Voinvoich on Non-Stimulus Spending Bill

Quote:

“Five months ago Democrats passed a stimulus bill, which President Obama signed into law, that was supposed to be a jolt in the arm for the American economy. Five months later, unemployment has grown and American taxpayers have little to show for almost $800 billion in spending. As I indicated when I voted against the bill, the stimulus was sorely lacking in real stimulative spending.

“I thought it should have focused more on highways and infrastructure – investments that would have put people to work and continued to provide benefits well after the economy turned around. Now, the administration is again ignoring shovel-ready, job-creating projects by backing off from a reauthorization of the surface transportation bill and proposing an extension of current funding levels until March 2011. Support for a robust new highway bill is exactly the type of simulative investment we should be making.

“As the administration works to revise their ‘misread’ expectations, I will continue to fight to put federal dollars where they can most benefit Ohioans during these challenging economic times.”

Boehner On Pelosi Using Stimulus to Save Her Rodent Cousins

From Matt's Congressman, House Minority Leader, and a Great American, John Boehner:

STIMULUS” FOR MICE: WITH UNEMPLOYMENT RISING, DEMOCRATS’ “STIMULUS” HELPS SAN FRANCISCO MICE, BUT NOT AMERICAN WORKERS

WASHINGTON TIMES ON GOP RESPONSE: MOUSE MONEY “EPITOMIZES THE FAILURE OF STIMULUS SPENDING TO HELP AN ECONOMY STILL SHEDDING JOBS”

July 9, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink

How does helping the salt marsh harvest mouse help middle-class families and small businesses struggling with dramatic job loss during this recession? That’s a good question to ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), other Democrats in Congress, and the Administration, as it was recently revealed that the tiny little mouse is getting $16 million in taxpayer dollars thanks to the Democrats’ “stimulus” spending bill that isn’t working. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) exposed the mouse money in his weekly press briefing earlier today:

“The bottom line is this: the stimulus isn’t creating enough jobs, but here’s one thing the stimulus is accomplishing. You’ll recall earlier this year on the debate on the stimulus bill, the Democrats promised that the stimulus bill would be free of earmarks. And a lot of us disagreed. We pointed to one particular request that we were convinced was going to be funded in this. That was to protect the salt marsh harvest mouse near Speaker Pelosi’s district in San Francisco. You remember the Democrats claimed ‘no no no, we’re not going to fund this, it’s not in the bill, it’s not going to happen.’ Well, guess what? $16 million of the stimulus money was appropriated to take care of the salt marsh harvest mouse.” (VIDEO)


The Washington Times has the details about how the mouse got its money from a bill Democrats promised would be about creating jobs during the ongoing recession:

“The tiny mouse that became a hotly disputed symbol of wasteful spending in the congressional debate over the $787 billion economic stimulus bill has returned to pester House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.”

“The Obama administration quietly announced last week that as much as $16.1 million from the stimulus program is going to save the San Francisco Bay area habitat of, among other things, the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.”

“That has revived Republican criticism that the pet project was an ‘invisible earmark’ in the massive spending bill for Mrs. Pelosi, whose San Francisco district abuts the bay, and epitomizes the failure of stimulus spending to help an economy still shedding jobs.”


Money for mice. Is that what middle-class families and small businesses expected from the Democrats’ trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill? Wasn’t the legislation supposed to create jobs “immediately” and keep unemployment below eight percent? So let’s get this straight: the stimulus isn’t creating jobs for American workers, but it is making sure American harvest mice have nice comfortable homes in the midst of the recession. No wonder the American people think Washington is so out of touch.

Laying it Out There: Waxman Markey is all About Controlling OUR Lives, not About the Environment

From the National Review:

The stimulus bill was the legislative equivalent of the famous cantina scene from Star Wars, an eye-popping collection of the freakish and exotic, gathered for dubious purposes. The Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill, known as ACES (the American Clean Energy and Security Act), is more like the third panel in Hieronymus Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights — a hellscape that disturbs the sleep of anybody who contemplates it carefully.

Two main things to understand about Waxman-Markey: First, it will not reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, at least not at any point in the near future. The inclusion of carbon offsets, which can be manufactured out of thin air and political imagination, will eliminate most of the demands that the legislation puts on industry, though in doing so it will manage to drive up the prices consumers pay for every product that requires energy for its manufacture — which is to say, for everything. Second, it represents a worse abuse of the public trust and purse than the stimulus and the bailouts put together. Waxman-Markey creates a permanent new regime in which environmental romanticism and corporate welfare are mixed together to form political poison. From comic bureaucratic power grabs (check out the section of the bill on candelabras) to the creation of new welfare programs for Democratic constituencies to, above all, massive giveaways for every financial, industrial, and political lobby imaginable, this bill would permanently deform American politics and economic life.

But read the bill before voting, surely you jest, right Steny, you illiterate sack of maggot poo?

The article goes on to give 50 reasons why this thing must be stopped...Here are some excerpts, but read the whole thing and tell your friends and educate the sheeple who still think Obama and co. have the best interests of this country at heart:

1. The big doozy: Eighty-five percent of the carbon permits will not be sold at auction — they will be given away to utility companies, petroleum interests, refineries, and a coterie of politically connected businesses. If you’re wondering why Big Business supports cap-and-trade, that’s why. Free money for business, but higher energy prices for you.

2. The sale of carbon permits will enrich the Wall Street investment bankers whose money put Obama in the White House. Top of the list: Goldman Sachs, which is invested in carbon-offset development and carbon permissions. CNN reports:


Less than two weeks after the investment bank announced it would be laying off 10 percent of its staff, ***Goldman Sachs confirmed that it has taken a minority stake in Utah-based carbon offset project developer Blue Source LLC. . . . “Interest in the pre-compliance carbon market in the U.S. is growing rapidly,” said Leslie Biddle, Head of Commodity Sales at Goldman, “and we are excited to be able to offer our clients immediate access to a diverse selection of emission reductions to manage their carbon risk.”

Funny, I thought we had to go after the banks who engaged in this type of mad speculation, and that Obama was going to fight the banks for the little people. Guess that goes out when the cashola comes flooding in....but wait, there's more:

13. Waxman-Markey channels billions of dollars into subsidies for “international clean technology deployment for emerging markets.” David H. McCormick of the Treasury Department recently gave a speech on the establishment of an $8 billion fund for that purpose; those who showed up to gets the specs on this new gravy train included Sequoia Capital, the United Steelworkers Union, the Clinton Climate Initiative, Ernst & Young, Duke Energy, SunPower, Honeywell, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Credit Suisse, Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital, and Goldman Sachs. If you’re wondering who’s going to make real money off of Waxman-Markey, this list would be a pretty good place to start.
14. Naturally, Big Labor gets its piece of the pie, too. Projects receiving grants and financing under Waxman-Markey provisions will be required to implement Davis-Bacon union-wage rules, making it hard for non-union firms to compete — and ensuring that these “investments” pay out inflated union wages. And it’s not just the big research-and-development contracts, since Waxman-Markey forces union-wage rules all the way down to the plumbing-repair and light-bulb-changing level.
21. The bill regulates every light fixture under the sun. Actually, the sun might be the only light source that isn’t regulated specifically in this legislation. There are rules governing fluorescent lamps, incandescent lamps, intermediate base lamps, candelabra base lamps, outdoor luminaires, portable light fixtures — you get the idea. The government actually started down this road by regulating light bulbs in the 2005 energy bill. This bill merely tightens the regulations, which means the unintended consequences produced by the 2005 bill — more expensive light bulbs that burn out quicker — will probably get worse.

22. The bill extends its reach to cover appliances as well. Clothes washers and dishwashers, portable electric spas, showerheads, faucets, televisions — all these and more are covered specifically in the bill. You thought we were kidding when we said this bill represents the federal government’s attempt to expand its regulatory reach to cover everything. We weren’t.

23. Appliances will be required to come with “carbon output” labels, and retailers will get bonus payments for marketing those that are certified “best-in-class.” The bill sets up a payment schedule to reward the manufacturers of these “best-in-class” products: $75 for each dishwasher, $250 for each clothes washer, and so on. So go out and splurge on that new super-energy-efficient refrigerator — under this bill, you already made a $200 down payment.

24. The bill requires the EPA to establish environmental standards for residences, meaning a federally dictated one-size-fits-all policy for greening every home in America. When you’re retrofitting your home according to EPA guidelines, it will come as little comfort to know that the government is reimbursing you for your troubles, especially if you’re doing the work around April 15.

