The Obama Depression

NANNY STATE: GOVERNMENT WEBSITE TO WARN OF SADNESS/CRYING OVER ECONOMY
Mon Mar 30 2009 18:43:56 ET

The U.S. government is set to offer an online emotional rescue kit!

"Getting Through Tough Economic Times" will launch Tuesday with a media push across all platforms.

The site is meant to help people identify health concerns related to financial worries.

The feds will warn of depression, suicidal thinking and other serious mental illnesses. It will raise warning flags for: Persistent sadness/crying; Excessive anxiety; Lack of sleep/constant fatigue; Excessive irritability/anger.

The guide will be available starting at midnight at http://www.samhsa.gov/economy.


The question now is how to identify and prevent these symptoms amongst those of us who know that Obama is destroying the very fibers of the country we love.

Questions to Ponder

Why would some twenty eight states feel it necessary to enact legislation to protect their sovereignty today?

Why are so many people purchasing ammunition and weapons at a rate never seen before in this country?

Why does the White House think it necessary to have an Internal Security Force as large, as well equipped, as the entire US Military? What is the requirement for that?

Why, if the second stated purpose of the Stimulus Bill was to provide relief to "those recently unemployed", has nothing been done to get people back to work quickly?

Why have many states considered not accepting the government money from the Stimulus Bill?

If the Republicans are correct, and the national debt is going to increase to $20 Trillion as a result of the Stimulus Bill and the Government Bailouts of Wall Street, Banks, AIG, and Detroit, are you aware that every man, woman, and child in the United States, all 300 million people, will each owe $66,666.66?

Do you like the idea of paying your mortgage and someone else's mortgage? Do you like the idea of paying for your health care, and someone else's health care, and in return receiving lower quality and rationing of that care?

Do you like the idea of the government telling your doctor what he can prescribe for you?

Why has legislation been filed to repeal the 22nd Amendment, which limits a President to two terms in office?

Tea Party Video

Check out this great video advertising the San Antonio Tea Party. It definitely reflects the independent mindedness of Texans.

Tea Parties will take place across the nation in over 300 cities and towns on April 15th to protest big government spending. Find out the nearest location to you at http://taxdayteaparty.com

Obama's New BFF

ACORN's Foreclosure Free America

Never mind that gazillions of unqualified people have bought houses they could not afford, based upon made-up assets and income. Never mind that this was the match that lit the fire which became our current financial crisis. ACORN insists that these poor souls DESERVE to stay in their homes. Hey, home ownership without personal responsibily is one of the new "rights and entitlements" in this brave new Obama world.

Take a look at an email sent by ACORN to an anonymous contributor to my blog. And guess who pays the bill for all of this crap. You got it: YOU and I and OUR KIDS!

From: "Bertha Lewis, ACORN"
Date: Mon, 9 Mar 2009 09:32:45 -0400 (EDT)

Subject: Make America a Foreclosure-Free Zone

Make America a Foreclosure-Free Zone

Support Home Defenders and tell Congress that it's time for a national moratorium on foreclosures.


Dear Supporter,

Congress is finally waking up to the foreclosure crisis.

Last week, the House approved legislation to help some families renegotiate their mortgages and hold on to their homes. That's an important step, but it's just the beginning. While responsible homeowners wait for help to arrive, it's up to us to keep all families safe from foreclosure.

Over 700 ACORN members have committed to serve as Home Defenders to physically prevent families from being evicted. They're willing to risk arrest and be our boots on the ground to make America a Foreclosure-Free Zone.

Now, we need to back up their on-the-ground activism with thousands of messages to leaders in the House and Senate. Tell Congressional leaders to support a six-month moratorium on all foreclosures.

We've seen what the other side is willing to throw at us and know this fight won't be easy. For years, government has helped banks and businesses prosper, while refusing to help families hold on to their livelihoods. They've gotten away with it because families hit with foreclosure are typical Americans like you and me who on our own lack the political power to make a difference.

That's why it's so important that we amplify their voices with messages from people from all walks of life who refuse to give in to indifference.

You know that what happens to families anywhere happens to families everywhere. So, please send a message to Congressional leaders right now.

