DVR Blogging Idol: Baker's Dozen

Tonight the competition really begins as the final 13 Idol contestants perform: Pray my battery lasts.

Some random thoughts:

• Do you ever wonder if Randy has a limited wardrobe?
• Who will get the pimp spots, and who is screwed by going in the first group?
• 2 hours.  26 minutes of singing, 30 minutes of commercials, and an hour of nothing.
• Need to get through this quickly so we can see if Russell fails on his Redemption Island effort.
• The washer squeaks so much I can't hear anything.

1. Lauren Alaina - Ouch, spot 1.  I think she's popular, so this may not hurt her.  Some Shania Twain song. Seems pretty uninspired to me.  Steven has it right, not "kick-ass" enough.  Randy and J-Lo echo.
2. Casey Abrams - Joe Cocker's "I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends" - If I hadn't heard Joe Cocker do this, I would like it more.  I think it's a good performance, solidly on key and suits his voice and vibe.  I'm not blown away like J-Lo, but Randy says unbelievable and exciting.  Get the idea the judges like Casey.
3. Ashton Jones - One of the judges picks does Diana Ross.  I am not familiar with the song, but she seems screechy to me.  This spot is not going to help her. No one really loves it. 
4. After 5 minutes of commercials, we are given, Paul McDonald, who will sing a Ryan Adams song.  I have to say, I am not a fan of this guy, and he sounds like he's sick.  I am going to say what America is thinking - "Awful."  Steven Tyler loves everyone.  J-Lo likes the moves.  They're not smiling at him, they are laughing at him.  Randy loves who Paul is.  I DON'T get it.  Well, actually, I DO get it, but, I don't like it.
5. Another 4 minutes, and Pia Toscano is next.  Now, it helps that she's the hottest of the contestants (and can sing), but the number 5 spot is a crap hole. Uh oh, Celine Dion.  Some of us remember when this song was original, and not by Celine Dion.  That means we're old.  Simon would say, "It's very karaoke, I think you're in trouble."  But, these judges are forgiving, so they say instead, "really beautiful," (J-Lo) "You have such a natural gift, I love it," (Randy) and "You just slammed it." (The new Paula).
6. James Durbin idolizes Paul McCartney and will do "Maybe I'm Amazed." Actually, I do like this version, and it's a little more like I think the Beatles (the late '60's Beatles) would have done this song.  He's not helped by the mid-pack position, but Randy, for good reason, loves it.  As do the others.  
7. Haley Reinhart - One of those forgotten girls. Stuck mid-pack, I think she's quite good, as this seems a very difficult song.  Will people remember it?  I think Randy has it perhaps right, that it's boring...
8. Jacob Lusk - R. Kelly?  Really?  Is he going to rape someone?  Ok, I have to admit, when Jacob sings, he is one of those singers that send chills up the spine.  I loved the gospel touch to this.  Really something. Randy has it right.
9. Moving into the homestretch, next up is Thia Megia - who will sing Smile.  There's no doubt that she has a very nice voice, and this moves to a jazzy vibe, which I think works ok for her.  Simon would complain that it's an old person's song.  He'd be right.  
10. Stefano Langone - is going to do a Stevie Wonder song.  Dangerous (that's not the song), it's the strategy.  He's approaching pimp spot, which is an indication the producers want him to stick around.  Stevie Wonder rarely is a good choice for contestants, and I feel the same way here.  The fact that he couldn't break into the top 10 last week means he's not THAT popular with the fans.  Judges pimp him.  I don't really know why.
11. Karen Rodriguez - is going take a Selena song and my only question - is it going to be in Spanish?  I just don't think it's that good.  She's the first contestant I have felt was really, really in trouble.  If J-Lo is downplaying it, it really did suck.  They all agree, suckfest.
12. Scotty McCreery - Seems like something's wrong with the microphone. I don't think this song really fits Scotty's voice.  I like him, and I love his voice for country music.  I don't think this song worked and I hope the country fans keep him in, and he's aided by the number 12 spot.  Steven Tyler makes no sense, you know that.  Judges loved it and I wonder if the acoustics in the theater were better than what translated through my TV.
13. Naima Adedapo - Umbrella - She's got the coveted pimp spot, for someone who was saved by the judges and I didn't think deserved it, that's an indication the producers want her around and think she needs a boost.  This may just be me, but I hated it.  Seemed off-key, arrangement was weird and she's weird.  Simon would detest this.  If she were not in the 13 spot, I'd say goodbye to her.

So, I think Karen is gone, but, could be Ashton or Thia or Paul.  Add in Naima, and they are my bottom four.

My top are easy:

Jacob, James, Pia.

Everyone else in a broad middle.  What did you think?

Wisconsin Dems get asses handed to them. Government unions whine. Wisconsin citizens rejoice!

The Wisconsin GOP senators are teaching Wisconsin Democrats, the government employee unions, and the House GOP a few things tonight.

In what should have been done some time ago, the Wisconsin GOP is stripping their bill of the fiscal portions that require 3/5 of the senate.  The bill passed 18-1.  Details here, as it's not appreciably different from the earlier bill.

While they're at it, they should pass every bill they can that will piss off Democrats.

Idol Results: Chalk

So, tonights final 12 selection show is going on and here's my take after the top 10 have been selected.  Basically chalk so far.

Of the guys, really no surprises.  I thought Stefano would make it, but I also thought Paul would, too.  The other 4 were no brainers.  I think the judges will choose Stefano.

Of the girls, no real surprises there, either.  I thought Naima would make it, but Haley did instead.  She's hot, you could see her nipples, and she didn't sing awfully Wednesday night.  That explains it.  America is hoping for more Katherine McPhee type wardrobe issues.

The judges choose to sing in the stupid sing off six people:

1. Stefano
2. Ashton
3. Kendra
4. Jovanny
5. Naima
6. Robbie

Of course Ryan says that "we don't even know how many you might take" which makes me think we could have a final 16.

The judges take....Ashton, Stefano (knew it, so I was 6 for 6 on the guys), Naima.  So I ended up being 12 for 12 and the judges added one.

Gas blowing up!

Have you all noticed, gas prices have shot up about 35 cents in the last two weeks??

Wouldn't know that from watching the state-controlled media, would you?  I think the last time gas hit $4/gallon, George W Bush was ripped a brand new one with never ending stories on how lame he was, causing all those hurricanes and all.

Now that we have combined issuing no new drilling permits (except to BP) with the turmoil in the Middle East, Investors Business Daily posits that $8/gal gas is the desire of the Obama Administration.

Let's face it, Obama has said before that his energy policy is essentially designed to make you pay more.  Like he said here and below:


"Electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket."

So, this is just part of the grand plan.  Let's make energy costs high enough to make the folly that is solar and wind power and electric cars look good.  Even though they are not.

Blah Blah Blah.

With Libs, it's really about the destruction of Western Civilization, with them lining their pockets all along the way.

Idol Girls - Update!

Tonight is ladies night on Idol, and I have to admit Idon't know who most of these people are.  Below is the DialIdol.com update.  Be prepared to be surprised.

1. Ta-Tynisa Wilson - sucked. Randy wasn't moved nor was I. I was worried about a wardrobe malfunction, though.
2. Naima Adedapo - at least she can sing. That big ole tattoo is going to be a problem. Lose the self-styled dresses.
3. Kendra Chantelle - it's impossible to endure this performance. But it wasn't awful. I think it'll be forgotten by the end of the show.
4. Rachel Zevita - what is this? Oldies night? She managed to take a new song and turn it into an old one.
5. Karen Rodriguez - she's going for the Latina vote. I think she's good. Doesn't move me. Best so far.
6. Lauren Turner - gotta have a fat girl on the show. Doesn't stand a chance of being in the final 12. Judges? Insane loving this.
7. Ashton Jones - who is this person? I could live without it. She hits a few notes. Just who cares. Really.
8. Julie Zorilla - finally someone I remember. Note to contestants - don't do former winner's songs. And if you do, do it good. She's not. Better get some hotness votes.
9. Haley Reinhart - more oldies nite. At least it's original sounding. Wardrobe malfunction 2? I swear she's showing nipples. I swear.
10. Thia Megia - much was made of the 15 year olds, but is she our only one? Simon would complain about a kid singing this song.
11. Lauren Alaina - our Georgia country girl. Also 16. Rotten. But that's just me. Judges love.
12. Pia Toscano - in the coveted anchor slot. She's been plenty hyped by Idol.

My Top 5:
Pia, Lauren A, Thia, Karen, Naima.

Dialidol says (and it says the first three are safe)

1. Ta-Tynisa Wilson - By a long way.  Huh?  This makes me question dialidol's algorithms.  Or perhaps there was an issue with the phone lines for her, making it appear more busy signals.
2. Julie Zorilla - Again, this was the worst performance of the night, I thought by far.  But, she's attractive, so maybe.
3. Lauren Alaina - The first in this group who deserves to be there.
4. Pia Toscano - They have her 4th, but as low as 12th, so, she could be gone...
5. Thia Megia - Again, could be 12th.

