Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Tea Parties: Five Reasons

I re-printed this article from my guru, Dan Cirucci. Mr. Cirucci is a frequent contributor to the Philadelphia Daily News. He took this piece from Townhall, a column written by Lorie Byrd. I wanted to add some of my own thoughts on the subject of tonight's Tea Parties. For years, as a student in school and continuing through college, then as a high school teacher I implored my students to "get involved"; to be a part of the greatest nation in the history of mankind. We live in a Republic with an indirect democracy. If you want to be heard take to the streets in a peaceful manner. That's the American way. Well, tonight, this will happen but what do we hear from the Left? Republicans, Democrats and Independents who are sick of Pelosi, Reid and the money grubbing congress want to protest and already we're being trashed as anti-American. It's been rumored that ACORN is already involved in disrupting these gatherings. I'm going to downtown Columbus, Ohio this evening; one of 750 gatherings across the United States. I'm taking a camera to immortalize the events. Something big is going to happen and I want to be a part of it.
From Townhall:
Today, thousands of people are expected in all 50 states to join together for over 500 “tea party” protests. Those attending the tea parties will be standing in opposition to rising taxes, more government control over private enterprise and less individual liberty. If you agree with any of the following, you might want to join the party on April 15 to let your voice be heard.
1.You don’t mind paying reasonable taxes, but you don’t believe your wealth should be “spread around” in the manner Congress and the President are proposing. 2. You believed Democrats when they spent the past eight years criticizing President Bush for deficit spending, and you are upset that in just over three months President Obama, along with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, have tripled the deficit.
3. You believe the “Stimulus” bill contained too much pork and not enough stimulus. You believed candidate Obama when he promised to reduce earmarks and reform the earmark process, then were outraged when he signed a bill containing thousands of earmarks.
4. You oppose the current bailout mentality and oppose the bailouts, both past and future. You not only fear the amount of debt funding the bailouts adds to your children and grandchildren, but fear the exercise of control the government is exerting over those it “bails out.”
5. You believe businesses should not be under attack by the United States government, especially during a tough economy and you oppose increased government control of the private sector.

Mancow

Ever listen to Mancow? He's on the radio in the morning. The show has somewhat of a conservative bent and once in awhile he says some interesting things. Normally, I listen to him as a warm-up to Laura Ingraham. If you desire to catch his act and are close to his home base of Chicago, he can be heard on WLS radio, 890 on your AM radio dial or on syndication, usually on FM early in the morning.
Today, Mancow said this: "Isn't it strange that, in this country, we cannot profile potential foreign terrorists. As an example, it is against the law to detain three consecutive people of middle eastern descent in American airports. So, if you happened to be working for the NTSB at your local airport and stopped Muhammed followed by Ahmed it would be against the law for you to detain and question Osama bin Laden if he tried to board a plane.
Yesterday, it was revealed by news reports that the Office of Homeland Security headed by Janet Napolitano, wants to profile Americans without actually saying so. I am on the "hitlist" for "Nappy" since I have a sign in the rear window of my car saying: 'we vote pro-life'. According to the government, I can be a terrorist threat along with others sporting bumper stickers promoting gun rights, anti-Obama slogans and anything else this current administration deems anti-American.

It's Your Money

Today's editorial from the Washington Times:

"On April 15, tax day, most Americans feel a little violated as the government peeps into their most private affairs to see what's taxable. The Obama administration views such transparency as a one-way street.
Government secrecy has become the norm under this administration, particularly when it comes to the financial bailout. Exhibit A is a gag order preventing banks from divulging how they performed on the Treasury Department's financial "stress tests." These tests were instituted Feb. 25 to gauge the liquidity of the country's 19 biggest banks and determine whether they could survive another dramatic economic downturn. Federal officials told the bankers to keep mum about how stressed out the tests say their institutions are.
Thus far, the U.S. government has spent, lent or committed $12.8 trillion to the financial rescue. That tab works out to $42,667 per person, or $130,600 per tax filer. It is almost as much as an entire year's worth of gross domestic product, which last year was $14 trillion. The government refuses to inform the public - or even Congress - where all the money is going."