25. The bill would affect commercial properties, too. In fact, all buildings would be governed by a “national energy efficiency building code” that would require 50 percent reductions in energy use in all buildings by 2018, followed by 5 percent reductions in energy use every three years after that through 2030. No one disputes that these changes will be costly, but Waxman-Markey supporters argue that they will pay for themselves through lower energy bills. This argument holds up only if we assume that energy prices will stay flat or fall over time. But the aforementioned carbon caps instituted elsewhere in this legislation make that prospect highly unlikely. Businesses and homeowners will pay twice — once to retrofit their roosts and again when the energy bill arrives.

Yes, so much for your property being your own. You must comply with Obama's nutty mandates and Al Gore's suppressive, er, I mean settled...science. Read the whole thing. You might think it is Orwell's missing chapter from 1984, but sadly, it is not fiction. Don't let it become law.

Alcee Hastings Wants Concentration Camps....

...and he thinks Eric Holder should have wide authority in deciding who goes into them, which if you judge by what DHS says, would include Christians, People who believe in the Bible, People who believe in the 2nd Amendment, and those who fought for their country, and nuclear families who believe in solid family values as top priority to go to the American Auschwitzes:

An amendment to a bill swiftly moving through the US Congress will allow the Obama Administration's Attorney General to classify Americans as domestic terrorists if they are pro-life, pro-gun and anti-big government.
Impeached Florida judge — now a Democrat Party member of the House of Representatives — Rep. Alcee Hastings introduced what some claim is a disturbing piece of legislation. Hasting's amendment calls for the Attorney General to have discretion over who is called a terrorist and what groups will be treated as terrorist groups.

Remember, Eric Holder was the guy who wanted to send Gitmo prisoners HERE to the US:

Attorney General Eric Holder said some detainees being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may end up being released in the U.S. as the Obama administration works with foreign allies to resettle some of the prisoners.
Mr. Holder, in a briefing with reporters, said administration officials are still reviewing individual cases of the approximately 250 detainees to determine which will be put on trial and which may be released to comply with plans to close the detention facility by next year.

But, he wants to put Granny in prison because she owns a gun or because she reads the Bible and prays in public. Disgusting. Remember, Holder has sided with terrorists against the US before:

Attorney general nominee Eric H. Holder Jr. repeatedly pushed some of his subordinates at the Clinton Justice Department to drop their opposition to a controversial 1999 grant of clemency to 16 members of two violent Puerto Rican nationalist organizations, according to interviews and documents.

Details of the role played by Holder, who was deputy attorney general at the time, had not been publicly known until now. The new details are of particular interest because Republican senators have vowed to revisit Holder’s role during his confirmation hearings next week.

You remember the FALN, right? The cop killing terror group that gave money to current SecState Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign and got out the Latino vote for her in her Senate races? Yep, selling out our country for power, that's a typical Fascist statist democrat.

And don't think the impeached former judge Hastings or Holder are alone in their disdain for Americans who love their country and defend freedom. Remember DHS Secretary Naopaolitano's report:

In an unclassified report entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment," Secretary for Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and her agency included the following description of "extremists:"

"Rightwing extremism in the United States can be broadly divided into those groups, movements, and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration."

First they came for the pro gun people. Then they came for the Christians. When they came for me, there was no one left to fight....don't let this happen in our country.

Pelosi: One Rodent Using OUR Money to Save Another

Nancy Pelosi has the face of a dead rat, and that is being polite. This rat, this rodent, this anti-American bigoted, sexist twit who is now the Speaker of the House, she is using your money to save a mouse. Yes, folks, once again, we are seeing mismanagement of public funds on an awesome scale, and once again, a Democrat is at the helm. From the Washington Times:

The tiny mouse that became a hotly disputed symbol of wasteful spending in the congressional debate over the $787 billion economic stimulus bill has returned to pester House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The Obama administration quietly announced last week that as much as $16.1 million from the stimulus program is going to save the San Francisco Bay area habitat of, among other things, the endangered salt marsh harvest mouse.

That has revived Republican criticism that the pet project was an "invisible earmark" in the massive spending bill for Mrs. Pelosi, whose San Francisco district abuts the bay, and epitomizes the failure of stimulus spending to help an economy still shedding jobs.

"Lo and behold, the government has announced that the mouse is getting its money after all," House Minority Leader John A. Boehner said while standing beside a poster of the furry varmint. "Speaker Pelosi must be so proud."

The Ohio Republican continued, "So let's get this straight: The stimulus isn't creating jobs for American workers, but it is making sure American harvest mice have nice comfortable homes in the midst of the recession."

Now Mr. Boehner, Nancy is just trying to help line her own nest for when she returns to her own habitat and species.

New Video from House Republican Conference on Jobs and Porkulus

Unfortunately, where I am, I can't embed the video. But, I can give you the related release and a link to go and watch.

House Republican Conference Releases New Web Video on Jobs
President Obama says the stimulus has “done its job,” yet recent unemployment numbers tell a different story

Washington, DC - The House Republican Conference unveiled the following hard-hitting jobs video on Hannity last night. In the face of 9.5% unemployment, President Obama continues to insist that the stimulus has “done its job.” Meanwhile, House Republicans believe in real solutions that actually get the American people back on their feet:



Click here to watch.

Maybe Hairplugs Biden Knows Where the Stimulus Went?

HT to a dear friend in DC, who sent me this gem and link....

Note: With the president in Italy for the G8 summit meetings, it falls to his vice president to try to staunch the fall in public opinion. And with more and more Americans questioning the effectiveness of the massive government bailout, a new Quinnipiac Poll shows that Obama's approval rating has dropped 13 points in the last two months in Ohio, a bellwether state for presidential elections for more than a century. The plunge: from 62% approval in May to 49% now.

"The economy in Ohio is as bad as anywhere in America," said Peter Brown, who runs the Quinnipiac Poll. "These numbers indicate that for the first time, voters have decided that President Barack Obama bears some responsibility for their problems."

Gosh, I guess the people of Ohio are tired of being lied to by Dems like T-Shirt Ted Strickland,Charade Brown, Steve Driehaus, and others who have told them they would fix the economy, but have only ushered in further destruction to an economy that just a decade ago was doing well.

From the LA Times:

Vice President Biden traveled to Ohio today, trying to salvage public support for President Obama's $787-billion stimulus package.

With the president in Italy for the G8 summit meetings, it falls to his vice president to try to staunch the fall in public opinion. And with more and more Americans questioning the effectiveness of the massive government bailout, a new Quinnipiac Poll shows that Obama's approval rating has dropped 13 points in the last two months in Ohio, a bellwether state for presidential elections for more than a century. The plunge: from 62% approval in May to 49% now.

"The economy in Ohio is as bad as anywhere in America," said Peter Brown, who runs the Quinnipiac Poll. "These numbers indicate that for the first time, voters have decided that President Barack Obama bears some responsibility for their problems."

Adding to the administration's woes is news that state legislatures are -- imagine! -- playing politics with decisions on where to spend the stimulus dollars. Tracing the first monies dispersed by the administration, the New York Times, in an examination of the 5,274 transportation projects approved so far, found that "the 100 largest metropolitan areas are getting less than half the money" from transportation stimulus funds. Since large cities have major congestion and transportation issues, on its face this seems silly.

In Ohio, for instance, the Times found that Cleveland was initially promised $200 million to help build a five-lane bridge to replace the 50-year-old Innerbelt Bridge, so deteriorated that officials last fall banned heavy truck traffic. But then state officials, worried about meeting federal deadlines, decided to spend $115 million of that money on "shovel-ready projects." So, at the moment, the largest stimulus project in Ohio is bolstering the Nelsonville Bypass in southeastern Ohio to improve transportation to Appalachia.

Transportation to Appalachia? Not exactly a good way to alleviate traffic congestion in the cities. One expert called it the typical "peanut-butter" approach by state legislators eager to be reelected.

“If we’re trying to recover the nation’s economy, we should be focusing where the economy is, which is in these large areas,” said Brookings Institution's Robert Puentes told the Times. “But states take this peanut-butter approach, taking the dollars and spreading them around very thinly, rather than taking the dollars and concentrating them where the most complex transportation problems are.”

Maybe Biden will explain all this soon. In the meantime, USA Today, looking at the first "easily traceable" $17 billion, found that counties that supported Obama during the 2008 election received twice as much money as those that went for his rival John McCain. This seems on its face contradictory to the Times' finding probably something about apples and oranges.
What is clear is that folks are unhappy with the pace of the recovery, worried that the debt-producing program will only add to the nation's economic woes.