Karen is last and Naima is 9th.  I can see the Spanish not going over.  Very small demo, despite what Democrats want you to believe.

Union thugs and Islamic Terrorists. What's the difference?

Pam Geller has details and commentary over at Atlas Shrugs, but, we can expect, and indeed are seeing, that the state-run media is playing down the Muslim attack and murder of 2 US Airmen today in Germany.  They can't stress often enough that this was a "lone" gunman, and they can't stress AT ALL that he was reportedly chanting Islamic slogans as he murdered his victims.

Seems the only people killing American soldiers are the Islamic Taliban in Afghanistan and Islamists acting "alone" around the rest of the world.

If the Left wants to find an instance where hate speech is actually leading to violence, don't look at Rush Limbaugh, look at the Islamists they have been enabling for years.

Shifting gears to another group of thugs, if you haven't been exactly following the goings-on in Wisconsin, Anne Althouse, Law professor at U Wisconsin, has been doing great work on this in the blogosphere.

If you read this blog even a little, you know I am completely unsympathetic to these government-union idiots, but, while they have no "right" to collective bargaining, they do have a first amendment rights to protest, even if their arguments are specious and ignorant.  The Constitution doesn't say your political speech has to be intelligent.

I just ask you who may have some sympathy for these people to look at the conditions they are leaving in the Wisconsin Capital and the violent nature of their protests.  You don't have to look hard.

• Defacing war memorials
• State Senator attacked by the mob
• Dem Assemblyman, in a fit of civil discourse, tells GOP assemblywoman, "You're fucking dead." 
• News reporters attacked.

These are just posted in the last few hours.

• 
  

Idol 11! It's back

American Idol has returned now in full force, and I'll be periodically giving my thoughts on it.  Last night the final 12 boys performed, and, in what I think is kind of rotten, this week they will be whittled down to six based on last night's performance.  The top 5 vote getters from us, and the final 1 from the judges.  Then, we'll start in earnest.  The danger here is that a couple of people who deserve to make the final 6 don't.  So, here's my take on last night's men:

1. Clint Jun Gamboa - I thought was good, as did the judges, but he drew the dreaded #1 spot, and I don't think he has a lot of charisma to carry the night.  So, while I think he deserves to be in the final six, I think he's in trouble.
2. Jovanny Barreto - I pegged him an early favorite, but I think his performance was just average.  Stuck in the 2 spot.  Not going to make it.
3. Jordan Dorsey - I also had him pegged as an early favorite, but his performance was really, really awful.  The final six is only going to have one spot for a black guy, and it's not Jordan.
4. Tim Halperin - Honestly, has been invisible.  His performance, and the mid-pack spot don't help him.  Your fifteen minutes is up, Tim.
5. Brett Lowenstern - in a season with a few quirky contestants, Brett is plain wierd.  Later, Brett.
6. James Durbin - Fortunately, the show turned better with James' performance.  He's the odds on favorite to win, in my opinion.  Daughter says he's like Adam Lambert.  Yeah, if you remove the gayness, and the questionable talent.  And, he sang a Judas Priest song.  Gotta love that. Easily in.
7. Robbie Rosen - The judges love this guy, but I just don't get it.  Please, saying he was better than Sarah MacLachlan?  NOT.  Not going to make it, but a potential judges choice?
8. Scotty McCreery - out deep voiced country star could leave this thing and start recording now.  Easily in, but the later theme nights could harm him.  May not have the crossover appeal to win, but should go far.  Doesn't matter, if he makes the final 8 or so, he's got a career covered.
9. Stefano Langone - I didn't like his performancce, but I like him, and I think he may have the most appeal to Idol's 13-16 year old female crowd.  In.
10. Paul McDonald - one of our truly quirky contestants this year. I don't think he is winner material, but he should make the final six men.
11. Jacob Lusk - I agree that this kid can sing.  He should be in easy.  Helped by the slot.
12. Casey Abrams - Taylor Hicks with talent?  My favorite, closely followed by James Durbin, Scotty McCreery and Jacob Lusk.  In.

Now, at this stage, DialIdol.com doesn't tell us too terribly much, especially with the massive text voting that must go on, but it says that the top 5 are:

1. Scotty McCreery
2. Jacob Lusk
3. James Durbin
4. Stefano Langone
5. Paul McDonald

I can see that.  It has Casey Abrams as 7th, but they only predict that Scotty is safe, so anyone else could make the top 5.  If these are the 5, my prediction is the judges will add Casey.  I think the judges would add Jacob, James, Casey, Paul in that order, so, if any of those 3 don't make the final 5 America vote, look for one of them to get added by the judges.

I may blog the girls later, but first I want to watch Survivor.

Launch of Shuttle Discovery as viewed from the air

Great video of this week's Discovery launch.  From the air.  Really a unique experience. Expand to full screen for the best view.

Wisconsin...

The Left thinks they are experiencing a Tea Party moment in Wisconsin.

I have news for them, you're not.

Where the Tea Party is motivated by a desire to fix a dire fiscal situation in this country, the unionistas in Wisconsin are out for themselves.  In a state where teachers pull in >$80k/year, and pay very little out of pocket for their very generous benefits, a bunch of whining, selfish, crybaby government-employee union leaders are trying to retain what little relevance they have in this world by drawing a line at taxpayer expense.

USA Today trumpets a poll that supposedly shows "lukewarm" public support for cutting benefits and the right of government employees to collective bargaining.  The poll shows support for cutting programs and benefits is about evenly split, while support for raising taxes is opposed 3 to 1.  I don't know about you, but in a situation where the choices boil down to cutting programs, cutting benefits, or raising taxes, if you want to be on the side of public opinion, you better choose the first 2 choices.

And, that's exactly what Governor Walker in Wisconsin is doing.  The proposal is asking these employees to contribute (for them) much more to their own benefits, something that private sector unions long ago conceded to in most industries, and, something I can attest to that management employees at most corporations already do to a large degree.

At the same time, the Governor is playing a political card to reduce the collective bargaining power of these public-sector unions.  Ask yourself, why do public employees need unions?

I mean, back in the old days, unions served a purpose, preventing uncaring and greedy employers from abusing them and making them work in unsafe conditions.  But, what are the conditions that public-sector employees suffer from that need a union to address that the benevolent government isn't already addressing?  I mean, seriously, what are they?

And, collective bargaining?  Look, it's always been unfair, and un-American.  You tell me what service collective-bargaining serves?

Tell me.

I'm still here...is Sarah Palin?

Wow, I haven't posted in 3 weeks.

Post Christmas is always hectic around here.  And, I have to admit a bit of a cooling off has been going on politically for me.  The euphoria of November passed into the lamest duck session and now the GOP is set to do what they were elected to do - reduce the size and scope of government's intrusion into the American people's and American businesses lives.

I didn't post about the Tuscon shooting, because the attacks from the Left were so predictable and so outrageous, that it just felt stupid to even address it.  Sarah Palin needs to learn one of the cardinal rules of politics - when your opponents are destroying themselves, sit back and let them.

As many of you may know, I am a fan of Sarah Palin.  I can't see her being a worse president than the one who currently occupies the office, but, in a sea of good GOP candidates, I don't see her as the best.  I also think she better serves the conservative cause (today) by NOT being a candidate, especially if she's going to go into defensive attack mode at every opportunity.  Personally, I wish she had just stayed above things post-Tuscon.  Issued a written statement, and let it sit there.  Enough people were lambasting the Left, especially as the facts came out and we found out that Jared Loughner was certainly more influenced by Adolph Hitler, Chairman Mao and Lenin than he was Limbaugh, Hannity, and Palin.

Even 60 Minutes spent a segment explaining the quixotic nature of political assassins.

I have other reasons why I don't think Palin is ready for 2012, but that's the subject of another (and previous) posts.

Our "New" Bimmer comes to Atlanta

I have posted the pictures we took of our trip from Yardley to Atlanta, bringing our newest garage member home.

Our route took us by air to Philly, where we received a whirlwind tour of the city (Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, City Hall), a not-so-whirlwind tour of the huge King of Prussia Mall, then a nice dinner with my sister's family, a short stop to visit our other Philly cousin and take her present to her, followed by rest.

Day 2 took us from Yardley, via Gettysburg, to Greensboro, to my folks' home.  It's a nice trip, PA Turnpike to US-15 to Gettysburg, then some nice backroads to get you to I-70 in Maryland, then onto I-81 and through Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, where you hit US-220 to Greensboro.  I remembered that US-220 route from taking my Great Aunt back and forth years ago.  But, do it in the dark, in a car with pretty weak low beams, and try to maintain 65mph.  Scary, but fun.