So much for government transparency. And for all you Bush haters, blame him since he started all this massive spending.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Guessing Game

What will the course of action be? Does Israel attack Iran first or will it be the other way around? I'm putting my money on the guys with the blue and white flag.

Obama's Faith-Based Choice Is Anti-Catholic

Shock: Nominee to Obama's Council on Faith-Based Partnerships is Anti-Catholic, Leftwing Zealot.
That's what Ace of Spades along with a variety of mainstream publications writes. Why not decide for yourself.

"Of course, of course. Why wouldn't he be?
President Barack Obama’s controversial appointee to the White House faith-based advisory council -- a professed gay Christian who has called the pope a “discredited leader” -- continues to rile conservatives. ... Knox comes to the administration from the Human Rights Campaign, a homosexual advocacy group. His recent comments to a San Francisco-based gay newspaper have prompted much of the concern. Last month, the Bay Area Reporter quoted Knox as criticizing the Knights of Columbus for supporting California’s Proposition 8, a voter-approved constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Knox told the newspaper that the Knights of Columbus “followed discredited leaders,” including Roman Catholic bishops and Pope Benedict XVI."

In case you haven't heard, three of Obama's choices for the ambassardorship to the Vatican have been "thumbs downed" by papal officials. The administration keeps sending the names of pro-abortion candidates. That's sort of like naming Hitler to be a liaison with Jews and oven manufacturers.

Napolitano The hate Monger

Janet Napolitano is on a mission. One can only surmise that her just released report stating that the government needs to be on the lookout for right wing radicals is an attempt by the administration to further cement its radical left-wing agenda.
Returning Iragi vets, specifically, are being targeted by the administration.
What next, a fire at the Capitol building to take over the government? It seems to me there might justification for some "right-wing" action.

Pablum For The Progressives

Yeah, I'm listening to the Prez talk about the economy blah-blah-blah. It's another campaign speech. You can guess, alternative energy, health care and education. He says we're going to have the highest college graduation rate in the world by 2020. I've heard this crap for forty years. It's normally said, though, prior to an election. Here's a did you know: The average cost of educating a student in the public schools is $11,100 per year. By the same token, to educate a youngster in private schools costs $5,600. Something doesn't jive in this regard. Can anyone say, 'teacher's unions' and administrative overkill.

Questions

If a guy says, "let me be perfectly clear" in his speeches does that mean he is not being 'perfectly clear' when he doesn't mention it?
We're getting another "major speech" on the economy today. Does this have anything to do with the over 500 tea parties being thrown across the county on Tax Day?
How many taxpayers still believe there will not be a tax increase for 95% of the people?(Shhh-it's already here).
Is it necessary for the current administration to constantly point the finger of blame for the economy on the previous administration?
If so, what do they hope to accomplish?

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Callin' Paula Corbin Jones

Heard the big news 'bout Hilly Mae Clinton? She needs to erase her campaign debt. Says she's goin' to auction off a day with Billy to the highest bidder. Whatever happens it'll be a down home hoot; just like those days back in Arkansas with all the gal pals serviced by the ex-prez.

Ayyy Matey!!!