What else is clear is that this is administration is nothing more than a thugocracy, where only those who pledge blind allegiance to the antiChristOne will get cash. This is a disgrace, and thankfully more people are waking up. I wonder how much of the stimulus went to hair replacement for Biden. God knows that is something that should be evaluated.

Boehner: DEMOCRATS’ DISCUSSION OF A “SECOND STIMULUS” IS AN ADMISSION THAT THE FIRST ONE ISN’T WORKING

House Minority Leader and Great American, John Boehner, is on the march against the socialist fascist regime of Barack Obama and Bullwhip Pelosi. Check out this story from Good Morning America obtained by WMD:

On ABC’s Good Morning America, the Democrats’ trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill that isn’t working was the top story today, as White House correspondent Jake Tapper highlighted our nation’s rising unemployment and growing dissatisfaction with the Democrats’ massive spending plan. Democrats had promised that the “stimulus” would create jobs “immediately,” and the Administration promised that the spending plan would hold unemployment below eight percent.

With unemployment now at 9.5 percent and rising, middle-class families and small businesses across the nation are asking, “where are the jobs?” Meanwhile, Democrats are all over the map about whether to borrow and spend even more in another desperate attempt to jumpstart the economy. Republicans believe that if Democrats want to protect and create jobs, they should start in Congress by scrapping job-killing legislation like Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax and their government takeover of health care, which includes a new small business tax. Video and a full transcript of the Good Morning America piece follow:


CLICK TO PLAY
ABC’S DIANE SAWYER: Good morning, America, Diane Sawyer, Robin Roberts. We’re glad you’re joining us for our tour of the world this morning it’s Thursday, July 9th, 2009 and the economy is taking front and center again.

ABC’S ROBIN ROBERTS: Unfortunately so. And both sides of the aisle starting to voice their concerns saying the $800 billion stimulus package is not working, and another fusion of cash may be necessary. So that’s where we’re going to begin this morning, in Italy, where President Obama is discussing the global economy right now at the G-8 summit. Senior White House correspondent Jake Tapper is there and has the latest for us. Good morning, Jake.

ABC NEWS SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT JAKE TAPPER: Good morning, Robin. Well, President Obama today will chair the major economies forum, to discuss the global economy, from Europe to Indonesia, but back at home a rising chorus of voices is wondering if the U.S. economic plan is working and if it’s enough.

ABC VOICEOVER: The President and other leaders of the G-8 nations issued a statement pledging economic growth, growth that has yet to be seen in the United States. The jobless claims for the month of June are close to an astounding 10 percent, while the stock market this month has plunged to its lowest level since April 30th. It’s been five months since the colossal $787 billion stimulus package was signed, with only about $56 billion of it having been distributed there’s growing concern that there’s little economic payoff.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN MIKE PENCE (R-IN): And even though the President, on the 1st of July, said that the stimulus bill had, quote, done its job, my constituents see it differently.
VOICEOVER: And it’s not just Republicans. The Obama Administration this week acknowledged it underestimated how bad the economy was when crafting their stimulus package.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Truth is, we and everyone else, misread the economy.

VOICEOVER: But in an interview with ABC News, the President said he had no regrets.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: There’s nothing we would have done differently.

VOICEOVER: Some Democrats, however, are now calling for another stimulus package, including some within the President’s own economic team.

OBAMA ECONOMIC ADVISOR LAURA TYSON: Why not begin to think about over the next several months, whether we need a stimulus package and what it should include?
VOICEOVER: Republicans say more government spending is not the answer.

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): All of this talk about a second stimulus bill has been rather interesting. I think it’s an admission on the part of the administration that, you know, their stimulus plan is not working.
VOICEOVER: The President says he’s not ruling out a second stimulus, but the deficit is a major concern, as well.

TAPPER: Now the statement the G-8 countries just put out on the economy reflects this tension talking about the need for, quote, forceful and coordinated action to provide stimulus to economic growth while also talking about the need for countries to, quote, commit to ensure fiscal sustainability. Diane?

SAWYER: Okay, Jake. Our thanks to you.

Wow, is there some dissention in the ranks of team Fascist, er, uh...Team Obama? Biden says we misread the economy...(Funny, you would think they knew what they were getting into. How many times did Biden and Barry say this was the worst economy since the Great Depression? And they are trying to tell us they misread it? Come on now...You are just incompetent and have wrongheaded policies) Obama says all is well, we wouldn't do anything different, just again ramrod a bill through before actually reading it (including the AIG bonuses too?). But Obama's advisor says, let's do Stimulus Two: Financial Bugaboo? Wow....I think things are beginning to crumble for the narcissus president...and that is good for America.

More Americans Say They Want Small Government...But...

...is it already too late? Have we unleashed the monsters of the apocalypse on our republic? And, if we want smaller government, why aren't we holding the clowns who refuse to read their own damn bills accountable? Why? Here is the hopeful but perhaps too late news from Michael Barone:

The financial system collapsed. Housing prices cratered. Unemployment is at a record high for the last quarter-century. The Democratic president has a solidly positive job rating.

And yet we Americans have not suddenly become collectivists. The economic distress of the 1930s led Americans to favor less reliance on markets and more on government. The economic distress of the 1970s led Americans to favor less reliance on government and more on markets. It doesn't seem unreasonable to expect, as many political liberals have been predicting, that the economic distress of the late 2000s will produce a shift in the 1930s direction. But it doesn't seem to have happened yet.

Or so the polling evidence tells us. Last month's Washington Post/ABC poll reported that Americans favor smaller government with fewer services to larger government with more services by a 54 to 41 percent margin -- a slight uptick since 2004. The percentage of Independents favoring small government rose to 61 percent from 52 percent in 2008. The June NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reported that, even amid recession, 58 percent worry more about keeping the budget deficit down versus 35 percent worried more about boosting the economy. A similar question in the June CBS/New York Times poll showed a 52 to 41 percent split.

Other polls show a resistance to specific Democratic proposals. Pollster Whit Ayres reports that 58 percent of voters agree that reforming health care, while important, should be done without raising taxes or increasing the deficit. Pollster Scott Rasmussen reports that 56 percent of Americans are unwilling to pay more in taxes or utility rates to generate cleaner energy and fight global warming.

It's interesting that on these issues and many others independents are responding more like Republicans than Democrats. That's the opposite of what we saw up through 2008, when independents were almost as critical of the Bush administration and Republican policies as Democrats.

This apparent recoil against big government policies has not gone unnoticed by Americans. Gallup reported earlier this week that 39 percent of Americans say their views on political issues have grown more conservative, while only 18 say they have grown more liberal. Moderates agreed by a 33 to 18 percent margin.

However, here is where people just seem to not get it. Votes have consequences people. So what the following says about American voters is that, even though the Dems promised to do the destruction they are now doing, you went ahead and voted for them because, well, there's now way they can do all that....uh...hello. Some Wiemars thought that about a paperhanger from Austria, and look what happened:

Voters continue to think pretty highly of Barack Obama. But these numbers suggest that they are responding more negatively to Democratic proposals that have a chance at passage than they did to Democratic platform planks that were, until the 2008 election, only political rhetoric. The $787 billion stimulus package, the cap-and-trade bill's utility rate increases, the public health insurance package -- all these seem to generate more apprehension than enthusiasm.

So does the prospect of doubling the national debt, as the Congressional Budget Office estimates, from about 40 percent of gross domestic product to about 80 percent. That's about where it ended up after World War II. Americans evidently regard our current economic situation, though negative, as not enough to justify the magnitude of deficit spending that was appropriate in an all-out world war.

Folks, if you don't want bigger government, call your reps! Get active in the system! Burn the phone lines to DC down! Call TShirt Ted in Cbus and tell him the riot act! Don't just throw your hands up! The majority is with us! Now get up off your a$$es and do something about it!

It is Now Un-American to Ask Congress to Read their own Damn Bills...

At least, that is what Henry Waxman thinks:

Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who has had an eventful couple of weeks to say the least, believes House Republican opposition to climate change legislation and the stimulus indicates they’re cheering against the good ol’ US of A.

“It appears that the Republican Party leadership in the Congress has made a decision that they want to deny President Obama success, which means, in my mind, they are rooting against the country, as well,” the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman told WAMU radio host Diane Rehm on Tuesday morning, promoting his new book, “The Waxman Report.”