After some famous Stamey's NC BBQ, we took a rest, and on day 3, washed the car, cleaned it out, and headed down I-85 for the 5 hour trip home.  Quick, and easy, and daughter got her lunch at Panera Bread (in Concord, NC).

Everyone arrived back home happy and tired.  And ready for New Year's.

Health Care Timeline

This link is to a great chart from the Kaiser Family Foundation on the implementation timeline of ObamaCare. It includes when certain provisions go into effect, and their impact.

Non-partisan, and useful to you.

Post Christmas Car Trip - Ridin' with my homey...

Because a couple of my nephews are in the USAF, and one has managed to get himself stationed in England flying KC-135's older than me, and the other is now moving cross country from New Jersey to Seattle (to still fly C-17's.  Go figure), I have come into possession of a car. It's a 1986 BMW 325e.

It was bought by England Nephew to use during his training stateside.  Since he dabbled in Land Rovers, the BMW was an economical way to get back and forth at a time when gas prices were $4/gallon (remember those days? They're approaching again).  When he left for the old country, his brother took it over and it has spent the last couple of years in occasional use in Phiily/Trenton.  Now that he's getting moved to Seattle, the car isn't going with him, so, enter me.  I'll soon have a second licensed teen driver, so, this will give us the extra car we may need for a while to tide the two over.

In this scenario, there's only one slight problem.  The car is in Trenton, we're in Atlanta.  As luck would have it, one of my sisters lives minutes from my nephew, and so, they have agreed to be caretakers for a couple of weeks, get the car in smooth order (as much as a 200k miles, 25 year old car can be) and hold on to it for me.

Thus, the concept of a Road Trip is born.

Since I had enough vacation left to take two weeks this Christmas, I thought this might be the ideal time to get the car.  If I pick it up the week after Christmas, it gives me 2 or 3 days to get it back South, and with family along the way conveniently located, free sleepovers, if needed.

A couple of weeks ago, after finalizing this deal, I started looking for flights to get to Philadelphia, and this week is an excellent time for low fares.  So low, in fact, that my youngest, 15 y.o. daughter decided she'd like to come along for the trip.  In her mind, I must confess, she loves to fly, so she was lured by the prospect of 2 hours in an airplane, and perhaps by the TSA spectacle.  I dunno on that one.  In fact, she likes air travel so much that she isn't fazed by the prospect of 850 miles with Dad in a suspect car, in cold weather.  I should remind my dear readers that in May 2009, the two of us road tripped to Cedar Point on Lake Erie in Ohio to go to an amusement park, so we've spent 10 pleasant hours in a car together.  So, it's not as unbelievable as you may think.

Anyway, the trip is scheduled to start tomorrow.  Given the blizzard that just hit Philly and points north, I'd say our timing was incredibly lucky.  Air travel should be busy, but at full speed tomorrow (in fact, we're already checked-in) and the roads should be cleared by Weds all the way south for us, when we plan to begin our journey.  So far, all our luck has been good, which seems ominous.  The car has needed little work to make it roadworthy, the most major repair that it requires (a timing belt replacement) was done not too many miles ago, and the weather seems to be opening up for us.  Honestly, it almost seems too good, so please pray and keep your fingers crossed.  Of course, in this day and age of cell phones and credit cards, you're never too far from a qualified mechanic, should you need one.

Our trip will take us from Yardley, PA, to Gettysburg, PA. Being within a couple hours of Gettysburg, I want her to see one of the most important sites in American history.  As a Southerner, I hope it'll hold special significance for her, as it does for me, where so many gallant and brave men on both sides fought and died, and where our Union was saved.  From there, we are going to turn south head for I-81, and take off for the longest segment of our trip, to my parents' home in Greensboro, where we hope to arrive Wednesday evening.  Just in time for a heaping plate of North Carolina barbecue.  If you're reading, Mom & Dad - have it  ready.

After that, it's the relatively simple 300 mile trip home to Atlanta down I-85.  I plan to do some documenting on twitter along the way.  You can follow me, or, if you're familiar with Twitter, look for the hashtag, #bmwtrip.

See you along the way

The Tax Deal: What's a Tea Partier to do?

This week, President Obama and those dastardly Republicans reached a deal in principle, at least, on tax policy.

At its core, the deal extends the Bush Tax Cuts 2 years for all Americans, keeping income tax policy where it is. If passed, it will result in no income tax increases for everyone, while the economy continues to struggle in a very weak recovery, which has been completely jobless so far.  Many conservatives and economists have been arguing that the uncertainty around this policy has held back investment.  I agree with that assessment, but, is two years really enough certainty to cause the investor class (that would be "the rich" to you Libs out there) to change their current behavior?  I don't know, but I know that a longer extension would go a lot further to spurring investment.

Just discussing this policy, let's all stipulate that these taxes add nothing to the budget deficit.  The meme of the Left that these cost us $70B/year for the highest rates (and $300B/year for the rest) is wrong and disingenuous.  The truth is that the Left can't wait to get their hands on the money that increasing taxes would bring them.  I suppose if there were some kind of promise that any increase in tax revenue from raising taxes would go towards deficit reduction, it would be an easier sell.  But that is not what is happening, nor is it what would happen in reality.

This cycle, the American people voted, and they were serious that we need to see some serious efforts at cutting spending before we start making attempts to increase revenues.  History tells us that increased revenues will only result in more government spending.  The bottom line is - want less government - you have to starve the beast.  Paradoxically, if we actually lowered rates, we might see more economic activity, more GDP growth, and ultimately, higher tax revenues.  That's been the case historically.  We've only run up big deficits where we have overspent.

Had this exercise only been limited to an extension of these tax cuts, I, and I believe most Tea Partiers, would have been happy.

However, the President couldn't control himself.

He decided that as part of this deal, he needed to add in yet another extension of unemployment benefits, adding another 52 weeks to the already long time that they have been available.  And, he sees fit to do this without any spending offsets.

The deal also includes an INCREASE in the Estate Tax, from it's current rate of 0% to 35% on estates over a certain value.  While this should be considered in the same vein as the Bush cuts (i.e. not as a tax cut), Dems treat this as a deficit increasing event.  In reality, it will decrease the deficit, since it will raise revenue not being collected today.  Washington, however, is a mixed-up, crazy world.

Amazingly, he also brought out a 2% reduction for 2011 in the social security tax on the employed.  Politically, this is to offset the loss of the "making work pay" tax credit that was applied as part of Stimulus.  That tax credit was worth $800 to married couples and if it was left out of this, it would result in a tax increase on working families.  If that happened, Obama loses his campaign talking point that he hasn't raised taxes "one dime" on those making less than $250k.  Faced with a failed Stimulus, he turns to tax policy to put another stimulus into the economy (and allow him to keep at least one campaign promise).  Hey,. personally, I am all for this.  It's worth a lot more than $800 to my family, and with us losing half the child tax credit (it's only for kids under 18), and that making work pay credit, it makes up for it.

Obama has included in this an extension of the various tax credits that were part of Stimulus.  I haven't seen the details on those, but I assume we're talking the energy tax credits and the credits for purchases of hybrid/electric and high-mileage diesel vehicles.  There are probably others that are being extended, too.

The net is all those, plus the 2% social security payroll tax reduction, plus the unemployment benefits extension will add to the deficit.

These things we should all worry about, as I believe the total cost to the treasury will be about $500B.

Were I in Congress, while I would have endorsed the S/S reduction 2 years ago (and would probably have argued for a greater reduction, perhaps of the entire employee portion), today, I think it may be too little, too late to save the Obama presidency, and I would probably vote against this package.  I would support, right now, an extension of the tax cuts, and that's all.

If forced, here's what I'd like to do now:
1. Extend the income tax rates permanently.  No deficit implications.  Government gets the same revenues.
2. Reduce the SS tax rates by 6.2% (equally split between employer and employee contributions) for 2 years - this would be my sop to stimulative effects.
3. Reduce cap gains tax to 0% for 1 year - get businesses to invest, and now!
4. Reduce all non-defense, non-entitlement spending to 2006 levels (not 2008, as the GOP pledged)
5. To facilitate 4, begin the elimination of the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, and defund various non-essential discretionary items - Public TV, NEA contributions, cut foreign aid (like to the UN) and other wasteful and stupid spending.
6. Bring back all unspent Stimulus funds - apply back to the Treasury.
7. Get rid of all the various tax breaks in the Stimulus
8. No extension of unemployment benefits, unless done under Pay-go rules (meaning you cut somewhere to pay for it).