I'm anxiously awaiting Indian Ocean action from our Commander-in Chief in dispelling four Somalian terrorists from what has to be a Queen Mary sized dinghy. Since the FBI, US Navy and other military forces are handling the situation I pray the outcome will be to our satisfaction. Capt. Richard Phillips will go down in American naval lore as a courageous leader and hero, as he should be.
Our leader, Pres. Obama, seems to be concentrating on the economic aspects of daily life and leaving the pirate part to Queen Hillary. I alluded to this aspect of her duties immediately after she was coronated Sec. of State. Whatever the outcome she either wins or loses. Obama handles the domestic, Hillary gets the hard part.
Somalia has seemingly given this country, especially the Clinton's, more trouble than they bargained for in the past sixteen years. One only need recall the Blackhawk Down incident when, in the capital city of Mogadishu, 18 US Marines were slaughtered in the streets of that warlord infested slum city. It was after this inaction that Osama bin Laden said the US was a paper tiger, at least when the Clinton's were involved. Hopefully, we'll handle this situation better than did Bill. His action was called "retreat". Of course, he wouldn't take the blame but did lay it upon his Secretary of Defense, Les Aspin. Who am I kidding? Aspin turned down the request of US Commander Thomas Montgomery to provide military equipment for our boys so let's just say Les and Bill were culpable. Lucky for Aspin he died shortly thereafter thus saving him the embarrassment of having to live his life in infamy for being a failure. Also fortunate for Aspin he had the good courtesy not to die in Ft. Marcy Park. That really would have caused controversy.
Not to have a stain on his military record we must remember that it was Clinton who, with a 'take no prisoners' attitude told the military junta of Haiti "their time was up" as rulers allowing the defrocked Catholic turned communist priest, Jean Bertrand Aristide, to assume dictatorial office. Let me refresh your memory when I write that Haitian militarists had nothing in common with Hitler's Wermacht.
If Obama can take some lessons from the Clinton administration on how not to handle the military we can all sleep well tonight.

Joe Biden's Taliban Friends

Joe Biden----you remember him. He's the Vice-President of the United States. He said that 5% of the Taliban in Afghanistan are "extremists". I had to read about this from BJ Akbar in The Times Of India. What I'm noticing lately is newspapers from Asia, Gt. Britain and Canada do not seemed enthralled with Obama as do those in this country. They are, dare I say it, criticizing his policies. Or, in the case of Biden, 'gaffe-oramas'. I need to invert Biden's quote: Joe Biden said that 95% of the Taliban of Afghanistan are harmless. They are moderates. Yes, this is what he said. Don't wait for a clarification. By next week there will be something else he needs to explain.

Rasmussen Poll

According to a Rasmussen Poll released the week of April 5, only 53% of Americans approve of capitalism over socialism. Upon hearing this I was in disbelief but the more I thought about it I said to myself, "probably so". The poll also told us that somewhere around 27% weren't sure leaving 20% who voted socialism. Think about this, if you will. Any number of pundits have written hundreds of times regarding the ignorance of the American people when it comes to governmental affairs. The primary point being Americans don't know the difference between socialism and capitalism. Most of them couldn't tell you the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Opinions are acceptable to the population especially when given by dolts. If you don't believe me read the works of Alexis de Tocqueville. He was a 19th century Frenchman who traveled the country writing and telling us how we should admire our nation. One of his pearls of wisdom was that only a select few should be allowed to vote based on property and knowledge of our country.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Glimmers Of Hope

Obama today said that he sees, "glimmers of hope", in the economy but still cautioned not to get too excited, yet. According to Obama we still have some struggles ahead. He cited the 8.7% unemployment rate, the highest since 1982(and only 16.5% behind that of the 1930's).
My question is: what has been done in this short time to offer this "glimmer"? Or, is it just the natural course of the economic cycle. Maybe the 3 trillion dollar stimulus was unnecessary: Ya think?

Safe, Legal And Rare

Next week Obama, more than likely, will eliminate the conscience clause disallowing Catholic medical practitioners and hospitals from performing abortions.
The old Democrat promise of safe, legal and rare is going to receive it's first big test. Catholics are untrustworthy in this area but poll numbers for the Great One may take a dive.

Vermont: What A Joke

"The Vermont House is demanding the immediate release of Captain Richard Phillips, of Underhill, Vt. The 53-year-old sea captain has been held hostage by Somali pirates since his ship, the Maersk Alabama, was hijacked Wednesday.

The House passed the resolution Thursday. Copies were sent to President Barack Obama, the company that owns the ship and to Phillips' wife, Andrea."