No sir, we want America to succeed as she has for 2 and a third centuries. We want Congress to move deliberately and actually take the time to read and digest bills before voting on them, or at least to have a REAL BILL in the hopper when voting on a bill, instead of engaging in phantom Bill writing as was done with Waxman-Markey and cap and tax.

It is not un-American to question whether taxing utilities to bankrupt middle class families is a good thing for government to do. It is not un-American or rooting against America to question a bill that had as one of its goals reducing dependence on foreign oil when all experts say implementation of said phantom bill will do the exact opposite.

It is not un-American to ask that members of Congress read the bills they want to pass in the name of the American people who elected them.

It is, however, un-American and techincally illegal and definitely unethical to pass bills without knowing what is in them, and also to pass bills before the provisions are written and engage in ex post facto law writing.

I guess it is ok to undermine troops in the field, bleeding and dying for your right to bloviate and take expensive congressional junkets, but God forbid you attempt to fight against bureaucrats and stuffed shirts with emptyheads who are too lazy to read much less think about a bill that doesn't even fully exist cororeally.

House Majority Leader Hoyer Laughs at Notion Members of Congress Should Read and Know Details of Bills Voting On

Maybe Ol' Steny is hiding his own illiteracy problem, or maybe this is endemic to the Democrats in the House? All humor aside, this is disgusting, and it should show the American people that members of Congress don't even want to know the abominations they are creating in the name of "hope/change." In fact, they think it silly to waste their time on the job (you know, the job WE THE PEOPLE elected them to) to read things they are going to vote on. Better, I guess, just to say "yessum" when Bullwhip Pelosi says jump than to actually take responsibility for the jobs you were elected to. Guess they are too busy going on Junkets or taking bribes (see William Jefferson, Democrat, Louisiana) to do what we elected them to do. Check out this self-serving synchophant in full bloom:

Washington (CNSNews.com) - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said Tuesday that the health-care reform bill now pending in Congress would garner very few votes if lawmakers actually had to read the entire bill before voting on it.

“If every member pledged to not vote for it if they hadn’t read it in its entirety, I think we would have very few votes,” Hoyer told CNSNews.com at his regular weekly news conference.

Hoyer was responding to a question from CNSNews.com on whether he supported a pledge that asks members of the Congress to read the entire bill before voting on it and also make the full text of the bill available to the public for 72 hours before a vote.

In fact, Hoyer found the idea of the pledge humorous, laughing as he responded to the question. “I’m laughing because a) I don’t know how long this bill is going to be, but it’s going to be a very long bill,” he said.

“Members clearly--and staff and review boards, they read them in their entirety. They go over it with members, and members read substantial portions of the bill themselves, but the issue is--I don’t know who signed this (pledge), but frankly the opposition has been very vociferous, not of the verbiage and bill, but on the concept that it incorporates,” Hoyer said

Of course, he can't say they read the cap and trade bill, because their was no bill to be read, just miscellaneous notes and a pledge that one day there would be a bill.

This Congress is so corrupt and dysfunctional that the members themselves don't even want to read the garbage they are putting together. Throw these bums out, then maybe we can start frogmarching a few....

You know, the founders wanted bills read. They wanted government to be slow and deliberate. Not these left wing nutjobs. Look at how quick they have thrown this stuff, and without time to read or debate or refine. The reason? They want to throw as much up against the wall as possible, because then we will have trouble fighting it all, and some of it invariably will stick. And once put into place, these things are hard to change because they create monstrous bureaucracies. It is all about power and taking more of your life out of your hands and into the hands of government....

I wonder if they will whine about some aspect of the bill they didn't read like they did last time, with the AIG bonuses that were written into the bailouts, but when people read the bill....OUTRAGE....

What a joke....and we all are the suckers....

Boehner: AS AMERICANS ASK “WHERE ARE THE JOBS?” CNN HIGHLIGHTS DEM DIVISIONS ON TRILLION-DOLLAR “STIMULUS” THAT’S NOT WORKING

This just in from the Minority Leader in the House, Ohio's own John Boehner:

July 8, 2009 | House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) | Permalink
CNN’s American Morning today aired a report on the Democrats’ trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending bill that isn’t creating jobs and the escalating feud it has sparked among Washington Democrats in the wake of ongoing American job losses. The CNN piece highlighted a web video recently released by House Republicans that asked “Where Are the Jobs?” The web video shines a spotlight on several wasteful projects bankrolled by the taxpayer-funded trillion-dollar “stimulus” and underscores the lack of jobs created by the massive spending binge. As the CNN report notes, Democrats in control of Washington are “all over the map” on the “stimulus,” the lack of jobs that it has created, and what to do next.

Earlier today, House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) recommended one course of action for creating more jobs: abandoning the Democrats’ plans for a new job-killing national energy tax on every American, and stopping their planned government takeover of health care, which includes costly mandates on American employers and tax hikes on small businesses, the engine of job creation in America’s economy. Video and a full transcript of the CNN report follows:


Click HERE for Full Video

CNN’S KIRAN CHETRY: Back here at home with unemployment at its highest level in more than a quarter century, Republicans pouncing. CNN’s Jim Acosta is live in Washington this morning. The Republicans releasing a new ad and saying that the stimulus isn’t working.

CNN’S JIM ACOSTA: Yes, that’s right, Kiran. A whole lot of barking here in Washington as we are about to show you. With the President overseas, Republicans here in Washington believe they have found Mr. Obama’s Achilles heel, the economy. Top GOP leaders are pointing to recent conflicting statements coming out of the White House on the stimulus, asking once again whether it was the right approach to ending the recession.

(Begin “Where Are the Jobs?” Web Video)

VOICE OF REP. LYNN WESTMORELAND (R-GA): Where are the jobs? We put the dogs on the money trail to find out.

ACOSTA: In the latest sign the economy is in the doghouse, Republicans are sicking their bloodhounds on the stimulus with this video that asks, where are the jobs?

HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER JOHN BOEHNER (R-OH): I’m John Boehner. This is Ellie Mae. She hasn’t found any stimulus jobs yet, and neither have the American people.

(End “Where Are the Jobs?” Web Video)

ACOSTA: It’s an issue that dogged the President all the way to Russia where Mr. Obama clarified statements made by his own Vice President on the recession.

VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: There was a misreading of just how bad an economy we inherited.

ACOSTA: Not exactly, according to the President.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I would actually, rather than say “misread,” we had incomplete information.

ACOSTA: Who still believes the stimulus was the right call.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: There’s nothing that we would have done differently.

ACOSTA: But Republicans point to President Obama’s dire warnings back in February when he urged the Congress to pass the stimulus.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: We’re moving quickly because we’re told that if we don’t move quickly, that the economy is going to keep on getting worse. We’ll have another two or three or four million jobs lost this year.

ACOSTA: Turns out even with the stimulus, the economy has shed 3.4 million jobs in just six months. While the President says he’s now open to a second stimulus, one of his top economic advisors is already calling for one. Laura D’Andrea Tyson told an economic seminar in Singapore “we should be planning on a contingency basis for a second round of stimulus.” Republicans say the White House can’t get its story straight.

SENATE REPUBLICAN LEADER MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): They said the stimulus was necessary to jumpstart the economy, yet now with about a half of a million jobs lost every single month they’ve started to admit they simply misread the economy. These were costly mistakes and we can’t take them back.

ACOSTA: Despite a rough couple of weeks for Republicans, GOP strategists see their own political green shoots of recovery on the economy.

REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST DOUG HEYE: Nothing has really galvanized the Republican Party more than the stimulus vote. One thing that we’ve seen is that the President’s popularity, while he is still popular throughout the nation, really is taking hits in key states.

ACOSTA: Which state is he talking about? For one, he is talking about the key battleground of Ohio. There is a new poll out there showing the President’s numbers slipping when it comes to the economy, and that may explain why the White House is not alone in considering a second round of stimulus spending. Democrats in Congress are also kicking around the idea of a sequel, including the House Majority Leader, even though some in the Congress, in the Democratic Party, are clearly disappointed with the original. The Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, said yesterday he’s not convinced a second stimulus is needed. So, despite a lot of discipline on the Democratic side over these last several months, when it comes to the stimulus, when it comes to the economy, they are all over the map on that one. Kiran?

CHETRY: Alright, we’ll have to wait and see. Jim Acosta for us this morning, thanks.

Boehner: How Will Vice President Defend "Stimulus" That Was Supposed to Create Jobs "Immediately" in a State With Over 10 Percent Unemployment?

