't materialized, the Environmental Protection Agency has put the brakes on 79 surface mining permits in four states since he was elected.
Hello - America??? Is anyone home?? Hello??
US government seeks new way to seize companies
Oct 26, 2009
Legislation to be introduced in Congress will make it easier for the US government to seize control of troubled financial institutions that are considered too big to be allowed to fail, The New York Times says.
Finally, the language is out there. Seems like plenty of people are pouring over it, myself included. I intend this post to be a running total of "interesting" items. Let's get started.
They are going to count your company health insurance as income. This year. From Section 6002 on page 1435: INCLUSION OF COST OF EMPLOYER-SPONSORED HEALTH COVERAGE ON W–2The definition of taxable income is revised to include "the aggregate cost of applicable employer-sponsored coverage". . . "The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2009."
UPDATE:
Special Considerations for Reid?? Nah, say it isn't so!
Reid Leads Democrats In Carving Out Favors for States on Health
Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Nevada would get help with its Medicaid bills. The elderly in Florida and New York would receive additional Medicare benefits. And workers in so-called high-risk professions such as firefighting and construction would get a break on a new insurance tax.
Those are provisions that Senate Democrats, including Majority Leader Harry Reid, put in an $829 billion health-care bill to shield constituents from measures intended to pay for the biggest overhaul of the medical system in four decades.
CO2 driven global warming is not supported by the dataBy Girma J OrssengoCO2 -- many seek to regulate it, legislate it, tax it, capture it, sequester it, cap it, trade it or otherwise control it. And they who do would have us risk nothing less than worldwide economic destruction based on the theory that not doing so will inevitably lead to catastrophic global warming. But one need only study the past two centuries of climate history to conclude that CO2 simply does not drive global warming.
So how is the US doing in reducing energy dependence and pollutants in the atmosphere?? You're not seeing these charts in the MSM.
Graph of the Day for October 18, 2009Randall Hoven
"Every day we need more and more energy to run our factories, airplanes, cars, ships, computers and other modern marvels. Some of the energy we now consume comes from burning petroleum that is derived from crude oil. Other major energy sources include coal, natural gas and uranium. Unfortunately, using these materials leads to numerous environmental problems. In addition, none of these energy sources is renewable. In other words, their supplies are limited and become harder to get every day."
A glimpse of our future under Obama care.
Paying the Health Tax in Massachusetts
Be warned: Even people with good insurance will risk fines if mandatory insurance becomes the national law.
Cape Cod, Mass.
My husband retired from IBM about a decade ago, and as we aren't old enough for Medicare we still buy our health insurance through the company. But IBM, with its typical courtesy, informed us recently that we will be fined by the state.
Why? Because Massachusetts requires every resident to have health insurance, and this year, without informing us directly, the state had changed the rules in a way that made our bare-bones policy no longer acceptable. Unless we ponied up for a pricier policy we neither need nor want—or enrolled in a government-sponsored insurance plan—we would have to pay $1,000 each year to the state.
Wendy Williams: Paying the Health Tax in Massachusetts - WSJ.com
I was Ben online the other day. He’s one of the Eagle Scouts I worked with in scouting. He’s nearly 20 now. He’s in Iraq, at Baghdad. The story I heard from him before he went was motor pool or some such thing. So, I ask, “how’s it goin;?” “Going good” he says, “but kinda hairy outside the wire.” Outside the wire"? Seems he’s doing convoy escort duty for the Iraqis'. Convoys – geez I hated those things. Never got used to the roads even though I seldom had to take a convoy from point to point. But daily?
So tonight I say him again online tonight. I left him to his evening but I was grateful he was there – I know he’s safe for tonight. I suspect I will look for him alot online.
Hope and Change and . . . . . . . taxes?????
A 70 Percent Tax on Work
President Obama said Monday that the debate on health care has gone on long enough, and now is the time to pass something.
But does Congress, let alone the public, really understand what these bills would mean for the health sector and the wider U.S. economy? In 1994, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) issued a lengthy assessment of the Clinton administration’s proposal, covering everything from its distributional consequences to the budgetary treatment of its various moving parts. The public should get the same kind of thorough review of what Obamacare would mean before Congress takes any further steps toward passage.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid . . . .
No Joke-Obama Considering Afghanistan Strategy Which Says "The Taliban Really Like US "
Word is leaking out how the President of the United States is going to explain backing away from General McCrystal's recommendation--Magic. I'm totally serious, in one magic-like act, President Obama is going to wave a wand and declare that the Taliban is no longer our enemy. According to the NY Times, Obama is looking at adopt the Sally Fields strategy "You Like me, You Really Like me":
President Obama’s national security team is moving to reframe its war strategy by emphasizing the campaign against Al Qaeda in Pakistan while arguing that the Taliban in Afghanistan do not pose a direct threat to the United States, officials said Wednesday.
This is what true hope and change looks like.
African DynamoPosted by: Mark Frauenfelder
on September 29, 2009 at 8:06 am
How a Malawian teenager harnessed the power of the wind.
William Kamkwamba’s parents couldn’t afford the $80 yearly tuition for their son’s school. The boy sneaked into the classroom anyway, dodging administrators for a few weeks until they caught him. Still emaciated from the recent deadly famine that had killed friends and neighbors, he went back to work on his family’s corn and tobacco farm in rural Malawi, Africa.
No one wants to hang with the weak horse. Hope and change, Hope in change.
The demise of the dollar
In a graphic illustration of the new world order, Arab states have launched secret moves with China, Russia and France to stop using the US currency for oil trading
By Robert Fisk
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
In the most profound financial change in recent Middle East history, Gulf Arabs are planning – along with China, Russia, Japan and France – to end dollar dealings for oil, moving instead to a basket of currencies including the Japanese yen and Chinese yuan, the euro, gold and a new, unified currency planned for nations in the Gulf Co-operation Council, including Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Qatar.
More evidence global warming is a hoax.
For years, claims that UN climate reports represent the consensus of the majority of international scientists have been mindlessly accepted and regurgitated by left-leaning policy makers and the media at large. But in the past week or so, it’s become more apparent than ever that those who’ve accused the international organization of politicizing science and manipulating data have been right all along
The past nine months have been illustrative of President Obama’s world view. He believes a weaker, diminutive and withdrawn America is preferable to a strong, vibrant and assertive one. This certainly is in line with the liberal viewpoint of American politics during President Bush’s two terms. While taking on those that planned and executed 9/11 in Afghanistan was tolerated, the elimination of the tyrannical regime of Saddam Hussein was not. Throughout the 6 years of engagement with al-Qaeda troops that poured into Iraq and the establishment of a government that met all the stated goals of the Bush administration – elimination of the Hussein regime, able to defend itself and willing to hold free and open elections – President Bush was hammered for the wrong war, an illegal war, an unjust war. Yet, we were successful in all three areas finally giving 25 million Iraqis the chance to choose their own destiny. This is a good thing. We achieved this success through clear, focused and direct American power. Obviously President Obama agrees with this.
Prior to election and throughout his campaign he clearly stated that he would begin withdrawing troops immediately after election. His position has become more “nuanced”, shall we say, with troops beginning to be withdrawn by March 2009 – or maybe we will have all combat troops out by August 2010 – or by the end of 2010 – or maybe by the end of 2011. Or, maybe we may have 50,000 support troops in Iraq well into the future. Obviously “hope and change” are at work in the Obama administration.
I was also glad to see the “Global War on Terrorism” ended in March 2009. What a burden off our country. Had President Bush known he could simply end it by the simple use of his voice, the global threats to us and other countries throughout the world could have been restored on 9/12 without all the intervening combat. Of course, President Obama has recognized that there is still an "Overseas Contingency Operation" going on - one that claimed 10 of our soldiers in Afghanistan on October 3rd in the deadliest day of fighting in more than a year. Michelle and Barak enjoyed a nice night out at the Blue Duck Tavern that evening. I wonder if they discussed the 40,000 troops that Gen. McChrystal is asking for.
It would seem that the enemies of the Afghan people have decided that President Obama is not going to send the troops, much less make a commitment to defeat them, so it’s safe to take on the US military again. In order to make the US military friendlier, there are new Rules of Engagement that have gone into effect. For example – if the Air Force sees insurgents planting bombs, they must first buzz them to scare them off rather than killing them. If enemy forces are spotted and there is the possibility of hurting a civilian they can not be engaged. (Ever wonder why these animals hide in civilian areas?) Our soldiers are now ordered to “break engagement” (run away) in the event there are civilians in the area. Not only that, they are denied air cover or artillery in the event these may cause civilian casualties. If you are interested, read about the events surrounding Marine Lance Corporal Joshua Bernard. These rules led to his death. More, many more will follow. Weakness will not lead to a victory in Afghanistan.