I'd like to give someone credit for this news piece but it came from the Associated Press which, politically, is a cousin of everything Vermont so it's a wash.
The people of the Communist State of Vermont are demanding(through the legislature) that the Somalian terrorists release one of their citizens. This is the same state that, in no particular order, has protected child predators, given us Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders and, the biggest joke of all, had two communities, Brattleboro and Marlboro pass a law saying that if George W. Bush ever came into their city limits he would be subject to arrect for crimes against humanity. Good grief, I'm surprised Morlboro hasn't changed it's name just to be politically correct.
Oh, and I almost forgot, those two socialist clowns, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, also come from Vermont.
Nuff said!

President Pantywaist

Recently, I have been on the negative side when speaking of the Brits. Their pundits have been increasingly vociferous in their criticism of everything American while leading the admiration parade for Michelle O's shoulders. Interestingly, some of their people have refused to be taken in by the 'pie in the sky' dictations coming from the Obama administration. One of these is Gerald Warner of the UK Telegraph, so, to these chaps, I apologize. Enjoy!

"President Barack Obama has recently completed the most successful foreign policy tour since Napoleon's retreat from Moscow. You name it, he blew it. What was his big deal economic programme that he was determined to drive through the G20 summit? Another massive stimulus package, globally funded and co-ordinated. Did he achieve it? Not so as you'd notice.
Barack Obama in Prague on his astonishingly successful tour
Barack is not the first New World ingenue to discover that European leaders will load him with praise, struggle sycophantically to be photographed with him and outdo him in Utopian rhetoric. But when it comes to the critical moment of opening their wallets - suddenly it is flag-day in Aberdeen. Okay, put the G20 down to inexperience, beginner's nerves, what you will.
On to Nato and the next big objective: to persuade the same European evasion experts that America, Britain and Canada should no longer bear the brunt of the Afghan struggle virtually unassisted. The Old World sucked through its teeth, said that was asking a lot - but, seeing it was Barack, to whom they could refuse nothing, they would graciously accede to his wishes.
So The One retired triumphant, having secured a massive contribution of 5,000 extra troops - all of them non-combatant, of course - which must really have put the wind up the Taliban, at the prospect of 5,000 more infidel cooks and bottle-washers swarming into the less hazardous regions of Afghanistan.
Then came the dramatic bit, the authentic West Wing script, with the President wakened in the middle of the night in Prague to be told that Kim Jong-il had just launched a Taepodong-2 missile. America had Aegis destroyers tracking the missile and could have shot it down. But Uncle Sam had a sterner reprisal in store for l'il ole Kim (as Dame Edna might call him): a multi-megaton strike of Obama hot air.
"Rules must be binding," declared Obama, referring to the fact that Kim had just breached UN Resolutions 1695 and 1718. "Violations must be punished." (Sounds ominous.) "Words must mean something." (Why, Barack? They never did before, for you - as a cursory glance at your many speeches will show.)
President Pantywaist is hopping mad and he has a strategy to cut Kim down to size: he is going to slice $1.4bn off America's missile defence programme, presumably on the calculation that Kim would feel it unsporting to hit a sitting duck, so that will spoil his fun.
Watch out, France and Co, there is a new surrender monkey on the block and, over the next four years, he will spectacularly sell out the interests of the West with every kind of liberal-delusionist initiative on nuclear disarmament and sitting down to negotiate with any power freak who wants to buy time to get a good ICBM fix on San Francisco, or wherever. If you thought the world was a tad unsafe with Dubya around, just wait until President Pantywaist gets into his stride."

Thursday, April 9, 2009

FDR Democrats

I bungled in my thinking-----big time. I always suspected the Republican, conservative groups would have easy sailin' sometime around 2012. By that time, I convinced myself, most all FDR Democrats would be deceased. What a load off my mind that would be. One of my personal coups was when I found out my mom did not vote for Al Gore or John Kerry. Even so, there are many lovely, misguided folks who still remember fondly the "Fireside Chats", "Nothing to fear but fear itself" speeches. I hold my tongue when I'm around them. They're pretty serious when it comes to New Deal loyalty. Anyway, I read yesterday that new immigrants, Hispanic, make up one half of all emigrants to the country. Hispanics for FRD'ers. That's what it is and that's the reason Obama is going to start pushing for an easy path to citizenship for our friends from down south of the border.