Some number crunching:

• If we can reduce spending to 2006 levels, we could probably balance the budget given revenues return to their pre-recession levels.
• Discretionary spending is slightly more than 1/3 of the total budget.  Since 2006, however, it has increased twice as fast as non-discretionary spending (Social security, medicare, medicaid).  Non-discretionary spending increases about 10% every two years, but discretionary spending is outpacing it.
• Defense spending is about half of that discretionary spending.  From 2006 to 2008, it accounted for nearly all the increase in discretionary spending.   From 2008 to 2010, however, it only accounted for one quarter of the increase.The big increase in that time frame was in a category labeled other (was this elements of Stimulus?).

Anyway, take it for what it's worth.  Not much.

Dec 7, 1941, A Day That Will Live in Infamy

Today marks 69 years since we were viciously attacked by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, costing over 2400 American lives, and plunging us into WW2.

If you know any WW2 vets, take a moment to thank them, or say a prayer for them.  They put to death two horrible regimes in Tojo's Japan and Hitler's Germany.

A year ago, I posted this about important places for Americans to visit.  It bears a re-read.

Muslim Brotherhood Front Group Trains Airport Screeners - HUMAN EVENTS

Remember the initials MPAC (Muslim Public Affairs Council). MPAC is one of many Muslim Brotherhood front groups operating in the US as "outreach" organizations. Also among them are ISNA, and CAIR.

When you see members from these organizations on TV, supposedly trotted out as "moderates," recall that their organizations were trained and usually founded by people dedicated to the spread of Sharia Law. By force, if necessary, by other means, if possible. The bottom line is - you WILL submit.

See: Muslim Brotherhood Front Group Trains Airport Screeners in Human Events.

You can't make this sh%t up department...(NSFW)

This weekend, I had the pleasure of seeing the first of my nephews married.

It was a fun experience, and a great getaway for the wife and I.  We traveled to Philadelphia, my nephew's most recent stop on his world tour courtesy of the United States Air Force (and home to one of my own sisters) and a place where I spent a few weeks as a youth.

All in all, despite what W.C. Fields said, Philadelphia is a great city to visit, a wonderful Northeastern city with a vibrant urban life, lots of unique and good food, and history to rival few other cities.  It may be the most important city in Colonial America.

I recommend Philly as a great place to visit.  Maybe you'd prefer it in warmer weather, but, hey, we don't schedule these things.

In the you can't make this crap up department, the wedding was held at a South Philly establishment known as the Magic Gardens.  You can read all about the Magic Gardens and how it and the artists who were inspired by it and for it saved South Philly from becoming an expressway here.  The Magic Gardens is such a part of Philly lore and South Philly culture, that they were visited by First Lady Michelle Obama and the First Daughters back in August 2009.  The liked it so much, they penned this letter:

The letter says:
"Thank you so much for passing along the clay tiles and the terrific photos from our trip to Philadelphia's Magic Gardens.  It is such a special place, and it is exciting to hear that our tiles are now on display as part of your beautiful public art.  The girls and I had a wonderful time visiting Philadelphia and we won't soon forget your truly unique contribution to your community.  Thank you again for everything and I wish you all the best"
s/
Michelle Obama

I'm going to say that, as a wedding location, despite being eclectic, perhaps it could best be described as an appropriate place due to its ability to promote fertility.  And by fertility, I mean the chief artist, Isiah Zagar and his followers clearly have an emphasis on the male and female sexual form - sometimes cleverly, and oftentimes not-so-cleverly embedded in the art at Magic Gardens. I also find it interesting that Michelle Obama and the Obamakids found this place so interesting, too.  Let me tell you, I won't soon forget my visit to the Magic Gardens either.

Here are some NSFW examples of the art, again, IN PLAIN VIEW, and in not-so-plain view in this place (and, folks, it ain't that big of a place). Beware, penises ahead (oh, there are many more, I just got tired of taking pictures of penises, lest someone think I was a lecher):

2012: Palin v. Hillary!

A lot of speculation is going on over whether Sarah Palin will run for president in 2012, fueled by some of her recent statements (just Google it if you live in a barn).  I think it's the right time for her, but for it to be successful, history gives us some clues as to what needs to happen beforehand.

With the repudiation of Obama's agenda on 11/2, it is clear (to everyone except senior level Democrats) that Americans are sick of the spending binge, and recognize it as a failure.  They expected the President to focus on restoring the economy, while instead he chose to ram through a rotten Pork package (Stimulus 1), followed it up with a second attempt (Omnibus), then focused on Health Care for 18 months. During this time he made over 30 speeches, each one making it less popular, ultimately ending in the election of Scott Brown and the passage of Obamacare over the objections of the American people.  As I sit here today, I am amazed that this administration, Pelosi, and Reid thought this was good politics, or even good policy.  Just amazed.  I am further amazed that they continue along the meme that their 11/2 defeat was all a "communication" problem.  PLEASE!  For 2 years, Obama was on our TV's constantly, usually with the undying love and adoration of the mainstream media, pushing some part of his agenda.

What will Obama, et.al. do?

Nancy Pelosi's choice to remain Minority Leader signals that the Dem's House leadership clearly didn't get the message of Nov 2.  For the GOP, her continued leadership is a God-send.  A wonderful gift that will keep her front and center in the minds of Americans for the next two years and a great tool for 2012 GOP Congressional candidates ("Will you vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker?").  Oh, and has anyone seen an actual budget for 2011 yet?  Dems are still working on it...

At the White House, it seems all disarray.  Obama goes overseas, where he continues his incompetence tour. Failing to sign a South Korean Free Trade Treaty, and getting continually scolded for our attempts to devalue the Dollar, as China does the same with the Yuan, risking a global currency war.  Like previous efforts at the Chicago Olympics, and the Global Climate Change Conference, this President seems to believe that his mere presence actually can cause the oceans to recede and the planet to cool.  Memo to Obama - your presence can not even get a bunch of Euro-weenies to agree to things they are already inclined to, and certainly your "Asian" life experience has NO meaning to our real Asian partners (and actual practitioners of Capitalism).

Back home, uber-campaign strategist David Axelrod (I guess he's looking forward to getting back to the campaign trail, since he likewise is an incompetent advisor on policy) signaled this week that the administration would likely agree on extending the Bush tax cuts (and preventing a huge tax increase) for ALL Americans for some time.  Once the Left challenged this, though, the president himself started backing away.

Against this backdrop of incompetency, we have to consider whether Obama has the political survival instincts of Bill Clinton.  The answer: No.

He will instead choose hand-to-hand combat against the GOP, clinging to his policies and far left ideology.  This will result in gridlock, a defunding of Obamacare, and numerous challenges to him.  Some Dems will recognize the potential for complete 2012 electoral disaster, and will start looking for a primary challenger.  They will hope to find it in Hillary Clinton.  Despite Hillary's statements that she will never run for president again, I can not believe that a desperate Democrat party, looking at even greater losses in the House and Senate in 2012, and faced with a strong case against Obama, will not look for Hillary first to save them.  So, condition number one to a Palin presidency is the Obama must face at lease a credible primary challenger in 2012  Hillary clearly would fill that bill, but others could, as well.  Already we hear talk of Evan Bayh (who retired rather than lose his Senate seat) and Jim Webb (who will probably lose his in 2012, so why not set the stage for even a 2016 presidential run with a 2012 dry run), and others being in the mix (Howard Dean is mentioned, though I think a credible run will come from Obama's right, not his left).

In the recent past, sitting presidents have only lost re-election when they have faced significant primary challenges.  Eugene McCarthy and RFK forced LBJ to not even seek re-election in 1968.  Jimmy Carter faced a challenge from another Kennedy, Teddy, in 1996. Bush 1 faced Pat Buchanan in 1992.  All lost re-election.  This is the surest sign that Obama is doomed.

Defeating an incumbent president is a challenge in any year.  Obama will be even tougher, regardless of how bad things get, because the Union money machine will crank away a get out the vote effort, and with Obama on the ticket again, blacks will vote in massive numbers again in 2012 for him.  The youth vote, so important in 2008, not so much (my prediction).

For the GOP to maintain the momentum built up in 2009-2010, it is critically important that the energy behind the Tea Parties remains on their side.  The surest way to make this happen, is for Sarah Palin to stay engaged in the movement and politically active.  It's not really going to be enough for Palin to become kingmaker.  She must get in the arena, and, 2012 is the perfect time.  Quite honestly, her supporters will demand this, and without her on the ticket in 2012, will those Tea Party patriots be engaged enough to offset the advantages the Dems start with (with Obama)?  I don't think so.

Palin's path forward provides the GOP with both opportunity and challenges.  The opportunity is really the reestablishment of the fiscal-social conservative block that was Reagan's.  Palin fuses both of these better than any current candidate.  Hey, I love Jim Demint, but he doesn't energize people like Palin.  Huckabee?  He's a populist, who would be bad for fiscal conservatives and would turn off tea partiers.  Romney - just a little too polished, and that Massachusetts health care is an albatross around his neck.  Goverrnors Jindal and Daniels - I just don't see it.  