The first of two items in today from Matt's Congressman, the Minority Leader in the House, and a Great American, John Boehner:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) issued the following statement today on Vice President Biden’s trip to Ohio tomorrow:



“I’d like to welcome Vice President Biden to the Buckeye State. Our state has been hit hard by the recession, and, like many other Ohioans, I’ll be curious to see what the Vice President has to say, especially on the trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ that clearly isn’t working. How will he defend a bill that the White House promised would create jobs ‘immediately’ in a state that still has over 10 percent unemployment? How will he explain the Administration’s promises that if we passed that bill, the nationwide unemployment rate would stay below eight percent, when it’s now at 9.5 percent and rising? How will he explain supporting policies that will destroy even more American jobs, like Speaker Pelosi’s national energy tax or a government takeover of health care financed by a new tax on small business? The people of Ohio – like people all over America – have a right to know, where are the jobs?”

GUEST COLUMN: "Flawed Legislation Fails to Address Nation’s Energy Needs" by Rep. Turner

By Rep. Mike Turner

On June 26, I joined a bipartisan group of 212 Members of Congress in opposing the Waxman-Markey Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454), also known as the “Cap and Trade” bill. The legislation fails to address the important energy needs facing Ohio families, would further burden our state’s manufacturing base, and cause additional job loss.

Last October, I voted against the $700 billion bailout of our nation’s financial industry, and, in February, I also opposed the $800 billion economic “stimulus.” Both of these bills were ill-considered, did not help those who’ve suffered the most due to job loss and home foreclosures, and lacked details as to how the $1.5 trillion in taxpayer funds would be spent. The impact of these two measures will be trillions in added national debt. I have similar concerns about the new energy bill.

The Clean Energy and Security Act has been touted by the House leadership as a path to reach American energy independence while also creating “green jobs” during a time of record unemployment and a struggling economy. Such claims sound good as everyone wants greater energy supplies at home, and job growth. But in reality, this energy bill will result in higher energy costs for all Americans and a reduction in jobs.

The energy bill earned the nickname the “Cap and Trade” bill due to its most controversial provision – the imposition of greenhouse gas emissions limitations in exchange for government emission “allowances.” Unused emissions allowances can be traded or sold among manufacturers. Each year the number of such allowances would be reduced, with fines imposed on those who exceed the emission limits, thus driving up the cost of energy and other services. Ultimately, the consumer will bear these costs. Furthermore, electricity suppliers would be required to meet rising requirements for renewable energy sources, placing states like Ohio which rely mainly on coal, at a disadvantage.

The restrictions placed on U.S. manufacturers by the Cap and Trade energy bill would place them at a competitive disadvantage with other nations, encouraging the relocation of American jobs overseas. An energy policy which leads to a reduction in jobs is not good policy at any time, let alone during an economic downturn.

Then there’s the direct impact of the Cap and Trade bill on average Americans. A Congressional Budget Office analysis found the energy bill’s allowances and offsets could cost approximately $105 billion in 2010. This works out to almost $900 for each U.S. household next year alone. Other studies, including a Heritage Foundation review, say the total cost per household could be much higher when increased prices for goods and services are factored in.

Rather than disrupt the economy and place restrictions on American energy sources, Congress should promote policies which rebuild our economy, and provide consumers with reliable and affordable energy. I have joined over 100 of my House colleagues in support of the American Energy Act (HR 2846), a bill that takes advantage of our available domestic energy resources without imposing new taxes on the American consumer. This comprehensive legislation is an “all of the above” approach to our energy policy that would increase production of American-made energy in an environmentally-safe manner, encourage greater conservation, and spur investment in alternative energy sources such as hydrogen, solar power, wind, and clean coal, an abundant domestic natural resource found here in Ohio. In addition, the American Energy Act establishes a national goal of constructing 100 clean, modern nuclear power plants over the next 20 years.

It’s not too late to do the right thing and enact a sound energy policy. The American Energy Act strikes the right balance of traditional energy reliance and alternative energy development.

Ferris Budget Plan for Columbus

Matt Ferris is proposing a budget for the city of Columbus that doesn't cut vital services nor increases taxes...

City hall has proposed a permanent 25% tax increase to address a temporary budget shortfall. So, while families are tightening their belts city hall wants to increase their spending by more than a billion dollars over the next 10 years!

Instead of allowing city hall to take more of our hard earned money, I’ve put together a plan on how they could balance the budget without raising taxes or cutting police and fire jobs.

Here’s what I propose…

Step One – We have to freeze any increase in spending for 2010. As it stands now city hall’s budget for 2010 is almost 11% higher than it was in 2009. Almost 60% of the reported budget deficit is caused by this increase in spending! That’s over half the problem solved by resisting the urge to spend more next year than they did this year! Families can do it, so can city hall.

Step Two – We need to prioritize city hall’s current spending by improving inefficiencies and simply addressing just 12 of the line items in the massive city budget. This alone will eliminate over $40 million from the projected budget deficit.

Step Three – City hall needs to implement a 1-year 2.5% across the board spending reduction. It’s not asking too much for government to tighten its belt a few notches for one year during tough economic times. Families and businesses are trimming their spending and so should city hall.

That’s It! With your support we’ll send a strong message that we don’t need this tax increase. I’m calling on you to VOTE NO on this massive tax increase on August 4th and asking you to vote for me, Matt Ferris, on November 3rd.

Want some of the details? Read on...

The Ferris Balanced Budget Plan

CAT Tax Update

I absolutely have to mention this piece from Jack Boyle of the Ohio chapter of the Americans for Prosperity that appears in the Plain Dealer because it goes back to a problem that I have with Jon Husted.

As he campaigns for Secretary of State, Husted is running around the state talking the talk but it has been my assertion that Husted has failed to walk the walk.

One of Kyle's anonymous contributors that always have a bone to pick with me for some reason wrote a diatribe aimed at my criticism of Husted on this point. Here is an excerpt from that post:

There is a definite split among Ohioans regarding the CAT tax but here are some things to think about...

It was passed as part of the state budget on July 1st and originally proposed by Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, the new tax code eliminates the tangible personal property tax over four years and immediately got rid of that tax on purchases of new manufacturing equipment in 2005.

The bill also eliminated the corporate franchise tax, lowered personal income tax rates and replaced those taxes with a lower tax rate on commercial activity.

The state estimates that the tax package will increase the state's gross state product by $5.6 billion by 2010 and increase personal income by $3.6 billion. The state also estimates it will create 78,500 new jobs and bring $6.3 billion in new capital investment into Ohio's economy during the same time period.

Simply put, it is supposed to remove a roadblock for new businesses coming into Ohio, making the state much friendlier to the industry.

The key word in that last sentence is "supposed". The reality is that it FAILED. And Husted has NEVER accepted responsibility for that failure.

Mr. Boyle addresses this in his piece:

The net effect of the tax changes made four years ago has not been a tax cut, but rather an increase in the total tax "take" of government in Ohio out of the Ohio economy.

The facts are that in 2008, according to the Tax Foundation, Ohio had the 7th highest combined state and local tax burden in the United States, up from a ranking of 11th in 2005.

Emphasis added. Only Democrats and RINOs call something that actually takes more out of the economy a tax cut. The only question remains: Which one is Jon Husted?

We can do better...

HT: Kevin Holtsberry for the Boyle article. BTW: Kevin asks, "What Tax Cut?" which is funny when you consider that CAT was part of Taft's budget that Husted supporters are so gung-ho about defending even though the only way it looks good is in comparison to Dick Celeste or Ted Strickland.

Strickland Politicizing the Budget

Ted Strickland threw a party with his friends yesterday. It was billed as a press conference, but the media in this state are so thrilled to be in T-Shirt Ted's presence it is more like a social gathering than an actual news gathering event.

Nearly every paper in the Great State of Beautiful Ohio had a headline about how the all-powerful Mighty Father Ted smacked around the helpless and pathetic Republicans in the Ohio Senate yesterday.

My favorite quote from the Tedster was this one:

"Working on this budget is more important than participating in a parade or eating hot dogs at an outdoor cookout," said Strickland. (Dayton Daily News, 6/29/09)

Of course, the governor was so interested in getting this budget done himself that he was off engaging in the very same sort of activities...

Yes, that is the governor hard at work on solving Ohio's budget problems...

Did ANYBODY in the media bother to call him out on this stuff? Not that I saw. As usual, these court jesters were willing to play the fool for their favorite political party and their so-called leaders.