President Obama’s performance in the Mideast is no less hesitant. This week the IAEA of the United Nations leaked a report that Iran has everything in place to produce a nuclear weapon. President Ahmadinejad, while addressing the UN, invoked the name of the Mahdi, or the 12th Imam. The particular sect that Ahmadinejad belongs to believes that if they can bring about chaos on earth, this will hasten the Mahdi who will bring about the apocalypse and subject all on earth to the rule of Islam and kill those that do not submit. He has stated that his personal goal is the elimination of Israel and that he would gladly sacrifice up to one-half of his population to do this. We have also learned that they have a second processing plant for nuclear weapons material that President Obama has known about since his transition. President Obama has decided that his oratory skills are significant enough that he can talk Iran back from the edge while Iran presses forward towards the end that most pundits now accept as inevitable – the acquisition of a nuclear weapon. I find I take no comfort in President Obama’s teleprompter skills in light of this.
Or, perhaps, he sees no threat from Iran. After all, he has canceled our national agreement with Poland and the Czech Republic to provide a defensive missile shield to protect them from attacks from rogue nations (read Iran). This seems to have been a hat tip to Prime Minister Putin of Russia. It was particularly poignant since the cancellation occurred on the 70th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Poland. Given that Iran now has short range missiles that can reach Israel, medium range missiles that can reach well into Europe and long range missiles that can reach the US (remember, they launched a satellite into orbit) President Obama must be dead-on certain that Iran poses no near-term nor long-term threat. Enough so that he is removing defensive systems meant to mitigate their threat.
Of course, other weapons systems need to be curtailed as well. The F22 fleet no longer needs to be expanded. A new satellite system to replace aging equipment has been scrapped. A new rescue chopper is also scrapped. All-in-all, the standard “cut military spending” mantra is once again being sounded throughout Washington.
What does all this mean? Simply put, in President Obama’s mind, a weak America is a more secure America. If we ignore terrorism throughout the world and simply call our efforts in Afghanistan an "Overseas Contingency Operation", we will be less of a threat to our enemies and they will not harm us. If we remove defensive weapons from Europe, Iran will feel less threatened and will not attack Israel or other Mideastern countries. If we reduce our tactical capabilities and weapons systems, our enemies will see no need to build up their arms and pose a threat to us. If we simply kneel before the world, bare our chests and confess our misdeeds – the world will forgive us and once again see us as the shining land upon the earth and simply fall in love with us all over again.
I believe the reality is a bit different. This weak-kneed response is emboldening our enemies. Russia, rather that halting construction of Iran’s nuclear facilities (you knew the Russians were building them – right?) it continues apace with Iran resolutely saying they have no intention of stopping their enrichment plants. France’s Sarkosy has called President Obama’s approach to Iran “utterly immature” and “naïve”, publicly saying he wished President Obama would present a firmer approach with Iran. The people of Poland and Czech Republic now know that security agreements signed between America and their countries are worthless – as do the leaders of Iran and Russia. The Taliban of Afghanistan is now emboldened, actively using our own rules of engagement against our troops. While the First Couple looks over the menu at the Blue Duck Tavern, the Taliban is drooling over a target list of poorly manned and supported US troop installations.
Threats are not confined to foreign soil. This past month four separate terrorist attacks were foiled within the US with more surely in the works. Meanwhile, North Korea has introduced and tested a variety of medium and long-range missiles while their nuclear weapons plant is back on-line as well. We were also witness to a very large military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of the communist revolution of China. President Obama found it necessary to congratulate China on this milestone. I suspect the 30+ millions that died under Mao might have a different take.
It’s been a busy 9 months for the President. These are simply international issues. There were all the domestic items as well. However, they all lead to the same destination for President Obama – a weakened America is a safe America. The smaller our footprint on the world stage, the less we confront evil, the less we defend our friends, the more we withdraw – the safer we will be.
We will pay a terrible price for this lunacy.
Sincerely,
Bill Keller
Vinton, IA
I caught most of this yesterday on Rush. I would suggest listening to it rather than reading the transcript, you need to hear the passion in this woman's voice.
Susan in Glendale, California: Her Passion Speaks for Millions
September 30, 2009
Listen To It For Free!
WMP | RealPlayer
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
RUSH: All right, Susan in Glendale, California, nice to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.