The challenge - well, let's say someone viewed as an establishment candidate wins the GOP nomination in 2012 against Palin and it's perceived that the GOP establishment was complicit in her defeat.  Without her on the ticket, I could see a scenario where Tea Partiers and social conservatives say they are done and push a 3rd party/Independent run for Palin.   I think some things may help this along in the next two years.  Chief among them will be how the GOP handles control of the House, and the de facto agenda setting they will enjoy on Capital Hill the next two years.  If Tea Partiers are happy with the GOP's leadership, then they will be less inclined to support that third party run by Palin.  But, if the GOP stumbles and makes these voters angry, I expect you'd see massive support for a Palin 3rd party run.  My thought is you'd also see certain recently elected GOP senators/representatives jumping on.  Would it be too hard to imagine a Palin/Demint ticket?

Should that happen, we may finally see the end of the GOP.  I can't say that I would miss it, given the above scenario.

No voting until you pay for your own damn health insurance!

Ann Coulter has an interesting column today on why the youth of America must be stopped....

from VOTING!

Ann contends that since youth's brains aren't fully developed until they are in their mid-20's, perhaps we need to rethink our conception of when someone reaches adulthood.  According to Dartmouth researcher Craig Bennett, "The brain of an 18-year-old college freshman is still far from resembling the brain of someone in their mid-twenties.  When do we reach adulthood? It might be much later than we traditionally think."

Given that the majority of youths aged 18-29 vote for Democrats in massive majorities (35 points for Obama in 2008, 16 points for Dems last week), I'd say that about sums it up.  Game, set, match - this demographic is stupid.  Too stupid to be trusted with the vote.

As Ann points out, we have already decided that they're too vulnerable to drink until they're 21, and they're too vulnerable to trust with their own health care until their 26, so, why do we allow a group who has only half a brain to vote?  Especially when they prove it every election year by voting for people who only put them further and further into debt, paying the bills now for what?  So their self-serving, boomer parents can enjoy their retirement in Florida?

So, let's repeal the 26th Amendment (after carving out an exception for those who serve in the Armed Forces) and end this scourge on the informed and intelligent American voter!

Michael Steele: Keep Him at RNC

The Daily Caller today pushes this story: Duncan being pushed to challenge Steele for RNC chair reporting on Republican insider attempts to unseat Michael Steele when his term as RNC Chair ends next year.

I don't have a vote, but, if I did, Mike Duncan, who presided over the downfall of the GOP from 2007-2009, is NOT the guy I would choose to lead the RNC. Haley Barbour, who had a much more successful tenure as head of the RNC, is a pretty good governor in Mississippi, and can take some credit, as head of the Republican Governor's Association, for the great wins by GOP gubernatorial candidates, would be a fat, white, Southern guy I could get behind.

But, personally, I think Steele should remain. Like him or not, he was part of the team that brought 63 seats to Congress and 6 new senators. So, he's the black guy who's currently brought the most change to Washington, and we owe him the chance to bring some more.

Obama: You're not Reagan

I haven't posted on the election results yet.

Suffice to say, it was a good night for the GOP.  Over 60 House seats were gained, and 6 Senate seats.  Liberals like to (wrongly, but more on that later) compare this to 1982, before the Reagan economic recovery got going, when the GOP lost 26 seats in the House, and none in the Senate.  They like to make this comparison because we all know how Reagan's presidency worked out, and that he largely did not compromise his principles after that defeat.  They're using this comparison because in the next sentence these true liberal believers like to claim that's why Obama should just keep on as he's been doing.

Of course, they miss some critical points:

1. The GOP just rode a massive wave of anti-Obama and anti-Liberal sentiment to take the 2010 victory.  1982 was not a repudiation of Reagan's policies.  It was anger at rotten economic times, and though Reagan had been in office for only 2 years, he and his party got the brunt of that anger.  26 House seats was actually about average for the party in power in an off-year election, and the loss of no senate seats really was an indication that, while the electorate was frustrated at what was then 3 years of "malaise" they really were not angry enough to turn 1982 into an all-out rout, which leads to...
2. The 1982 losses were quite small compared to 2010's losses.  While some want to lament the fact that the GOP did not reclaim the Senate (and blame, variously, Tea Partiers, Christine O'Donnell, Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle, and others), in what should have been a year with the GOP playing defense, they took 6 seats, and coming to Washington will be future stars Marco Rubio, Pat Toomey, Rob "Way Better than Voinovich" Portman, Rand Paul, Ron Johnson and some more establishment types.  This was a tsunami.  That it wasn't worse is only due to the stupidity of voters on the Left Coast, who seem to want to continue to live off the government dole in bankrupt states.  So, even in the sheer number comparison, there is no comparison.
3. State races.  The GOP now holds a majority of governorships and took several state houses, winning 600+ seats in state elections, 50% more than in 1994.  The down ballot massacre was on a par with what happened at the US House.  8 of 10 swing states now have Republican governors.
   
   But the most important reason is...
   
4. Obama and Reagan are not comparable.  Obama is a committed Statist who shares their desire to take total control of the US economy, and is doing everything possible (intentionally or not) to prevent an  actual sustainable recovery.  Reagan was a committed conservative, who understood that tax rates needed to remain low, spending needed to be brought into control (his one major failing was not getting Congress's cooperation on this) and that victory in the Cold War needed to be achieved through a demonstration of our willingness to go toe-to-toe with the Soviets in a battle of industrial might and resolve.
   
   The bottom line is that Reagan's policies were the right policies to restore our country, and Obama's are the result of clueless academic exercises and the pursuit of power at any cost.  Reagan was right, Obama is wrong.  The American people recognize and understand that at their core.                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Some Thoughts on Financial Reform...

I've gotten into a discussion with a fraternity brother over on Facebook regarding Financial Reform (and politics in general, he's left-of-center, though not annoyingly so).

So, thought I'd bring some of my discussion over here, largely so I could save some links.  But, you might find an education on the collapse of 2008 and the subsequent "reforms" of interest.

I think this commenter over at Seeking Alpha makes some very valid points re the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform bill. I also think Dodd's a crook, so count me all in on that one.

The Heritage Foundation has an analysis here. They also wrote an Op-Ed for USA Today.

Cato has some more, here  and here,

I hate to say this, but even Brookings (who tends to be center-left) is not enamored of this bill either.  But, this particular analyst thinks that something was better than what was in place, although even he concedes Congress punted the hard issues to regulators (let's see how THAT works out) and puts tremendous power in those regulators and the Treasury department's appointed officials.

The bottom line is this financial reform is pretty short on reform, especially of the entities that needed it the most, Fannie, and Freddie. As for me, I'm actually a heck of a lot more comfortable with the people who run these industries (and have actual financial interests in their success) making hard decisions, than regulators.

Cato's "How Did We Get Into This Mess."  It's a good read (12 pages).

Final Gallup Polling: Uncharted Territory

Dear Readers,

The final generic Gallup polling before Tuesday's vote is complete, and it has an unprecedented 55-40 (likely voters) spread in favor of the GOP.  The GOP even leads among registered voters, 48-44.  This is unprecedented. As Gallup says:

"It should be noted, however, that this year's 15-point gap in favor of the Republican candidates among likely voters is unprecedented in Gallup polling and could result in the largest Republican margin in House voting in several generations. This means that seat projections have moved into uncharted territory, in which past relationships between the national two-party vote and the number of seats won may not be maintained."

Got that?  Uncharted territory.

Back in April, I touted a Sean Trende article that suggested Dems could lose 100 seats and I said I would not be surprised to see an 80 seat swing.  At the time, I worried that the momentum of the Tea Partiers and those disgusted with the arrogance of Obama/Pelosi/Reid would last until November. It looks like I was wrong to worry.

If you haven't voted (I have!), get out on Tuesday and drag a few conservative friends with you.

Crazy Tea Party Quotes, deconstructed...

In a Facebook exchange, some liberal friends, they passed this link along, of the "14 Craziest Things Tea Party Candidates Believe."

The article was penned by the Dartmouth educated Gus Lubin.  If this article doesn't pretty much give up Gus's politics, his Ivy League education would be a clue, as would his following list on Twitter.  If you're following Frank Rich, Thomas Friedman, Paul Krugman, and your only people on the right are Sarah Palin, you're not looking for balance, you're looking for confirmation of your own left-wing ideology and for something interesting to be posted by Palin.

Given that, this article is not surprising.  I don't read Gus's work.  I am sure it's fabulous, in it's self-absorbed, Liberal-self-love type of way (that's called foreshadowing), but, this is vapid.  That is not going to stop me from taking on each of these 14 statements, and try to prove why they're not batshit crazy, and demonstrate a nutty liberal statement in return for each of them.  I'll start with number one on their list, because it involves something all liberals enjoy - Sex with the one they love.