Yes, this is leadership Ohio can believe in alright... A JELLO bowl on every table! If it weren't so sad it would be laughable. Strickland ought to be hanging his head in shame that he has failed on his campaign promises and drove this state deeper into the toliet. Instead, he's feeding his face and politicizing the budget.

GUEST COLUMN: "Guardrails for the Budget" by Dave Yost

WMD Exclusive By Dave Yost

Like guardrails on a straight, level highway, Gov. Ted Strickland thinks Ohio’s laws safeguarding the budget are only needed in good times. On the twisting, steep inclines of this year’s budget, he’s asked the Legislature to take away the guardrails.

At issue is an obscure Ohio law that says the director of OMB can run a negative cash balance in the general revenue fund, but that it can’t be more than 10% of last year’s revenue.

So, if last year’s GRF was $20 billion, the red ink can’t be more than 2 billion. That’s quite a cushion, and more than enough to allow the state to manage its cash flow. (A purist might point to the constitutional provision requiring a balanced budget, and argue that this statute is unconstitutional, but let’s not quibble.)
Mr. Strickland is asking the Legislature to waive this requirement in the current budget bill, to allow the state to run as big a deficit as he pleases.

The argument for waiving the law is that, if it’s not waived, the state could reach a point where it had to suspend issuing checks until more money came in. It is unclear why, in the face of a couple billion dollars in red ink, this would be a bad idea.

Like a car going over the cliff, it’s not the fall that kills you – it’s the sudden stop at the end. If this requirement is waived, the state could easily deficit spend its way into a $5 billion hole by the beginning of the next budget. Forget about not having a rainy day fund left – the budget will start under water.

Of course, that’s after the 2010 statewide election.

The guardrails might tear up your car pretty badly if you happen to hit some bad weather and slick pavement. But the guardrails are there for a reason, and that reason is more important when the weather’s bad. And it's ugly out there right now.

Obamanomics is Scary...Here is visual Proof....

The name of the link says it all. Check it out:

Scariest Jobs Chart...Ever.

If Porkulus One did nothing but end more Jobs, What do You think the Sequel is Going to do?

We have all seen how Obama's Porkulus Bill (which was never read or allowed to be on the web for five days before being voted on, as per Obama's election promises) has done nothing but add to the economic crisis. Now, Obama is talking about another Porkulus Bill aka Stimulus bill. Funny, Obama himself has said we are out of money. Don't think so? Let's go back to May 23rd:

SCULLY: You know the numbers, $1.7 trillion debt, a national deficit of $11 trillion. At what point do we run out of money?

OBAMA: Well, we are out of money now. We are operating in deep deficits, not caused by any decisions we've made on health care so far. This is a consequence of the crisis that we've seen and in fact our failure to make some good decisions on health care over the last several decades.

OK, so then why, O Fearless Leader, are we talking about another stimulus, as we are hearing whispers of:

That’s why we have already started to hear hints of a second stimulus package on the way. On CNBC on Thursday, White House economic adviser Christina Romer answered the question of whether there would be a second stimulus with: “We’ll do whatever it takes.”

Um....could we please see the statistics and evidence of the "effectiveness" of this so-called stimulus? Here are some hard numbers:

This week, with news of some 467,000 jobs lost in June, the Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the U.S. has now lost about 2 million jobs since the economic stimulus package was passed. Even more notable is that the average workweek has been slashed to 33 hours — the lowest number on record. When the president signed his $787 billion stimulus package into law, he confidently asserted that unemployment would not exceed 8 percent. If Congress had not passed it, he warned, it would rise to 9 percent by 2010. Well, unemployment reached 9.5 percent last month, meaning, by the president’s own logic, his stimulus package has failed.

No, this self-loving narcissus can twist logic, for here is his defense of porkulus:

If you listen to President Barack Obama, however, whatever jobs were not lost were either “saved or created” by the stimulus. In other words, credit for whatever has not gone wrong goes to the Obama administration and its Democratic allies who control Congress.

So, even though there has been a HUGE net loss of jobs since the porkulus, Obama and Pelosi and Co. should be praised for saving jobs that were already there? Hmmm....Uh, anyone find this a bit hard to swallow? Anyone think we are really getting creative with what, to coin a Clintonism, the definition of teh word is is?

And here is the real kicker folks. Only $56.3 billion of the $787 billion stimulus has been paid out, yet the push is coming to persuade us to spend more money on top of money that has yet to be spent. By now it’s clear that what little of the taxpayer-funded stimulus has been spent has created pork, not jobs. That’s why news reports keep coming about things like stimulus projects placing rails around nonexistent lakes and redecorating old theaters. Not to mention the turtle trail, the thousands to a town to stop a homeless problem that doesn't exist, etc. It is a disgrace.

What do you think Porkulus 2: Economic Boogaloo is going to do? Could we see 18% unemployment after this fraud? Will they even write a bill, or will they just pretend, like the House did with Cap and Tax? I thought this admin and Congress were going to be transparent in their dealings. The only thing transparent is their blatant attempt to destroy the American Capitalist system and take everyone down with it in a mad power grab to satisfy their own impotent egos.

And we have this analysis from the Heritage Foundation, which is like based on facts and numbers and stuff(check out the graph, which I can't pull to put here from where I am blogging from):

In January, President Obama pressed for an $800 billion economic “stimulus” package to turn the economy around. Though the bill largely consisted of increased spending on traditional liberal priorities, the President claimed that it would “create or save” 3.5 million jobs. The President’s economic advisors predicted that unemployment would rise to 9 percent by 2010 if Congress did not pass the stimulus bill, but that with the stimulus unemployment would stay below 8 percentage points.

Congress passed the stimulus bill in February 2009 and the President has repeated his claims. President Obama recently said that the stimulus bill has already created or saved 150,000 new jobs and that it will “create or save” another 600,000 jobs by the end of the summer. Asked when the public should begin to judge the effects of the stimulus, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said “I think we should begin to judge it now.”

In that case, the stimulus must be judged a failure. The figure above shows the projections the administration made in January with and without the stimulus bill, and the actual unemployment rate since then. Unemployment has risen not only above what the President’s advisors predicted would happen if the stimulus passed, but above what they estimated would occur without the stimulus. By the President’s own measure, the stimulus has failed. The promised benefits from the $800 billion in additional federal spending and debt remain invisible.

And then there is this elucidation by the President of Heritage, as well:

If there's any good news from this recession, it may be this: We've seen how Washington works. The picture is so ugly, it may be enough to spark real reform in the years ahead. Here's what's been going on:

Every so often Congress gets hold of a bill that simply must pass. A defense spending bill, say, during war time. So lawmakers exploit the situation, tacking on pet projects that have nothing to do with defense.

This year's must-pass bill is a "stimulus" measure.

True to form, Congress has loaded the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with hundreds of billions in wasteful spending. The bill includes $650 million for digital TV coupons, $140 million to study the atmosphere and $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts.

None of these proposals would create jobs or boost our economy. They're just old-fashioned waste. And that's a problem. Crying "stimulus," Congress intends to spend money it doesn't have to accomplish things that don't need to be done on a scale never before seen. If signed into law, this leviathan would be the largest single spending bill ever passed, adding at least $819 billion (before interest) to the national debt.

If lawmakers had decided to borrow the money for this stimulus plan directly from Americans, the average family would have to fork over $10,520 this year. That's more than what that same family will spend on food, clothing and health care for the entire year.

If lawmakers were honest about what they're doing (spending borrowed money) they'd have to admit that they're asking hard-pressed American families to loan the government more this year than those families will otherwise spend on essentials.
...
Once these bureaucracies expand, good luck trimming them back. They're apt to be as temporary as the New Deal "Rural Development Utilities Programs." Its mission to electrify rural America was completed decades ago, yet it still exists.

Politicians think they can palm most anything off as "stimulus." An early version of the bill, for example, included hundreds of millions for contraceptives. "The family planning services reduce cost," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi explained while defending the plan on ABC, "to the states and to the federal government." That's arguable at best.

Still, even if that were true, reducing the birthrate would be a pretty slow-motion way of reducing federal costs. It would be faster and more efficient to axe a department or two instead.

Luckily, the contraception spending was axed once people became aware of it. That proves that, when the public pays attention -- and complains -- lawmakers will do the right thing.

Hopefully it's the beginning of a trend.

I don't know, Ed...More people have to wake up and start asking for people to answer for these crimes against American prosperity.

Let Them Eat Cake Update: Congress Travels High on the Hog, While You Stay Home...