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

April 15 Tea Parties

Makes no difference if you're a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Communist, Socialist or any other labeled politician. All you have to do is care about your country, you know, the one given to us by the Founding Father's: the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, The Bill of Rights, all that good stuff. As far as I can tell Americans are ultra-peeved at their elected officials for stealing our money. They've been irresponsible and now the citizens are out for figurative blood----theirs. If you would check out the tax party web site for meetings in your area on April 15 it might be a good time and it very well could send a message to the bums in Washington D.C. Also, as I wrote to one of my reader's, Sean in Pennsylvania, maybe some of you will be able to hook up with some hotties of the opposite sex.
http://taxdayteaparty.com/

Somalian Pirates

"Millions for defense. Not one cent for tribute". Even though the scenario is different the result could be the same. As far as is known the captain of a US merchant ship delivering humanitarian supplies to Kenya is the only person being held by Somalian pirates. News reports indicate that a US naval ship is 225 nautical miles away from the site. At 15 knots per hour it'll take awhile to arrive on the scene. I am sure that Obama has jets flying over the dinghy holding the captain. I'm not sure if the Marines are nearby. You remember the last time you heard about US Marines and Somalia; political correctness and all that. Stay tuned.

To Bow Or Not To Bow

Laura Ingraham said that Obama did not bow to the King of Saudi Arabia. According to administration officials, The Leader dropped a contact lens.
And what was the explanation for this "bow" coming out of the White House? They are saying that since the King was shorter than Obama our "wunderkind" had to 'bow' to be of the same height. Hah! If you're going to tell a lie make it believable, please. But, as Goebbels knew, save the Big Lie for when it's really, really necessary.

Too Many Apologies

Obama has backtracked on a trip to Normandy to honor the dead on the Sixty-fifth anniversary of that horrible day; June 6 1944. According to advisor, David Axelrod, Obama doesn't want to embarrass the Germans. Good gosh! It is what it is, people. But Obama considers himself to be the leader of the world, his One World.
Would it be that he canceled his speech at the University of Notre Dame so as to not offend Catholics. In both cases he would be honoring the dead; only on different continents. It would be an apology for the forty million American babies killed since Roe v. Wade. Now, that would really be an apology.

MSM Ignores War Casualities

Thank you, Lee Cary, from the American Thinker for presenting information that you won't find in the MSM. I'm willing to wager very few of you, if any, gave much thought to soldiers who died in combat since the Messiah came into power. After all, he did say he'd bring the boy's home----from Iraq. Where the heck is Code Pink?
Where is the New York Times? Where is the Daily Kos?

"During the Bush administration, the MSM often and somberly reported the deaths of American military personnel. Today they’re largely silent.
The death of American service personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan was big news during the Bush administration. For example, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer once followed the body count with accountant-like specificity, particularly as round numbers approached. Two-thousand dead, three thousand killed, now thirty-five hundred…went his tabulation, always delivered with appropriate solemnity.

Since February 1, 2009, 85 U.S. military personnel have died in the Iraq (29) -- Afghanistan (56) theater of war. Occasionally, we’re told of casualties, but certainly not with the drum-beat, repetitive regularity employed by the MSM before Obama was elected.
Before the election, news outlets lobbied for permission to take photos of flag-draped coffins on their way back to the States. They’ve seem to have lost interest in that issue.
So what do we make of this sudden diminution of interest on the part of the MSM in our honored dead soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel? It’s a mystery."

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

A Big Question

It wasn't a faux pas. President's know better. The big question is: why did Obama bow before the King of Saudi Arabia? This is something done to show fealty, subserviance. I suspect the Israeli's were absolutely horrified when they saw this. Check out Obama advisers and decide if they lean Palestinian or Israeli. You already know the answer. All you had to do was see Obama bow down.