In solidarity and strength,

Bertha Lewis

ACORN CEO and Chief Organizer

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ACORN is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, with over 400,000 member families organized into neighborhood chapters in 100 cities across the country. Since 1970 ACORN has taken action and won victories on issues of concern to our members. Our priorities include: better housing for first time homebuyers and tenants, living wages for low-wage workers, more investment in our communities from banks and governments, and better public schools. ACORN is an acronym, and each letter should be capitalized. ACORN stands for the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now.

If you no longer wish to receive updates from ACORN, click here to be removed from the list

The Cash Cow

Watch This and Pass It On

Watch this amazing video which shows how perilously close we are to losing our great Republic.

Would Natasha Still Be Alive Had She Been in the USA?

With Obama's steely determination to implement universal healthcare, this issue is critical for all Americans to understand. The quality and degree of care that takes place in countries with socialized medicine IS NOT THE SAME as that which is enjoyed in the USA. Your life may depend on it.

CANADACARE MAY HAVE KILLED NATASHA
By CORY FRANKLIN


March 26, 2009 --
COULD actress Natasha Richardson's tragic death have been prevented if her skiing accident had occurred in America rather than Canada?

Canadian health care de-emphasizes widespread dissemination of technology like CT scanners and quick access to specialists like neurosurgeons. While all the facts of Richardson's medical care haven't been released, enough is known to pose questions with profound implications.

Richardson died of an epidural hematoma -- a bleeding artery between the skull and brain that compresses and ultimately causes fatal brain damage via pressure buildup. With prompt diagnosis by CT scan, and surgery to drain the blood, most patients survive.

Could Richardson have received this care? Where it happened in Canada, no. In many US resorts, yes.

Between noon and 1 p.m., Richardson sustained what appeared to be a trivial head injury while skiing at Mt. Tremblant in Quebec. Within minutes, she was offered medical assistance but declined to be seen by paramedics.

But this delay is common in the early stages of epidural hematoma when patients have few symptoms -- and there is reason to believe her case wasn't beyond hope at that point.

About three hours after the accident, the actress was taken to Centre Hospitalier Laurentien, in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, 25 miles from the resort. Hospital spokesman Alain Paquette said she was conscious upon reaching the hospital about 4 p.m.

The initial paramedic assessment, travel time to the hospital and time she spent there was nearly two hours -- the crucial interval in this case. Survival rates for patients with epidural hematomas, conscious on arrival to a hospital, are good.

Richardson's evaluation required an immediate CT scan for diagnosis -- followed by either a complete removal of accumulated blood by a neurosurgeon or a procedure by a trauma surgeon or emergency physician to relieve the pressure and allow her to be transported.

But Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts is a town of 9,000 people. Its hospital doesn't have specialized neurology or trauma services. It hasn't been reported whether the hospital has a CT scanner, but CT scanners are less common in Canada.

Compounding the problem, Quebec has no helicopter services to trauma centers in Montreal. Richardson was transferred by ambulance to Hospital du Sacre-Coeur, a trauma center 50 miles away in Montreal -- a further delay of over an hour.

Because she didn't arrive at a facility capable of treatment (with the diagnosis perhaps still unknown) until six hours after the injury, in all likelihood by that time the pressure buildup was fatal. The Montreal hospital could not have saved her life.

Her initial refusal of medical care accounted for only part of the delay. She was still conscious when seen at a hospital and her death might have been prevented if the hospital either had the resources to diagnose and institute temporizing therapy, or air transport had taken her quickly to Montreal.

What would have happened at a US ski resort? It obviously depends on the location and facts, but according to a colleague who has worked at two major Colorado ski resorts, the same distance from Denver as Mt. Tremblant is from Montreal, things would likely have proceeded differently.

Assuming Richardson initially declined medical care here as well, once she did present to caregivers that she was suffering from a possible head trauma, she would've been immediately transported by air, weather permitting, and arrived in Denver in less than an hour.

If this weren't possible, in both resorts she would've been seen within 15 minutes at a local facility with CT scanning and someone who could perform temporary drainage until transfer to a neurosurgeon was possible.

If she were conscious at 4 p.m., she'd most likely have been diagnosed and treated about that time, receiving care unavailable in the local Canadian hospital. She might've still died or suffered brain damage but her chances of surviving would have been much greater in the United States.