• Christine O'Donnell "It is not enough to be abstinent with other people, YOU ALSO HAVE TO BE ABSTINENT ALONE. The Bible says that lust in your heart is committing adultery, so you can't masturbate without lust."
  O'Donnell said this in a 1996 MTV documentary, "Sex in the '90's" where she was pushing her abstinence agenda, and masturbation was a part of that.  Central to the issue is Matthew 5:28, "You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who has looked a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”  This was clearly the verse former president Jimmy Carter was referring to in his 1976 Playboy interview where he admitted to committing  "adultery in my heart many times."
  
  Thinking people would largely agree that O'Donnell's on pretty solid ground here in her statement in that most self-love (particularly among men) is focused  on some object of desire (and not usually a car).  And Carter hits the right note that it's really about what's in the heart.  For him, if he looked at a woman with lust in his heart, he felt he had committed adultery.  If I was rating this, I'd say the statement by O'Donnell is "Mostly True," because I think you could argue that if the object of your desire was your spouse, that's probably not adultery.  For info, in her video, Christine frowns on this, as she thinks it would detract from the relationship because it makes the other in the relationship less necessary.  Some men might find that attitude very endearing, some might find it annoying.  I shall stay agnostic.
  
  One thing O'Donnell doesn't hit in this quote is the issue of masturbation and sin.
  
  An argument can be made both for and against masturbation as a sin. A pretty good, fair take on the religious aspects of masturbation can be found at About.com's Christian Teens section. Regardless of the technicality of whether it's a sin or not, most people would agree that the objectification of women that is most commonly associated with males and masturbation is generally not a good thing, that the use of pornography and addiction that often results (in males) is destructive to relationships, and that for those with the willpower and ability to reject that which that detracts from their central relationships (with their spouse and their God above all) comes great personal satisfaction and rewards - and, I'd just guess (not copping to anything here) - an improved relationship with the significant other. I'm just sayin'.
  
  My bottom line on this is - if you're a Christian struggling with this issue - read your Bible, pray, and like so many things, this boils down to your personal relationship with God.  Like so many gray areas, there are places where we clearly cross a line into gray.  The O'Donnell's of the world (and many of your pastors) would suggest staying far off that line.  But, we're sinners and most of us will enter that area and cross it.  If we were perfect, there would be no need for a Savior.
  

Liberal Stupidity:

• I quoted the Carter Playboy interview above, but, I don't find Carter to be wrong, either, just as I don't find anything wrong with O'Donnell's statements.  Sure, the secular Left, who practices the religion of Government-love, finds this focus on a pure relationship among (married) loving couples old-fashioned and silly, but, no less a Leftist than Jimmy Carter shared pretty much the same view, so, this really isn't a Left-Right issue, it's a cultural one.

So, I'll use this goody from Nancy Pelosi on unemployment benefits:

"It creates jobs faster than almost any other initiative you can name."

Huh?

, 

Rally for Stupid People (Who think they're hip and funny)

Yesterday, Jim Colbert and John Stewart, who you may know as two sometimes funny, often smarmy, always Leftist comedians, held the "Rally for sanity and/or fear" in DC.

As you would expect, at lot of mostly white, youngish men attended, and some older types who think they're really funny, but aren't really (to paraphrase, if they were half as funny as they think they are, they'd be twice as funny as they are) also came.

This video pretty much sums up this huge suck-up fest:

Weekend Election 2010 Thoughts

The Republican Governor's Association has done some pretty good ads this cycle. Here's another one:


Remember November: The Final Act from Republican Governors Association on Vimeo.

Tonight, as I watch the final polls coming in, it is clear where the last minute direction is, and it's all in the GOP's favor. My guess is we're still going to see more than 70 seats in the House and the Senate go to the Republicans.

Why do these words bother liberals so much?????

The Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution reads:

 

"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

 

In essence, this was the Founders way of saying, "This government derives its rights from the consent of the governed and what they want it to do." 

 

They meant that we had a Federal government, limited in its scope by what we the people granted it.  It is at the core of Federalism that the States, "or to the people" was included in this, the final act in the Bill of Rights. 

 

The AFL-CIO, in their blog entry, "'Tenthers' Would Abolish Wage and Child Labor Laws, Social Security, Medicare, and More" accuse conservatives of just that.  Moreover, they equate conservatives who see the 10th amendment as an important check on Federal power to "cultists."

 

Of course, their definition of "cultist" in this case is:

 

"Most cults are based in some sort of skewed spiritual vision or the worship of a charismatic leader, but there is a re-emerging cult that bows down at the feet of the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

 

I wonder who the "charismatic leader" is in this case?  In the grammatical sense, they are putting the US Constitution in the role of leader here.  That being the case, I plead guilty.  I am a cultist when it comes to the Constitution.  Hey, AFL-CIO, I served over 20 years in the Navy and I took an oath (and oft-repeated it) to defend that Constitution.  I don't think you could get much more cultist than I was (and still am).  So, if it's "cultist" to love, defend, honor, and protect that document, so be it. 

 

What's that make you, leaders of the AFL-CIO?

 

 

WSJ Investigation: Biggest spenders in 2010 election cycle - unions, NOT Karl Rove

I've been following, with some interest, the Washington State senate race, featuring challenger Republican Dino Rossi, against the second dumbest person in Washington DC, incumbent Patty Murray.  I've mainly done this via Twitter, since the initial debate between them (which followed the Reid/Angle debate).

That has led to some discussions about the funding of these candidates.  Rossi has raised quite a bit of money to make himself competitive in a very blue state, and having been the victim of a stolen gubernatorial race, you can understand he doesn't want to risk another close election, if possible.  A lot of Rossi's recent money has come from the Chamber of Commerce and American Crossroads (that scorned upon, by Dems, Karl Rove group).  In fact, Rossi has collected $4.5M from these types of groups.  If you've been awake this week, you know Campaign Finance law allows these groups to not reveal their donors.  This is the crux of the Obamanut argument that "foreign" money is flowing into these groups.  It's, of course, a red herring, since these laws have existed since the passage of CFR and the Democrats made these very useful to them over the last three cycles.  They continue to do so today, as a matter of fact.  In fact, Patty Murray has raised over $600k from one single group, CNN reported "An organization called The Citizens and Strength and Security Action Fund has spent north of $640,000 on Murray' behalf but, as a 501(c)4 organization like Crossroads GPS and American Action Network, is not required to disclose its funding sources."  She's not exactly lilly pure.

From the administration's ridiculous attacks on right-leaning groups who take advantage of this part of law, the Wall Street Journal this week decided to actually do some reporting on who is donating, and how much.

That led to this article, which brings some interesting reality-based facts to the discussion.  Turns out the biggest spenders are Unions, leading the way is the service employees union.  The Chamber and American Crossroads, thankfully, are 2 and 3, followed by 2 more unions (see below).  Bottom line, unions are outspending these groups by 30%.




I don't have a HUGE problem with unions spending money on political campaigns.  I do, however, reject the notion that unions spending money on these campaigns represents the political opinions of their rank and file.  Typically, these groups are funded from union dues, which, in non-right-to-work states, are extorted from workers who work at companies covered under a collective bargaining agreement, with no opt-out provision.  I should point out that Republicans have tried repeatedly over the years, as part of CFR efforts, to insert provisions that would allow workers to opt out of having portions of their dues go towards political campaigns, or that would require unions to create PACS just as management employees have to, and make contributions to these voluntary.

Obviously, union leaders do not want this to happen, and for good reason.  Once their members realized 1) the amount of money being extorted from them for political purposes, they'd want it back, and 2) they would disagree with a lot of the spending done by their leadership, and seek to change it.  Either way, the net effect would be more responsiveness of union leaders to their rank and file, and less overall money available to union leaders to spend.

We couldn't have either of those now, could we?

Campaign finance laws are often byzantine and hard to understand.  They are, by and large, incumbent protection plans, regardless of which side you reside.  One thing almost all of us regular citizens agree on is that more transparency would go a long way to alleviating the problem.

On the Right, we want unions to play by the same rules as everyone else, and we would generally like to see monetary limits removed.  On the Left, they just seem ok with the right having to be transparent.

Year of the Woman? It already is.

Listening and reading the expected last ditch campaign tactics of the Left, that Republicans, and especially Tea Partiers are racist hatemongers got me thinking.

My thoughts wandered over to something else I heard recently a Leftist lament (this NPR report confirms the Leftist bent) - that this year there was such a dearth of female and minority candidates, that all the gains these groups had made, particularly women, in the "Year of the Woman" of 1992 were going to be erased.