Muslims Gave The US Everything

Obama spoke before the Turkish Parliament Monday night and talked of Islam and what it has done to shape the world. So far so good. He then stated that Islam has also shaped America. What? Name me, please, something done by followers of Muhammed to make this nation what it is today? Go back to Columbus, slavery, The Revolutionary War, expansion westward, The Civil War. Is he nuts or was he playing to the crowd? Maybe he just doesn't understand history, geography or current events. After all, a few days ago he did refer to Austrians speaking, what else, Austrian.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Being Gay In Ioway

Unless you just fell off the turnip truck you now know that Iowa, just the other day, became the third state in the union to recognize that gays can be married.
To gain a better perspective, if you are at all interested, go to www.desmoinesregister.com. They have a number of articles extolling the virtue of the landmark decision by the Iowa Supreme Court(6-0). Being a former citizen I find this ruling more than amazing. Conservative Iowa is now uttered in the same breath as Massachusetts and Connecticut. I give much credit for this "free spirit think" to the more than liberal Des Moines Register. This newspaper, and I use the term loosely, does bind the state together. Imagine, if you will, a paper that has the potential to be delivered to every home in the entire state every day. That's the Register. Outsiders from the liberal Gannett family moved in, bought the newspaper, and began their social transition from conservative to ultra liberal. Think I'm kidding? The editorial board is made up of six persons; five women and a man and he is the only native Iowan. Their Senior Staff writer is an import, Rehka Basu. That, pardners, is not an Iowa name.
Making a quick scan of the paper today I saw a couple of articles about how the state will reap the benefits of the tourist trade. Restaurants, theaters, colleges, etc. will all get rich off of this court decision. Outsiders, according to the Register, will inumdate the State to freely spend their money. It will be a haven for the formerly outcast of society.
Folks, unless you've been to Iowa you have no idea the jokes that can be made out of this situation. It's going to be a nightmare for gays and lesbians. The day Dubuque has a Gay Pride Parade, well, I want to be in attendance to witness this sideshow. Iowans will not adjust easily to men/men or woman/woman tonguing in public. Trust me. Life in Iowa is going to be a whole lot different for straight and gay. This ain't your daddy's New York.
Politically, I see a huge backlash. You can guess which political party okayed the agenda. Notice I didn't write, pushed the agenda. In Iowa nobody pushes a homosexual agenda, except the six couples who brought suit to make it "okay to be gay in Ioway"
Next step? It could occur relatively soon and citizens of Iowa will wake up to find the Register on their doorstep with the headline: "Sioux City Sue and Fido tie the knot".

You Choose

"It is my goal to eliminate the use nuclear weapons" BHO
"Peace through strength" RWR
Take you pick and live(or die) with it.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

Buy American-Except White House Staffers

Obama, his administrative team and staffers are the gift that keep on giving. In this time of automotive bailouts look closely at what these dudes are putting in their garages and in White House parking lots; a very high percentage of foreign cars. Realistically, I could care less. I recently bought a Mazda but, then again, I'm not asking for a stimlus. I'm paying for it. If the auto unions want to make some waves take it out on their buddy, BHO, and lay off their benefactors--we the people. Read from Politico: they are the source for this article.
"Oops, it seems that many on President Obama’s team, including those seeking to save the American automobile industry, do not actually drive vehicles from the American automobile industry.
According to a study by the Detroit News and a White House parking lot survey by Politico.com, neither do Obama's White House staffers
He canned the chief executive of General Motors (the United Auto Workers president remained, not receiving bailout money), gave the giant carmaker 60 days to reorganize, and directed Chrysler to do a merge deal with Italy's Fiat in 30 days to remain an American company. (Let it go, it makes sense in Washington.)
The Politico survey of cars parked next to the White House found only five U.S. brand cars out of 23 -- a Dodge, two Fords, a Jeep and a Cadillac. The News found that Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, who didn't have the money to pay more than $20,000 in back taxes until they became a confirmation problem, did acquire a 2008 Acura.
Lawrence Summers, head of the president's National Economic Council, drives a Mazda. Budget Director Peter Orszag drives a Honda and a Volvo. Economic advisor Austan Goolsbee drives a Toyota. VP Joe Biden’s economic advisor Jared Bernstein prefers a Honda.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, a Republican, however, went American with a Buick and a Ford Escape hybrid."