Yes, we are truly returning to the era of the Aristocracy and the rest of the people. The aristocracy is now made up of the government class and the wealthy, while the rest of us sit and stew and pray that we can make ends meet. While our savings are drying up and we work longer, and just take one day off for the kids, Congress's travel budget has swollen and they are getting luxurious trips...ON OUR DIME!!!!!! From the WSJ:

Spending by lawmakers on taxpayer-financed trips abroad has risen sharply in recent years, a Wall Street Journal analysis of travel records shows, involving everything from war-zone visits to trips to exotic spots such as the Galápagos Islands.

The spending on overseas travel is up almost tenfold since 1995, and has nearly tripled since 2001, according to the Journal analysis of 60,000 travel records. Hundreds of lawmakers traveled overseas in 2008 at a cost of about $13 million. That's a 50% jump since Democrats took control of Congress two years ago.

The cost of so-called congressional delegations, known among lawmakers as "codels," has risen nearly 70% since 2005, when an influence-peddling scandal led to a ban on travel funded by lobbyists, according to the data.

The Journal analysis, based on information published in the Congressional Record, also shows that taxpayer-funded travel is a big and growing perk for lawmakers and their families. Some members of Congress have complained in recent months about chief executives of bailed-out banks, insurance companies and car makers who sponsored corporate trips to resorts or used corporate jets for their own travel.

Although complete travel records aren't yet available for 2009, it appears that such costs continue to rise. The Journal analysis shows that the government has picked up the tab for travel to destinations such as Jamaica, the Virgin Islands and Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Lawmakers frequently bring along spouses on congressional trips. If they take commercial flights, they have to buy tickets for spouses. If they fly on government planes -- as they usually do -- their spouses can fly free.

Paris Air Show
In mid-June, Sen. Daniel Inouye (D., Hawaii) led a group of a half-dozen senators and their spouses on a four-day trip to France for the biennial Paris Air Show. An itinerary for the event shows that lawmakers flew on the Air Force's version of the Boeing 737, which costs $5,700 an hour to operate. They stayed at the Intercontinental Paris Le Grand Hotel, which advertises rooms from $460 a night.

The lawmakers were invited to a dinner party at the U.S. Embassy and had cocktails at a private party at the Eiffel Tower. Mr. Inouye attended a dinner sponsored by the Aerospace Industries Association, a U.S. trade group. Another senator on the trip, Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, took a cruise on the River Seine with defense-industry executives and elected officials from Alabama, Mississippi and Florida.

Mr. Inouye and Mr. Shelby declined to comment.

Hey, members of Congress, how about a Motel 6? They leave the light on for you! It is ridiculous. When the Chosen One and his minions in Congress and the Rollover Republicans are telling us to make do with less, stories like this make one want to storm the Bastille! It is a crime how our money is spent by these spoiled brats, and all they do is ask for more.

Funny, the budget has swelled for travel to these luxurious and exotic locales by 50% under Bullwhip Nancy's watch. I thought she was going to bring this type of graft and corruption under control. But wait, isn't she the one that demanded a jumbo jet for her and her posse to parade around the world in? Never mind. Wake up America!

What Happens to VLT Licenses if Gambling Wins on Ballot?

State Representative Barbara Sears, on Facebook, writes the following:

"The Governor is funding education based on VLT's revenue...which means that if VLT's don't produce...education funding is reduced... FYI - it is my understanding that the Senate has indicated that if the Penn National Ballot issue is passed by the voters - Ohio could be required to refund to the VLT's their license fees - $450 million."

Where have we seen this sort of thing before? If you said in the US House of Representatives, you're a winner! Democrats are trying to rush bills through the legislative process without people having a chance to actually read them. Why? So everyone can be surprised later when we find out what's actually in them!

This is a disgrace and Ted Strickland ought to be held accountable for it.

Memo to T-Shirt Ted: When you're in a big hole, STOP DIGGING!

Is Colin Powell a Bigot, or Did He Just Vote That Way?

I think this is a fair question. I mean, the Left tells those of us who didn't vote for His Holiness the antiChrist One that we are bigots and racists. If we have disagreements with Obama's ideas, we are labelled bigots who just like white people. However, in the case of Colin Powell, we have some interesting evidence. His own words....

First, from the 1996 Republican National Convention:

I became a Republican because I believe, like you, that the federal government has become too large and too intrusive in our lives. We can no longer... (applause) We can no longer afford solutions to our problems that result in more entitlements, higher taxes to pay for them, more bureaucracy to run them, and fewer results to show for it. (applause)

Hmmm....let's see...Under Obama, the federal government now has a phalanx of 'czars' who are out there usurping power from other agencies and the legislature....that means the federal government has grown...and under Cap and Tax, it is going to grow more...and let's see....More entitlements? Isn't a national healthcare idea another entitlement? Hmmmm.....Well, let's see what Powell said recently when interviewed by John King. Here is the question, based on the quote above--When it comes to spending and the reach and the role of government, has the president met the test laid out by Colin Powell in 1996?:

Well, first, let me say, that was a pretty good statement, I thought. And I believe in all those things.

Atta Boy Colon Colin! Pat yourself on the back! Didn't Ronald Reagan, whom you claim to admire, have a plaque that said you can accomplish anything as long as you don't care who gets credit? Hmmm...guess that is another thing you just thought was words....But wait, here comes the rest of what the Small Intestine has to say:

But I also believe that we should have a government that works. I don't like slogans anymore like "limited government." That's not the right answer. The right answer is, give me a government that works. Keep it as small as possible. Keep the tax burden on the American people as small as possible, but at the same time, have government that is solving the problems of the people. The people want their problems solved. And very often, it's government that has to do that.

Really, Small intestine? How has government solved that poverty problem? How has government solved the donut hole in the medicare gap? How has the EPA worked anytime recently? How efficient is the USPS? The License Bureau? People want solutions that work and are efficient, not solutions that just make you feel good and wind up killing the country! Government is not the solution. Never has been. Ingenuity, entrepeneurship, ideas. Those are where solutions come from, not bureaucracy. But wait, Small Intestine really gets going here in a minute:

So let's have good government, effective government, whether you call it limited or not. Now, I think one of the challenges that President Obama has now is that he's got so many things on the table, and these are issues that the American people find important, health care and so many other issues. But I think one of the cautions that has to be given to the president -- and I've talked to some of his people about this -- is that you can't have so many things on the table that you can't absorb it all. And we can't pay for it all.

Aha, I sense a caveat....

I never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the, you know, multi-trillions of dollars -- and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that if we don't pay for in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great-grandchildren will have to pay for it. So I think the president, as he moves forward with these initiatives, has to start really taking a very, very hard look at what the cost of all this is and how much additional bureaucracy -- and will it be effective bureaucracy? -- be needed to make all this happen.

KING: So it's early but you're a little worried?

POWELL: Huh? Yes.

KING: That's a fair way to put it?

POWELL. Yeah. I'm a little concerned. "Concerned" would be a better word. I'm concerned at the number of programs that are being presented, the bills associated with these programs, and the additional government that will be needed to execute them.

But wait, Small Intestine, I thought that you wanted "government that works." Now you are concerned about additional government. And I thought you said when you endorsed Obama that the American people wanted higher taxes. Gee, Small Intestine, you really are all clogged up with...um....well, what flows out of the small intestine....

So, if Colin Powell is now concerned about what all Obama is doing, especially when Obama announced all this is his books and his rhetoric, then WHY did Powell endorse Obama? Did he like the stolen Pepsi logo? Did he like the church Obama frequented? Does he like Bill Ayers? Or, could it be, Colin Powell aka Small Intestine Powellyp, is nothing more than a Sonia Sotomayor bigot?

To: Matt & his readers...Have a blessed Independence Day

Keeping Independence Day in perspective: Happy Independence Day!

This, then, is the state of the union: free and restless, growing and full of hope. So it was in the beginning. So it shall always be, while God is willing, and we are strong enough to keep the faith. ~Lyndon B. Johnson


For what avail the plough or sail, or land or life, if freedom fail? ~Ralph Waldo Emerson


Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better. ~Albert Camus


It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Dick Cheney


Liberty is the breath of life to nations. ~George Bernard Shaw


Have a safe, blessed Independence Day!


Kyle Sisk

Cliche-laden healthcare reform could use a fact check

I am outraged and I think you should be, too!!!

If you like this post I hope you will read my blog from time to time:

http://www.kylesisk.typepad.com/

Thanks!

As many of you know, I am so hugely against the health care reform in its current form I can hardly see straight.