American medicine is often criticized for being too specialty-oriented, with hospitals "duplicating" too many services like CT scanners. This argument has merit, but those criticisms ignore cases where it is better to have resources and not need them than to need resources and not have them.

Cory Franklin is a physician who lives outside of Chicago. 2009 Chicago Tribune; distributed by Tribune Media Services

New Name for War on Terror

Check out The Old Jarhead's website and come up with your very own name for the "Overseas Contingency Operation" previously known as the War on Terror.

Been There Done That And It DOESN'T WORK!

Listen to Daniel Hannan give it to the Prime Minister of the UK for his out-of-control spending. The same out of control spending that Obama is planning, which will bankrupt our country! Wake up America. Countries all around the globe are saying that Obama's plans will destroy our economy, and as a consequence, the world's economy along with it. Stop the madness!!!

Obama Doesn't Heart Capitalism

CNN reports:

"Recovery in the labor market is expected to be slower than in the broader economy, with 7.5 million jobs lost through the entire recession as the unemployment rate spikes to 10.5% in the middle of 2010. By the end of 2011, employment is forecast to total 4 million jobs below 2007's employment peak, and the unemployment rate will still be above 9%."

The second stated purpose of HR1 was to "help those recently unemployed". That was something that Democrats avoided when HR1 was structured. Jobs from HR1 will not really start flowing until early 2010, just in time for midterm elections. Workers and Obama supporters will go back into their election trance when Obama throws his chin up and proclaims, "See how well my plan worked!".

In the meantime, 11,600,000 people are unemployed, can't pay their bills or mortgages, and have lost their self respect.

HR1 will allow illegal aliens to take many of the construction jobs, and get stimulus checks by filing using alternative tax numbers. In addition, those who don't even pay any taxes will reap the benefits of the stimulus checks at the taxpayers' expense. These facts work in Obama's favor and helps him solidify the support he wants for his agenda of socialism.

FACT: Obama dislikes capitalism, small business and a strong middle class. He wants small businesses and the middle class to be saddled with unbearable debt. This is why he touts the "flow of credit" (read that as the flow of debt via loans), as his "solution" to the problems of the economy. The problem is people are out of work, have no money to spend and thus, businesses can't sell their products and services. In fact, I proposed in an email to the White House (obviously distasteful to Obama because it was ignored) a solution that would not have cost the taxpayer anything. It would have saved the small businesses that have closed their doors since January 2009, and would have put workers back to work.

This was the proposal. For those who lost their jobs since September 2008, approximately 2.5 million unemployed, send them back to their employers and allow them to continue to collect unemployment for a six month period. The employer would pay their salaries minus the $1000 per month, per employee that the employees would collect in RE-EMPLOYMENT Stimulus benefits.

The small businesses could have remained viable, the workers would have been able to make good on their payments and would not have lost their homes as well as their self respect. The businesses could have reduced the prices for their goods and services making them more competitive and productive. The cost to the taxpayer would have been ZERO because the
benefits were being paid already!

The program could have been extended to a whole year and, if taxes were reduced for that period, the economic impact would have been far more immediate and far greater than the impact of HR1. The national debt would not have been pumped up to the ridiculously high numbers we see today.

But this program had no chance to work because there was no PORK for the swine in the Congress. The decision was a simple one. The choice was either pay people unemployment checks not to work, or pay them the same amount to work via a RE-EMPLOYMENT Stimulus benefit check thereby saving small business from closing their doors.

The bottom line? Obama cares nothing for the unemployed. Obama cares nothing for the small businesses. Obama cares nothing for capitalism, but a lot for socialism. The second stated purpose of HR1 was a lie. The recently unemployed received no help from HR1 and the taxpayers' children got the bill.

No, Obama does not care for Capitalism because it is not part of his agenda.

Letter to the Editor

Dear Sir:

I am writing to let you know that I have had enough. I am outraged by the cavalier manner in which our elected officials are spending my money, my children's money and my grand children's money.