Banana Cream Pie

It's the neat little things in life that make it so grand; those that give unbridled contentment.
I made one of those 'necessary' trips to the old hometown two days ago. We lost a classmate to cancer. I was very close to his wife's family so I attended the services and I'm pleased that I did. There were many from my Class of '64 in attendance and, regardless of the circumstances, funerals are for the living; mostly visiting with long forgotten friends and acquaintances.
Since I was only four hours away from the home of my son, his wife and two of my beautiful grandchildren I shot on down to Olathe, Kansas after the services. Evie, my four year old princess, came running out to greet me on my arrival. I loved it when she said, "Grandpa"! Her arms were open and her lips were puckered.
One of the very best of the little things is this. My daughter-in-law knows how to create my very favorite "special" pie. She's one of only two people I've ever known who can do it. It's a banana cream pie but it's more than that. It's "hot" banana cream pie. It congeals. It holds together. It's bananalicious. Oh Mama!

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Free Health Care Paid By You

Hey! If you don't believe me how about the Houston Chronicle. This ISN'T an April Fools Day joke, either.

"Just nine people accounted for nearly 2,700 of the emergency room visits in the Austin area during the past six years at a cost of $3 million to taxpayers and others, according to a report.
The patients went to hospital emergency rooms 2,678 times from 2003 through 2008, said the report from the nonprofit Integrated Care Collaboration, a group of health care providers who care for low-income and uninsured patients.
"What we're really trying to do is find out who's using our emergency rooms ... and find solutions," said Ann Kitchen, executive director of the group, which presented the report last week to the Travis County Healthcare District board.
The average emergency room visit costs $1,000. Hospitals and taxpayers paid the bill through government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, Kitchen said.
Eight of the nine patients have drug abuse problems, seven were diagnosed with mental health issues and three were homeless. Five are women whose average age is 40, and four are men whose average age is 50, the report said, the Austin American-Statesman reported Wednesday.
"It's a pretty significant issue," said Dr. Christopher Ziebell, chief of the emergency department at University Medical Center at Brackenridge, which has the busiest ERs in the area.
Solutions include referring some frequent users to mental health programs or primary care doctors for future care, Ziebell said.
"They have a variety of complaints," he said. With mental illness, "a lot of anxiety manifests as chest pain."

Auto Rebate: Thanks Americans

Lawdy, lawdy! Wish I had the resources to come up with this info. I was doin' my thing today; listen' to Rush Limbaugh. Surely, you've seen TV commercials touting a new plan from the auto dealers. There are some catches to it and some fine line writing but if you purchase a new car then lose your job the auto dealers will pay your payments. It started with Hyundai. They're Korean, right? Anyway, GM will make your payments up to $700.00 month for 9 months. Rush was reading from a news source but the gist is, if the auto companies, aka, General Motors are without cash how can they come up with these great offers? It's an easy answer. We are making the monthly car payments in the form of a stimulus. In other words, the American people are opening up our wallets, once again, to bail out those who don't have the $$$$$$$. It's the housing bailout all over again.

Obama's Pals

Have you had the opportunity to to watch tapes of the left wing crackpot commmies protesting the G20 meetings in Gt. Britain? These clowns break windows, throw rocks, harrass the police and create all varieties of general mayhem. Newspeople say they want to promote their cause of too much money for the haves and not enough for the have nots. They are anarchists; against government of any type and to be achieved by any means necessary.
This is classic. Their heroes would be, in no particular order, Fr. Michael Pflegger, Rev. Jeremiah Wright and, of course, Billy boy Ayers. Obama has yet to comment on his pals working the streets of London.