When I try to get into a substantive discussion with anyone who is for it I am met with sound bites and cliches...cliches...cliches (i.e. I find out very quickly that I'm talking with someone who has formed an opinion about this reform who does not have the slightest clue about any of the details, but just figures it is coming from Obama, Pelosi & Reid so it must be good...hence the reliance on sound bites and cliches).

Too many sound bites and cliches and no substance: "Anything is better than what we currently have...", "How can insuring the uninsured be bad?", "The American people want change. They want an overhauled health care system." blah blah blah

That basically sums up our current situation with this health care reform.

I figured it was high time I hit you kool-aid drinking sheep of "hope" and "change" who would follow Obama, Pelosi & Reid off a cliff if that is where they led you with some FACTS I have pieced together between Friedman, Harsanyi, Levey, Forbes, Sowell & Brooks:

*The cost of this overhaul is expected to top $1.3 trillion over the next decade. Many people who are way smarter than me rightly worry that Obama's proclivity to print money to solve problems instead of actually coming up with solutions that will work to solve said problems is going to put us and our offspring into a position down the road we will not be able to recover from (i.e. stimulus, bailouts and now healthcare reform). If Obama gets this passed our national debt will reach $17 trillion by 2019 (equals 82% of GDP which is double 2008 figures).

*The cost of developing a new pharmaceutical drug is just over a billion dollars. No matter what happens with this reform bill that cost will be unaffected (i.e. it won't change either way...the cost is the cost). That said, the lion's share of new drugs that are discovered each year which end up benefiting the entire world have come from the USA because there has been an incentive to do so. If this bill passes there will be less incentive for the market to continue to spend resources on such innovations. This will mark the beginning of the end of serious, continued innovations with drugs, procedures and devices out of the US.

*This reform will impact 17% of our economy...gives me shivers

*There are not 46 out of 300 million (figure dems tout) people uninsured in the US. That is patently false. That figure counts all Americans (even illegals) who have been without insurance for even a DAY even if they just so happen to be switching jobs or insurance plans (i.e. if in 2008 you were insured for 364 days & uninsured for 1 day then you are part of the 46 million...you are amazing! Great job! Wow, you are such a survivor. Watch out Bear Grylls! You went a day without health care and lived to talk about it).

45% of the uninsured are uninsured for 4 mos or less and nearly 25% qualify for already existing gov't health insurance programs that they are not taking advantage of right now.

Over 18% of the uninsured make $50,000-74,999 a year and another almost 20% of the uninsured make over $75,000 a year and choose to spend money on things like Wii, iPods, flat screen tvs, etc. rather than to spend money on health insurance. They have a choice and they choose to not be insured!

*In Canada, 27% of the people who have surgery wait 4 months or more. In Great Britain, 38% wait that long. Currently, only 5% of Americans wait that long.

*Canadians wait an average of 10 weeks to get an MRI so they can find out what is wrong with them. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that a lot of bad things can happen in 10 weeks ranging from pain & suffering, terrible quality of life and even death.

Those are a few of the facts...and they are irrefutable. Yes, reform needs to happen, but not this reform. This reform bill is an abomination.

Today Brooks said the following: "There is legislative pragmatism-- writing bills that can pass. Then there is policy pragmatism--creating programs that work. These two pragmatisms are in tension, and in their current frame of mind, Democrats often put the former before the latter."

Add to that Sowell's comments and you start to see what I'm leading up to here: "The great haste with which the latest government expansion into medical care is being rushed through Congress suggests that the politicians don't want us to stop and think. That makes sense from their point of view, but not from ours."

In closing, I leave my dem friends with a cliche of my own:

"Watch what you wish for..."

While More Americans Say No to Global Warming and Higher Taxes, Pelosi Tightens Grip and Seeks More of Your Cash...

Bad week for liberals in public opinion....From Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 32% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-three percent (33%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -1 (see trends). On the Generic Congressional Ballot, Republicans now have a two-point edge.


Americans are evenly divided on the climate change bill passed by the House last week—37% favor it and 41% are opposed. Forty-two percent (42%) believe it will hurt the economy and 19% believe it will help. Most (56%) are not willing to pay more in taxes and utility costs to fight Global Warming.


The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. It is updated daily at 9:30 a.m. Eastern (sign up for free daily e-mail update). Updates also available on Twitter.

You would think with info like this, maybe the crazy loons in Congress would rethink their positions. Nope, in fact, the power grabbing is in high gear....check this out:

At her press briefing on Thursday, Pelosi was asked whether the health-care bill would be handled differently than the stimulus bill, which came up in February. The 1,071-page final text of that bill was posted on the House Appropriations Committee’s Web site late on a Thursday night and then voted on the next day.

“When the stimulus bill came out earlier this year, members and citizens had less than two days to review the final version that came out of the conference committee before it was voted on,” CNSNews.com asked Pelosi on Thursday. “Will you commit to giving Americans at least a week to review the full conference version of the health care bill before it is voted on? And also will you commit to submitting the final version to the CBO [Congressional Budget Office] so that they can report the cost to the public?”

Pelosi would not commit to giving the public a week to review the bill, and did not respond to the question of having the CBO report on the cost of the final bill."

OK, so is President Obama going to get mad and demand that the Speaker do what he promised would be done and allow the American people to review proposed laws before they are brought up for vote? I doubt it. This congress is the most dictatorial, anti-democratic, anti-liberty congress we have ever had. Where is the transparency that was promised? The only thing that is transparent were there promises of ethics, which are obviously just velva sheen, under which is a depth of corruption and power grabbing not seen since the Reign of Terror.

Get ready to be bent over again, America. First, the stimulus....then Cap and Trade...next, Health Care....When are we going to say enough is enough?

Treasonous Cap and Tax GOP 8 Are in Bed with Environmental Lobby

The Washington Examiner is on the case. The 8 RINOs who took money over country and voted for the Destruction of the American Economy with voting for Cap and tax stand revealed as nothing more than scumsucking money grubbing bootlickers to the enviro lobby.

House Republicans who received campaign donations from environmental groups helped make up the narrow margin of votes needed to send the Waxman-Markey “cap and trade” bill over to the U.S. Senate.

The legislation passed by a vote of just 219 to 212 on Friday with critical assistance from eight Republicans. They are: Mary Bono Mack (Calif.), Mike Castle (Del.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Leonard Lance (N.J.), Frank LoBiondo (N.J.), John McHugh (N.Y.), Dave Reichert (Wash.), Chris Smith (N.J.). This support proved critical with 44 Democrats voting against the regulatory scheme.
Political Action Committees (PACs) connected with the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, Ocean Champions and Republicans for Environmental Protection have made donations to most of these same eight Republican lawmakers in recent election cycles, according to OpenSecrets.Org.
Rep. Kirk of Illinois, for instance, was among the top 20 recipients of PAC donations from environmental groups in the 2008 election cycle. He received $1,000 from the League of Conservation Voters (PAC), $4,000 from Ocean Champions (PAC) and $4,000 from Republicans for Environmental Protection (PAC). In this same cycle Republicans for Environmental Protection also donated $4,000 in PAC funds to Rep. Reichert.
The League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club have directed support toward the New Jersey Republicans who voted for the new regulations. Rep. LoBiondo received $1,020 from the League of Conservation Voters (PAC) in the 2008 election cycle and $2,010 from the Sierra Club (PAC) in the 2006 election cycle.
Rep. Lance, who first elected to Congress in 2008, has already received a donation from the League of Conservation Voters (PAC) for the 2010 election cycle in the amount of $250. Rep. Smith also received a $250 (PAC) donation from the League of Conservation Voters in the 2008 election cycle.
Rep. Mike Castle, the Delaware Republican, has also attracted support from these groups. The League of Conservation Voters (PAC) donated $750 in the 2008 election cycle and Republicans for Environmental Protection donated $1,000 in the 2006 election cycle.

These people put up suppressedsettled science over the economic impact of this disaster. They didn't even read the bill, because there was no bill to read. It is disgusting. But don't stop there, let's look at some other former RINO reps who received wacko money:

Among the top 20 recipients of PAC funds from green groups were former Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.), who pulled in $9,519 in the 2008 election cycle, and Rep. Vernon Buchanan (R-Fla.) with $14,200. Only eight Republican votes were needed this time around but it would seem others remain pliable.

Makes me wonder if we delved into he who thinks he can be AG, Mike DeWine's, file, if we wouldn't see a bunch of environmental wacko money. After all, he based his decision on ANWR because his daughter made him promise not to harm the polar bears.....