2010 may prove to be a banner year for conservative women.  Already, Sarah Palin-backed candidates have won primaries in Alaska (Miller), Delaware (O'Donnell), Arizona (McCain), California (Fiorina), SC (Haley), Kentucky (Paul).  The Washington Post has a Palin Endorsement tracker, you can see how Palin's endorsements have gone.  Pretty good so far.  It's an easy case to make that the most powerful figure in the GOP today is Sarah Palin.  A woman.

Even in the Democrat party, the second most powerful person is clearly still Hillary Clinton.  If Hillary really wanted to be the MOST powerful Democrat, she would resign from the Obama administration, and focus on building her support for the 2012 primary season and positioning herself as the savior of the party.  Rush Limbaugh has begun Operation Reverse Chaos to bring Hillary back to her rightful place at the top of the Democrat Party.

The bottom line is arguably, the two most powerful politicians in this country are women.

WaPo finally reports on Bam admin's refusal to pursue New Black Panther Party Voter Intimidation

You may remember this from the 2008 elections. A couple of New Black Panther Party members intimidate voters at a Philadelphia polling place.

 

The Bush administration's Justice Department initiated a case against these guys, which proceeded during the early part of the Obama administration, until it was dropped, mysteriously. Much prior reporting was done by Fox and Breitbart, but now the Washington Post has done some reporting on this, and the result - much of what the Obama DoJ told us about this case, and how it came to be dropped, was untrue.  As the WaPo article points out, the administration tried to make the decision to drop the case appear as though it was done at a low level, by career legal staffers, while the Post has found that at least the number 2 at Justice was involved in email exchanges about this case, and while they don't explicitly lay the dismissal at Attorney General Eric Holder's feet, he was clearly in the know.

What is clear from the Post's reporting is that the Obama DoJ and Civil Rights Division is not interested in protecting the voting rights of white voters.

"There are career people who feel strongly that it is not the voting section's job to protect white voters," a DOJ lawyer said. "The environment is that you better toe the line of traditional civil rights ideas or you better keep quiet about it, because you will not advance, you will not receive awards and you will be ostracized."

I followed this story loosely as it unfolded, and just noticed this interesting tidbit about the men, one of whom, Jerry Jackson, who was a Democrat Party poll watcher:

"Jackson, 54, and Heath, 39 (better known as King Samir Shabazz not his old “slave name” of Maruse Heath), have criminal histories that between them include convictions for drug possession, robbery and simple assault, according to court records. Their local New Black Panther Party is part of a small, radical black nationalist organization with members in a handful of cities. It is not connected to the Black Panther Party of the 1960s."

 I want to know how someone with a criminal record that includes assault and robbery can get certified as a poll watcher????

I Worked So Hard to Get That Title...

A fun look at Barbara Boxer's hard work...

Call Me Senator from RightChange on Vimeo.

Wishing we had more "hobbyist" politicians, less career politicians

Listening to the podcast of the Tony Kornheiser shows this week, and I am forced to listen to MSNBC/NBC "reporter" Chuck Todd and Tony discuss the Rich Iott Nazi uniform to-do (previous post on this), the Carl Palladino dust-up, then some odd chatter about how Todd is upset that billionaires like Palladino take up politics after they've made money as some kind of "hobby."

I listen to Tony Kornheiser because he's generally funny, it gives me a fix of Redskins sports talk and insight into a group of people (Tony and his cohorts) who are so out of touch with current culture and politics that hilarity ensues (e.g. Tony doesn't know who Hilary Duff is, and his sycophants think she's in her 30's. For the record, she's 23).

Returning to the Todd discussion, let's put aside that Todd's a thinly veiled shill for the Democrat party (and a likely replacement for Baghdad Robert Gibbs) who fits right in at the rabidly Leftist MSNBC, and analyze the stupidity of their conversation just on the Iott issue then on their thoughts on "career" politicians.

Regarding Iott, clearly TK had no idea the details of this.  Tony prides himself on doing little research, so I don't blame him for accepting at face value that Iott was some kind of secret Nazi.  But, Todd is supposed to be a reporter (I know).  He could have pointed out, when Tony asked, that Iott had, indeed, portrayed Americans in reenactments and wasn't exclusively a Nazi reenactor.  Since that was buried in The Atlantic's hit piece about 23 paragraphs in, either Todd didn't have the attention span to get that far, or he just felt compelled to ignore it.  Either way, he's a putz.

Moron Todd and Tony lament the political climate where rich guys seem to think now that they've made their money, they need a new hobby and politics should be it (this is the argument Todd, mostly, tries to use to explain how Palladino got into the NY governor's race).  Of course, Todd goes off on Sarah Palin as an example of someone using her political notoriety to cash in.  While there may be some truth in that, they then decided to hold up as examples of billionaires who actually believe in public service, drumroll, please...Michael Bloomberg and John Corzine.  Bloomberg's an idiot who wants New York City to have a victory mosque 600 feet from Times Square and Corzine was a completely unaccomplished New Jersey Senator and so ruined NJ's economy as Governor that Chris Christie (a Republican) defeated him and is now being lauded for having the fortitude to clean up Corzine's mess.  Please, this is comical.

Todd further goes on to wish that there were more people who made politics their career, completely exposing why the left-wing media does not get the Tea Party movement (hey, Chuckles, the people want FEWER career politicians, you idiot!).

Let me list some families who have nothing but politics on their resume.  Most of these people are corrupt or incompetent, and I would like to seem them all retired:

• The Kennedy's (corrupt, incompetent, drunk, and morally bankrupt)
• The Dingell's (corrupt)
• The Clinton's (corrupt)
• The Reid's (incompetent AND corrupt)
• The Biden's (incompetent)
• The Rockefeller's (a waste of air)
• The Murkowski's (corrupt)
• The Bush's (ok, the ONE I would like to see seek national office, Jeb, has had his career ruined by his brother - but, most of the Bush's made some money elsewhere before entering politics, so they arent' really just politicians)
• The Carnahan's (incompetent)

I am sure there are more families where politics is the family business.  I am also sure they think it's their birthright, their entitlement, and they act like it.  They need to all be put out of business.

AARP Approved Beg Letter, modified to reflect reality

The AARP gave me a neat little template to send to my Senator requesting he send seniors a check for $250, since they're not getting a COLA this year (full disclosure: My parents are seniors).

I modified it as below and sent it to my Senator.  What do you think?


I am writing to urge you to provide relief to the millions of Social Security recipients who will not receive their cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) in 2011 by repealing the recently passed Health Care Reform Act.

For over three decades, millions of older Americans have counted on annual Social Security benefit increases to help them afford their basic needs.  Unfortunately, the benefits they've earned will again be frozen next year, which will leave millions struggling to make ends meet.

Over the past two years, older Americans have paid more for utilities and food, have experienced a decline in home values, have tried to recover from deep retirement account losses, have experienced rising health and prescription drug costs, and faced longer periods of unemployment.

The AARP specifically focused on increasing prescription drug costs as a rationale for this needed increase.  Clearly, the passage of HCR has not done a thing to help seniors.  Indeed, it has increased their costs, as well as effectively eliminating the Medicare Advantage program, from which so many seniors benefit.

I'm counting on you to provide seniors with the immediate relief they need by repealing this onerous and costly bill.

Thank you in advance for your support on this important issue

Nazi! All Republicans might as well wear the uniform...(or should they?)

Apparently, Republican Congressional candidate Rich Iott, in the Ohio 9 race, is a Nazi sympathizer.

And, that's not just standard-fare Leftist characterizations of Republicans in a last-minute effort to win.  No, this comes from "respected" Atlantic senior Editor Joshua Green (ok, that was sarcasm - the Atlantic is a Liberal, bought-and-paid-for-by-democrats rag).

It seems that the Atlantic has actual photos of Iott in German SS uniforms.  This is their smoking gun.  Iott in German SS (Wiking Division) garb.  Therefore, he's a Nazi!

If I'm writing this, you know there's a truth in here somewhere.

The truth is that Iott is a WW2 re-enactor, and he sometimes plays the role of a member of the Waffen SS, Wiking Division.  He has also portrayed US infantrymen and other good-guy roles.  Hey, someone has to play the bad guys in these historical re-enactments, otherwise, I imagine they get kind of, well, boring?

I know these kind of guys, and Iott is also a Colonel in the Guard, and some guys have a thing for accuracy in re-enactments, and there are more than a few guys who have some deep respect for the German army.  This group has a point, these units were well-trained and skilled warfighters who taught much to the us, Brits and Russians, even after WW2.

The bottom line is this is a hit piece.  I started by saying it's not standard-fare name-calling, but, that's really all it is, with just a little more of prurient interest to move it along.

Nancy Kaptur (the D incumbent) is not interested in defending her record, can't defend her record, and Iott was closing the gap against her.  The Atlantic has decided, as I suppose it should, as a mouthpiece of the Left, to try to gin this up.