When Is A Lie A Lie

One of my favorite sayings is: " a promise is a debt unpaid". Well, if you've been paying attention the tax on cigarettes went up in our state by a little over a dollar today. Smokes now cost $6.75 for the 'premium' brand. This tax money is supposed to be used to pay for health care for chilren. It's called the CHIPS program. When Clinton was in office the tobacco companies were sued and gave up somewhere around $300 billion to the states. This money was earmarked for education programs to stop kids from starting on the weed and to help smokers cease. To date less than 1% has gone to that cause. Everyone should than a smoker today because they, the great percentage of whom are the poor, are funding health care for kids. Read the column from my most favorite fun web site, Ace of Spades HQ and get used to paying taxes. It's going to hit you soon.
One of President Barack Obama's campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.
The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama's promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000.
This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.
To be sure, Obama's tax promises in last year's campaign were most often made in the context of income taxes. Not always.
"I can make a firm pledge," he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. "Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes."
He repeatedly vowed "you will not see any of your taxes increase one single dime."
Now in office, Obama, who stopped smoking but has admitted he slips now and then, signed a law raising the tobacco tax nearly 62 cents on a pack of cigarettes, to $1.01. Other tobacco products saw similarly steep increases.

April Fool's Joke??????

This accompanying news piece comes from Amy Edwards and the Orlando Sentinel. Could it possible be an April Fool's joke? Was she blond?

A woman called Kissimmee police to say she was locked inside her car at the Walgreen's on John Young Parkway near Poinciana.

"My car will not start. I'm locked inside my car," the unidentified woman said.

"Nothing electrical works. And it's getting very hot in here, and I'm not feeling well."

The dispatcher asked the woman if she was able to manually pull the lock up on the door.
The woman said she would try, and then, she said, "Yes, I got the door open."

Moralist, Elitist, Scum

The enclosed article in National Review online is just too rich to let go. Victor Hansen Davis, as is usually the case, has his proverbial finger on the pulse of what's going on with the "Cheating Administration".

Team Obama: The HHS nominee and tax-plagued Sebelius ($8,000 short) was the sequel to the mega-tax-plagued Tom Daschle ($140,000 short), who followed disclosures about Treasury Sec. Timothy Geithner ($48,000 short), who was joined by Nancy Kelleher (who knows?), and Labor Sec. Hilda Solis ($6,400 short).

The real story is not just that our tax code is so complicated that even our supposedly best and brightest cannot fathom it, or that these problems allegedly derived from mere technicalities, or even that the corrections and repayment usually follow nomination, the subtext being that without the chance for the federal post, the fed does not collect their revenue.

No, the lesson is that all these nominees belong to precisely the class that we've heard over the last two years "made out like bandits," and should "spread the wealth," and need to "level the playing field," and "were the beneficiaries of the Bush tax cuts" and should be "patriotic" in paying "their fair share."

So there is a real ethical crisis among the liberal elite who, we are learning for the nth time, suffer the additional wage of hypocrisy, by calling for higher taxes on the upper-middle-class (often punctuated by self-serving qualifiers that they themselves are willing to pay more in taxes), only to scheme to find ways to cut down their tax liability contrary to the law.

The tragedy is that moralists like Daschle, Geithner, Solis, etc. have far more access to tax lawyers and are far less likely to pay the consequences when caught than the putative "rich" that the liberal left, for the last year, has so cavalierly trashed.

Something larger and really weird is going on here. Liberal tax raisers are not paying taxes. The majority of big Wall Street money (cf. AIG, Fannie, Freddie, Goldman-Sachs, etc) is going to the Democratic Party. The J.P.Morgan-like tycoons such as Buffet, Gates, Soros, etc. are apparently strong supporters of these avatars of the new economics. Congessional liberal leaders are mulitmillionaires like Feinstein, Kennedy, Kerry, Kohl, Pelosi, Rockefellar, etc. All of this is superimposed on this pseudo-populist agenda, decrying the Wall Street culture and corporate America that enriched them, while calling for more and more taxes that some of them apparently so often find ways of avoiding.

A good novelist could not make this all up.