While over 11 million Americans are unemployed, the President and the Democratic controlled Congress have seen fit to bail out Wall Street, Big Banks, and Detroit. The Stimulus bill and the new budget, together with all the other financial commitments being orchestrated by the Obama administration, will encumber the taxpayer for two decades at a minimum.

The administration has failed to acknowledge that over seventy percent of the United States economy depends on small businesses and the employees who work for small businesses. Where is the help for them? The “strategy”, if you can call it that, is that sooner or later, credit will be available to small businesses and taxpayers. So let me get this straight. The Obama administration wants all of us to line up for more loans. I have a news flash for the administration. I don't want any more loans and I don't want any more debt. I want the unemployed back to work before all the small businesses go under for good.

It is no secret that the President wants big government to control virtually every aspect of our lives. He wants us to be totally dependent on big government. Mr. Obama, we know that is socialism and we know you are a socialist. I do not want to pay my mortgage and the mortgage of someone who had no business getting a home loan. I do not want to pay for my health care and the health care of someone else. Above all, I do not want to pay a bonus to the people who caused the problems in the first place.

Mr. Obama promised his administration would end earmarks. He lied. Mr. Obama promised he would conduct business in a transparent fashion. He lied. Mr. Obama promised bills would be posted in advance for all to review prior to passage. He lied. Mr. Obama promised he would end the influence of lobbyists, yet he has put them into his administration. He lied.

The litany of transgressions committed against the taxpayer is absolutely incredible. While the administration is burying the taxpayer under the largest debt load in the history of the country, the President is appearing on late night television shows, getting an advance of half a million dollars on a book, snubbing his nose at the leader of the greatest ally we have ever had, sending a message of appeasement to the Iranians, telling Israel in so many words that they are on their own, and in the face of a growing Russian military revitalization, he is cutting our military budget. To put the icing on the cake, the President continues to court the allegiance of illegal aliens in order to bolster his political power. And through all this, nobody can tell us where the money went! That sir, is outrageous!

Yes, I am outraged! And I sense a rapidly growing outrage among citizens who work and pay taxes. We have all had enough!


Just sign me: Frustrated and Angry,

ALERT: STOP OBAMA'S BUDGET

Please read this and contact the Democrats who are on the fence about supporting Obama's Out of Control, Bankrupting Budget. If this bill passes, our country will be on the road to an irreversible decline in living standards.

Forecasting bankruptcy for our nation if President Obama's spending blueprint wins passage, Congressional Republicans predict a $20 trillion national debt and a weakened dollar.

It will put us all on "the fast road to financial destruction," says Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) the ranking Republican on the banking committee.

Obama's massive spending push is getting bigger and more encompassing as the hours pass. From energy reform, to healthcare overhauls, to massive climate revisions, education and more are all on the budget menu, and you and I are expected
to pay for it all!

++ Tripling Public Debt in 10 years!

Tomorrow evening, the President will appear on televisions across the land, and do his utmost to sell Americans on his massive spending plan-- doubling public debt in 5years, and tripling it in 10.

Now is the time for taxpaying Americans to take swift action--
via fax, phone and even personal visits!

I believe we are the last line of defense against Obama's radical budget, and an agenda that carries us over the threshold of socialism.

That's why I am planning on delivering your petition to Capitol Hill this week--protesting the out-of-control spending that is taking our nation to the brink of disaster.

But in addition to delivering petitions, I'm urging ALL members of our team to do the following:


+ + Action Item #1--Fax Key Congressional Members

As mentioned earlier, Obama is going to sell his budget on television tomorrow evening. Colleen, we need to communicate to Congress that we simply aren't buying what he's selling!

Our research staff has identified upwards of 50 members of Congress (including Blue Dog Democrats) who are undecided and need to hear from taxpayers like you.

Click here to see the list:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=17437&CID=112&RID=19591635

With a click of a button, Grassfire's exclusive Faxfire system will schedule and deliver your personalized faxes at this critical time with our nation hanging in the balance:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=17438&CID=112&RID=19591635

Even if you prefer to send the faxes on your own please take action. In fact, I encourage you to download our letters and targets by clicking here:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=17439&CID=112&RID=19591635

++Action Item #2 - Call your Senators and Congressman
We literally cannot afford to be silent right now. So after scheduling your faxes, pick up the phone and urge your Senators and Congressman to oppose Obama's radical budget.