Here's hoping it backfires on these a-holes.  For more context, here's a good post from NRO's Battle 10.  Ann Althouse also has some great commentary.

Twitter Followers

Apparently, many of you are NOT using Twitter.  That's too bad, because I think it's one of the best social networking apps created (superior to Facebook, yes).

I don't pay a lot of attention to the emails I receive telling me who follows me, but tonight, I thought I'd take a look at my followers.  Many people will follow you after you follow them, so, I decided to check out who is following me without me having followed them first, just for fun.

Not too much interesting, except why is the Mayor of Newark following me?  And The Hill magazine?  The Deputy Commissioner of the Georgia Dept of Agriculture?

Of course, I followed a few famous people, and they followed me back (you can set Twitter up to automatically follow those who follow you).  John Boehner, Kelsey Grammar, Fred Barnes, The Heritage Foundation, Karl Rove, The Weekly Standard, Mary Katherine Ham.

Just some random thoughts...

Desperate Dems Despair

As the final month of the 2010 election season rolls on, we knew Dems, poised to lose 60-80 House seats and the Senate, would get desperate and start with the usual attacks:

- Republicans want to starve Granny by taking away her social security
- Republicans want to kill Granny by cutting her Medicare
- Republicans want to kill young pregnant womyn by making abortion no longer safe or legal
- Republicans want to give their fat cat rich friends and big businesses tax breaks at the expense of the working man...

We knew all those old, tired memes would come out, but, we didn't know that the Bam admin itself was going to get violent, to wit:

- Joe Biden will strangle any Republican who talks to him about balancing the budget
- Obama is going to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Republican Congress

Maybe Christine O'Donnell can turn them all into actual donkeys...

I Have Done a Terrific Job...

New Republican Governor's Association Video.  Pretty nicely done:

Sestak forgotten...

In the wake of the disastrous socialist One Nation Rally this past week (attended by a few thousand paid union organizers), Joe Sestak held a rally in Philly, and...no one showed up.  Check out some of these shots - Sestak supporters are outnumbered by Toomey supporters.

Sestak is, of course, a not too impressive Navy veteran, but Toomey is an authentic conservative, and better represents the Alabama portion of Pennsylvania.  So, it's been a great two years for Pennsylvanians - Arlen Specter showed his true colors, was bounced in a Democrat primary, and the Republican nominee is poised to return some sanity to PA.

It's crazy, but Pennsylvania is about to have 2 pro-life Senators. What's up with that?

They must hate womyn up there.

Virginia's Still Shedding Skin

Navy Times has this AP story on the loss of anechoic tiles on Virginia's: Navy scrambles after subs shed stealthy coating

As Norman Polmar says, "“We’ve been using anechoic coatings for almost 50 years and in that time, you’d hope that we could get it right"

In response to the Virginia's shedding ~5% of their tiles.

Norway to Israel: No testing here

The Norwegians have decided that the Isareli's new, German-built submarine, can not be tested in Norwegian waters.

Have the Norwegians always been anti-semites, or is this some larger ban on testing warships from the home of the Nobel Peace Prize?

Alan Grayson - Eat this!

If you follow politics (if you're reading this, you do), you know Florida Congressman Alan Grayson is as despicable as they come.  He's kind of the white Cynthia McKinney.

Anyway, he ran a hit job on his opponent, Daniel Webster (give here), where he edited a speech Webster had given and called Webster an American Taliban (ok, he called him Taliban Dan).

Anyway, watch this video, where our friend Alan, gets a little of the same treatment.  I wish it was on more than You Tube:

People do the craziest things...

One of my siblings owns a handful of vacation rentals in the NC mountains.  She recently sent me a request she received from a potential customer.  Somehow, I don't think this brain surgeon is going to be renting one of her places, but you have to give her points for chutzpah:

"We really do not need three bedrooms as my husband and I are bringing my parents for a vacation. The third bedroom and bathroom can be locked. What would your rate be?"

College Football 2010

(Update: Corrected SEC west to East for Tech/Clemson below.)

I realize it's three weeks into the 2010 college football season, so I am joining this party late, but, given that so many of my loyal readers attended or have strong ties to the University of Cheating (oops, I mean North Carolina), I wanted to get this week behind me before I decided to say anything about the CFB season.

With Georgia Tech's 30-24 dispatching of UNC yesterday (in Chapel Hill, with 12 cheaters still ineligible for UNC), Tech finally played a decent game, running up about 450 yards in offense and holding UNC to 1 TD in the second half. This makes Tech 2-1 with the embarrassing loss to Kansas (who has lost to North Dakota state and Southern Miss) standing out.

Carolina, of course, hamstrung by their NCAA restrictions, is 0-2.  They still might be, at full strength, the best team in the Coastal Division.  We'll see.

Out of conference, the ACC continues to embarrass.  Clemson played a great first half against Auburn, then sucked in the second half when Kyle Parker got hurt and their Freshman kicker missed a FG in overtime to give Auburn the come-from-behind victory.

Wake Forest got their butts handed to them by Stanford, and Maryland looked like an FCS opponent against West Virginia, and Duke against Alabama...well, it's Duke.  Only NC State shellacking a reeling Cincinnati team, FSU's rout of a rotten BYU, and Virginia Tech taking out its revenge against EZU redeemed the ACC this weekend.

Against significant competition, the ACC is 5-10 this season (5-11 if you count VT vs. James Madison).  Not good for a conference who wants to remain in the BCS.

My solution to this is for the ACC to abandon football and turn its teams loose.

I propose that Clemson, Georgia Tech and FSU join the SEC, along with one of Texas, TCU or Oklahoma.  Tech and Clemson join the SEC East and send FSU and one of those other teams to the SEC West, which really needs some competition.

Maybe the ACC needs to give it up altogether, or combine with the Big East and become a mid-major football conference and a killer basketball conference.  Everyone knows that the Big Ten wants Maryland and Maryland wants to be in the Big Ten.  Would the Big 10 also take BC?  That would leave the Tobacco road schools - VT, Virginia, the Big Four and Miami.  Would that make a massively unwieldy Big East?  Probably.

Just something has to be done about the pathetic state of ACC football..

Krauthammer busts on Angle/O'Donnell. Get with the program, Chuck!

From our good friend Gateway Pundit, comes this video of Charles Krauthammer attacking Christine O'Donnell and Sharron Angle.

Now, I happen to agree that Krauthammer is one of our great conservative minds, but, methinks he has demonstrated a tiny bit of elitism in some of his criticisms of first, the tea partiers themselves, and now of candidates, endorsed by tea party groups, who represent mainstream American values and conservative principles. Finally, in the clip, I would suggest he needs to not write off Angle/O'Donnell, but instead reiterate the anger that Americans feel that makes these compelling candidates.

Mr. Krauthammer - I respect you immensely, but, please, you need to realize the GOP's fate rest on these people taking control of a party that was moribund just 18 months ago.

Finally, I agree with Jim, "Would someone please tell these Beltway GOP elites to shut their yaps!

Delaware and the Left's Jihad against Conservative Women

Rush Limbaugh weighs in on the Republican establishment against Christine O'Donnell, Sharron Angle, and Sarah Palin in Republicans Are Blowing Their Best Chance to Beat Liberalism.

The gist of Rush's discussion today is that the GOP establishment wants establishment candidates, even where they are RINO's, because it's a status thing. I happen to think it's also because, in the case of O'Donnell and Angle, it's because more establishment-type candidates would have required less resources to win, but, that's the practical side of the thing.  Rush references this post by the Chicago Boyz which tries to explain the Left's paranoia over Sarah Palin.  I recommend their blog and Rush's analysis as well.

Regarding conservative vs. establishment (i.e. RINO) candidates, Rush says, "a Senate full of Mike Castles is not gonna get us anywhere. It's gonna get a bunch of Republicans their chairmanships on the committee but it's not going to do anything to reverse Obamaism."

Furthermore, Rush references one of my favorite blogs, Legal Insurrection, regarding conservative women and the Left's attacks on them specifically, Bill Jacobson says "The 'nuts and sluts' defense is a common employment law tactic whenever a female employee brings a claim. It doesn't matter what the claim is, the defense -- after the usual legal mumbo jumbo -- will be something like this: 'She's nuts. And by the way, pssst, she may be a slut.' That is the mode of attack Democrats use against conservative women.

As for me, my thought is that this year is going to be special and a wave election (I've said it before). Personally, I'd rather see a marginal candidate, but a real conservative (O'Donnell), get a shot, than a known RINO (Castle).  It's a tough call, and I can see how The Weekly Standard, the National Review, and the GOP establishment want to be pragmatic and take the RINO bird-in-hand and concentrate resources elsewhere.

But, if not this year, then when?  Some of the best replies and food for thought are on the Legal Insurrection post.  I recommend you read those in addition to Jacobson's excellent post.