CALLER: Rush, it's a huge honor for me to speak to you, and I hope I can keep my -- my voice level, because I am so passionate. I am as passionate as you are about this country. I'm a conservative. I've listened to you for 25 years. I'm married. I have seven kids. And when you were telling me about how all of the shenanigans that they're going to do in the Senate to pass two different Senate bills then slam 'em together, attach them to some House bill about TARP, and then jam it through and jam it down our throats, I got furious. And then I listened to what you said about the Michigan mom who was watching some kids before they went to school and how the Michigan state came down on her accusing her of running an illegal day care, and you're right: What they're going to do is they're going to threaten our health and they're going to threaten the health of our children. If I don't comply with their health care, I'm not going to be able to get my children the medicine they need.
Job losses continue to mount, foreclosures are increasing, companies continue to contract - yet all is peachy in the Big "O" mind.
Success No Matter What
By John StosselThis Friday, September's job-loss total will be announced. Whatever the numbers, administration officials surely will tell us that life is better -- because of them. "We brought the global economy back from the brink," President Obama said at the close of the G-20 meeting last week. "(B)ecause of the bold and coordinated action that we took, millions of jobs have been saved or created; the decline in output has been stopped; financial markets have come back to life".
This has been the president's theme: His so-called stimulus package, bailouts for politically connected banks and industries, ludicrously wasteful programs like Cash for Clunkers, etc. have saved America from the greatest disaster since the Great Depression.
But this theme runs up against some rather unfortunate facts.
A couple of my thoughts first. The President DOES NOT spend money. Nor does he write the spending bill. The House does. So the next time a lib complains about all this being Bush's fault, you might remind them of that. You might also remind them when they took control of Congress and when Medicare Part D was passed and then look at the graph.
Secondly, when these complaints about Bush are lodged have them point out the bills they recommended and passed that reduced government spending that Bush, in turn, then vetoed. Answer - there have been NO BILLS from this congress or the last that reduced spending - far, far, far, far from it.
This brings us to the Big "O". His solution?? Quadruple the debt - this year alone! Ah yes, the joys of fiscal responsibility.
To the article:
Making Bush Look Like a Piker
By Veronique de Rugy Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Filed under: Economic Policy, Government & Politics, Numbers
The Bush-era deficits were bad. I know. I spent eight years complaining about them. How does President Obama stack up?
The Bush-era deficits were bad. I know. I spent eight years complaining about the president’s lack of fiscal responsibly (here and here for instance). I even wrote that Republicans during Bush’s time in office made French socialists look like Reagan. However, President Obama's new projected deficits are truly frightening. And the worse part: we haven’t seen it all yet.
SS goes insolvent - this year. What a surprise!
Fabius Maximus @ 12:01 am
Summary: Here are some ugly numbers for August from the Chief Actuary of the Social Security system. This is a follow-up to Beginning of the end of the Republic’s solvency. Soon come the first steps to a reformed regime – or a new regime. (14 August 2009).
Contents
(1) Monthly cash flow of the US Social Security Administration
| Month | Cash in | Outgo | Surplus/Deficit | YoY $ | YoY % |
| Jan-09 | $71,854 | $55,290 | $16,564 | -$2,906 | -15% |
| Feb-09 | $54,413 | $55,760 | -$1,347 | -$3,863 | -154% |
| Mar-09 | $58,669 | $56,135 | $2,534 | -$4,935 | -66% |
| Apr-09 | $77,081 | $56,596 | $20,485 | -$3,827 | -16% |
| May-09 | $54,408 | $56,330 | -$1,922 | -$5,068 | -161% |
| Jun-09 | $61,156 | $61,383 | -$227 | -$6,553 | -104% |
| Jul-09 | $56,345 | $56,890 | -$545 | -$4,207 | -115% |
| Aug-09 | $50,657 | $56,490 | -$5,833 | -$5,642 | -2954% |
The Big "O" ignores the success of tort reform in controlling healthcare costs.
Obama’s Tort Reform: A Tale of Two States
by Bob Dorigo Jones
10/01/2009
President Obama’s promise to conduct “demonstration projects” to determine whether medical liability and tort reform will work is a day late and many billions of dollars short. Key states already tell the tale about what works.
Silly me, I thought "they" had actually looked at and used ALL the data.
Update II On The Rigged Global Warming Data
Published by AJStrata at 6:40 pm under All General Discussions, Global Warming
It looks likes the straw that might destroy the global warming alarmists’ charade will be the discovery that man-made global warming is really man-made. It is either deception or delusion (or both), but it is NOT reality. It was created by scientists using cherry picked data.