Check the links to theleft to find your Senator and Congressmen's contact information.

When calling, express your outrage over the irresponsible nature of this budget
and the fact we are merely piling more debt atop more debt, and mortgaging our children's futures!

Finally, forward this message to 25-30 friends, inviting them to take action with you by clicking below, and signing our "Stop The Spending" petition:

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?u=17442&PID=19591635

With your help I believe we can surpass 200,000 petitions before the vote and make a substantial impact on those members of Congress who are wavering in their support.

Please encourage your friends to stand with you in opposition of this radical, big government blueprint that will greatly expand government, impose a new global warming "carbon tax," and add at least $1.6 trillion in new taxes!

Thank you in advance for your efforts.

Steve Elliott, President
Grassfire.org

P.S. We have little time to respond as we anticipate Congress moving quickly to wrap this bill up before the Easter break. Please take action now.

Grassfire.org Alliance is a non-profit 501(c)4 issues advocacy organization dedicated to equipping our 1.5 million-strong network of grassroots conservatives with the tools that give you a real impact on the key issues of our day. Gifts to Grassfire.org are not tax deductible.

+ + Comments? Questions?

http://www.grassfire.net/r.asp?U=17441&CID=112&RID=19591635

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

A friend sent me this post from Breitbarts Big Hollywood and I thought it worth sharing...

Squaring Off with Obama
Bert Prelutsky

I have to hope for the sake of our country’s future that when people voted for Obama they really had no idea what a disaster he would be, even though I kept warning them that he was a left-wing lug nut. It seemed to me that his legion of fans had been hypnotized or sprinkled with fairy dust. They blindly accepted that words like “hope” and “change” were complete sentences that actually added up to a national policy.

We, who assumed that a grown-up whose friends and mentors were people like Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, Tony Rezko, Saul Alinsky, the folks at ACORN and the most corrupt of Chicago politicians, believed he was more likely to belong in a square cell than in the Oval Office.

For my part, I felt a lot like Kevin McCarthy in the movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” trying to warn my fellow earthlings that the pod people were among us and definitely up to no good.

It’s not just the big things the man does, things such as the kazillion dollar bail-outs, the trichinosis-infested budget and the threat of the Fairness Doctrine being enacted, that make my blood run cold. It’s not even the allegedly eloquent orator requiring a TelePrompter in order to say, “Hello.” What I’m referring to is the Commander in Chief earmarking $900 million for Hamas and, worse yet, make veterans financially responsible for their own service-related medical treatments. (That comes under the heading of adding insult to injury.) And let us not forget Obama’s sending the bust of Winston Churchill back to the English embassy and then, compounding that infantile act of boorishness, by treating the Prime Minister of our staunchest ally like a guttersnipe.

Funny, I seem to recall Obama’s partisans insisting that he would personally make the United States popular the world over. Well, so far, he has certainly reached out to Cuba, Venezuela and Iran, and I suppose if he actually closes Gitmo, Islamics will dance in the street of Tehran just before dropping the bomb on Israel.

Regarding the recent brouhaha, I’m afraid I’m one of the few people who wasn’t up in arms over the AIG bonuses. To me, they were just an obvious distraction by the administration, just like the unwarranted attacks on Rush Limbaugh or Clinton’s bombing of the pharmaceutical factory. I’m not saying I was happy about the bonuses, but a contract is a contract, and I prefer to see a bunch of scumbags collect their undeserved millions than to see the day that contracts in America are no longer worth the paper they’re written on.

I keep hearing people on the radio and TV going ballistic over the fact that employees at a failed company were collecting as much as four million taxpayer dollars for being rotten at their jobs, and I’m sick and tired of it. How is it that nobody is demanding that 435 self-righteous congressmen and 100 arrogant senators give back their salaries? They’re the folks who not only oversaw a failing economy, but, thanks to pushing sub-prime home loans on people who didn’t have a pot to piss in, did the most to cause the financial calamity in the first place.

On top of all that, I’ve heard that Obama and his legislative cronies plan to give AIG at least another 30 billion before they’re done. So how about, instead of having to watch politicians grandstanding over the measly $165 million in bonuses and Charley Schumer’s threatening to get the money back by having the IRS bludgeon these folks to death, the schmucks in Washington just write the company a check for $29,835,000,000 the next time around?

I understand that, according to some recent polls, Obama and the Democrats, in spite of a pandering media, are losing some of their allure after a relatively brief honeymoon. Which can’t help but remind me of a line attributed to Oscar Wilde, that Niagara Falls is only the second biggest disappointment in the life of an American bride.

Someone recently suggested that in less than three months, Obama went from being a messiah to being a mess. However, here in Hollywood, he is still sheer magic. They utter his name with the same reverence as when Christians refer to Jesus or Bill Maher refers to himself.

But, then, Hollywood is a peculiar place where celebrities who treat their own assistants and household help like underpaid coolies, are constantly demanding that Washington should do more for the poor and the oppressed. Hollywood is where actors think God was created in their image, while actresses are so full of plastic and collagen that even their own dogs can’t pick them out of a crowd.

I’m sure that Sean Penn thinks he should be ambassador to Cuba, and if only he owed back taxes, I’m certain this administration would give him the gig.

Even as I dream of the day when conservatives take back the reins of government, I worry that in the meantime the liberals will find a way to place a luxury tax on our dreams.

Finally, in case any of you were wondering, it will be 117,936,218 seconds until Obama’s term ends. But, who’s counting?

BurtPrelutsky@aol.com

Regulate, Regulate, Regulate

Just in from the Drudge Report:

"Obama will call for increased oversight of 'executive pay at all banks, Wall Street firms and possibly other companies' as part of sweeping plan to 'overhaul financial regulation', NY TIMES reporting Sunday, newsroom sources tell DRUDGE... Developing.."

Never let a crisis go to waste, says Rahm Emanuel, White House Chief of Staff. Well, the guy sure lives by his words. Now that AIG has become the whipping boy for the hypocrites in Congress who actually created the mess for which they claim to be outraged, a bill is being considered to claw back the bonuses paid under contracts approved by Congress . Ahhh, but we knew it wouldn't end there. We've reached the slippery slope, my friends, on which Congress and the Obama administration will push through part of their socialist agenda on the sled of populist outrage at any company associated with those greedy Wall Street types. Let's get 'em! says Obama. Let's regulate their bonuses, let's get the government to step in and determine how much people should be paid in our free market society. Oh wait. When the government controls who gets paid what, that's no longer a free market, is it? It's a government controlled market, otherwise known as socialism.

Forget for a minute that this intrusion into the free market system is the antithesis of what our country stands for and the foundations upon which it was built. Forget Obama's determination to turn the USA into a social democracy. What we cannot forget is that we are in the midst of an economic crisis in which the financial sector will play an integral part in our recovery. Until the credit markets and the underlying toxic assets which plague the system are addressed, our economy is going nowhere, no matter how many talk shows Obama appears on. Don't get me wrong: I'm as outraged as anyone about the unbridled greed on Wall Street which, along with the complicit folks in DC created this financial perfect storm. But who is going to run these companies when they are being targeted by the government as the bad boys who go to detention and don't get their lunch? Just as Tim Geithner cannot find people to staff his Treasury Department, nobody in their right mind is going to work for the very companies upon whom our economic recovery rests. So we have nobody in the government coming up with a solution (except for Obama and Congress who's solution is to punish) and nobody in the private sector who will want to work for the companies who need to help unravel the mess. Hmmmm. So who exactly is going to save our economy? Maybe ACORN can look up Mickey Mouse from their voter registration drive and he can fix the whole thing for us.

Behind the Scenes at AIG and More...

Although we are all hearing how bonuses are being handed out like candy during Halloween we really need to look at where this money all came from anyway. You will not get this information if you are watching ABC,NBC, or CBS.
AIG was given 165Billion dollars (courtesy of the US Taxpayer). AIG gave 13B to Goldman Sachs, 5B Bank of America, 7B to Merrill Lynch, Foreign banks in the UK 13B, Germany 17B, Swiss 5B and France 19B. Basically this is a money laundering scheme led by the US Government. They are distracting us with this bonus issue, which is only 1% of all the money. 62B dollars went over seas, 44B went to US banks. While these bonuses were known to be there a year ago through contracts. Chris Dodd actually put into the stimulus bill that we protect these bonuses. Now he is on TV telling you how outragous it is that they are getting them. Well Dodd is the hightest reciptient of campain donations from AIG! He must think we are stupid and the main stream media is leading the way because they don't do their job being the watchdog for the American people. Instead you have to get these stupid emails from me so that you are all aware what is really going on.

We can all sit here and be so angry with people getting bonuses. Unfortunatley these were in CONTRACTS. Geithner knew about these last year. We cannot allow the Gov. to get interfere with these contracts. As angry as we are and as unfair as it is, to allow our Gov. to interfere with these is going against the Constitution. The Constitution states that no Gov. Fed. state or local to inject itself into a binding contract. The Founding Fathers put this in to prevent socialism. To protect US against the government.

Lets all remember too. Not to hate the rich. Remember that when someone has money what do they do with it? They eat out, they buy planes, they have those planes fixed. They buy cars, they travel. All of these actions trickle down to us. Socialism tries to make everyone even but at the lowest level.

China is questioning whether to continue to our debt. What happens here is that China makes products at the lowest rate in their country, people make almost nothing in those factories. They ship it here and we buy it. The money is then sent back to China and they buy our Treasury Bonds(our debt). We started this about 30 yrs ago, hoping that China would become more like us. Unfortunately it is becoming the other way around. Government intrusion in our lives is greater than ever. With Obama's new budget it is going to get even worse. Did you know that the new Climate Czar Browner actually wants to controll what temperature we have our houses? This smart Grid they are pushing will do just that. What they are going to do is charge a certain price for you to burn so many kw at say 72 degress. As you raise your temp. the price will go up significantly. Scary stuff! She was a member of the Socialist International Party. You know just saying maybe she is not qualified to be in the AMERICAN Government!

One more thing, there are so many, but when you see a report about Mexico getting our evil guns? Don't believe it. What really happened is during the 90's we sold the Mexican Governemtn/Army guns to help them. Through corruption they have now landed into the hands of these drug cartels. When you see pictures of guns on TV and they are talking about a specific gun. My father said he has yet to see a report where the gun they are talking about is even on the screen! Thought that was funny. You all know my Father knows the difference between a 50Cal. machine gun and the average rifle used to shoot Bambi!

I am going to be learning to shoot this summer, if anyone wants to join me, let me know. I already have a few friends ready to go.

In matters of style swim with the current. In matters of principles stand like a rock!--Thomas Jefferson.

The nine principles, the foundation of this country, are not being followed by people on the right and the left. I told you I would give you names of people who are standing with me on these principles. I am keeping a list and as their re-elections come up I will let you know so you can support them. We need to get the weasels out of Washington.

Grassfire.org is a great site where you can send an email to your congressman, any congressman and ask them to stop spending and stop lying. I encourage you to take a moment to fight for your freedom. You don't have to go crazy like I do but a simple email does go a long way.

Thank you and God Bless!
Donna

This post was written by guest contributor Donna Hawkins Walsh.

Do You Feel Safer Now Than You Did Four Years Ago?

I'm not sure from what source this article originated, but it sure spells out nicely how Team Obama is intent on creating a pre-9/11 mentality for the defense of our citizens against those who would do us harm.

"The Obama administration is taking steps quietly to shut down the program that qualifies commercial airline pilots to carry firearms in jetliner cockpits in order to ward off another 9/11-type attack.
The administration recently diverted $2 million from a program to train and certify pilots to carry firearms safely while on duty. Instead, it is using the money to hire additional field inspectors to help discipline pilots who step out of line, according to a report in Tuesday’s Washington Times.
A Times editorial condemned the Obama administration's action, calling it “completely unnecessary harassment of the pilots.”
Since Obama took office, the approval process for certifying pilots to carry firearms has ground to a halt, the newspaper reports. Pilots are afraid to speak out about the behind-the-scenes maneuverings, for fear of retaliation, according to the newspaper. No cases have been reported in which pilots have brandished a weapon inappropriately or otherwise abused their eligibility to carry firearms.
About 12,000 pilots have been authorized to carry handguns while flying aircraft as part of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Program. Congress authorized the program in a 310-to-113 vote following the 9/11 attacks to help prevent terrorists from turning jetliners into flying bombs that could be used to attack key sites like the White House, the Pentagon, or Capitol Hill.
Paul Valone, a Second Amendment advocate who directs Grass Roots North Carolina (GRNC.org), is calling for citizens to contract their congressional representatives to protest the administration’s anti-gun priorities.
Pilots are already required to pay for their own room and board during training, and use paid leave for the time they’re off the job. Every six months, the program requires them to be requalified for firearm use.
Valone writes on Examiner.com: “While bureaucrats . . . may have attempted to hamstring the program with burdensome requirements, training instructors and the Federal Air Marshals who now oversee the program routinely thank the FFDOs for their professionalism and dedication in protecting the nation’s air commerce against terrorism.”
Valone says the Obama administration is “dismantling yet another layer of defense against terrorism and defying the will of the American people.”
Since coming to power, the Obama administration has undertaken a series of moves that signal a major de-emphasis of programs enacted to keep America’s homeland safe from terrorist attack:
Obama’s choice for U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, labeled enhanced interrogation techniques as outright “torture” during his Senate confirmation hearings.
Obama banned waterboarding and ordered CIA interrogators to abide by U.S. Army Field Manual regulations.
He selected Clinton-era political operative Leon Panetta to serve as his CIA director. Panetta’s qualifications to run the agency have been questioned widely.
Obama announced that he would shut down the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba within one year, raising the prospect of hardened terrorists entering the U.S. criminal justice system, or worse, being released to rejoin al-Qaida.
He indicated the U.S. defense budget would be sharply reduced.
He has sent a letter to Russian leaders, apparently offering to back off on the ballistic missile defense system that would protect Europe from Iran and North Korea.
These and other Obama administration moves recently prompted former vice president Dick Cheney to charge that Obama is returning to the Clinton-era view of terrorism as a law enforcement issue.
"Now he's made some choices that in my mind raise the risk to the American people of another attack," Cheney said of Obama on CNN's "State of the Union" program.
The Washington Times points out that about 70 percent of airline pilots have military backgrounds. With airport screening less than 100 percent effective, it states, armed pilots provide a second layer of defense.
“Only anti-gun extremists and terrorist recruits are worried about armed pilots,” the newspaper editorial says."

Can Anyone Say Hitler Youth?

Serve America Act

A bill to amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to expand and improve opportunities for service, and for other purposes.

"Establishes a National Service Reserve Corps of individuals who have completed a term of national service to respond to national disasters and other emergencies. Directs the Corporation, within 180 days of this Act's enactment, to conduct a nationwide Call to Service Campaign."

I've got a few questions about this.

Is this really necessary? Why? Is it to take the place of all the volunteer organizations that respond to NATURAL DISASTERS (such as the American RED CROSS) Where is the list of faith-based entities that is mentioned in the bill?

What exactly falls under other emergencies? And under purposes of the bill, what is meant by "other purposes"? I want all the specifics on that.

What is going to be done in the "Call to Service Campaign". I want specifics, because I can tell you right now, my children are not going to be a part of it.

What are the documented shortcomings of the 1990 National and Community Service Act of 1990 that have prompted a requirement to amend the act?

This is taking the Community Service portion and Nationalizing it! And that my friends is how it starts!!! Another very sly and
surreptitious way to organize your youth corps. If mandatory, it will gather more personal and private information than you can imagine.


"House Readies Passage of Volunteerism Bill Critics Call Pricey, Forced Service

By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
FOXNews.com
Wednesday, March 18, 2009


WASHINGTON -- The House of Representatives is expected to pass a measure Wednesday that supporters are calling the most sweeping reform of nationally-backed volunteer programs since AmeriCorps. But some opponents are strongly criticizing the legislation, calling it expensive indoctrination and forced advocacy.

The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act -- sponsored by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y, and George Miller, D-Calif. -- was approved by a 34-3 vote in the House Education and Labor Committee last week.

The legislation would create 175,000 "new service opportunities" under AmeriCorps, bringing the number of participants in the national volunteer program to 250,000. It would also create additional "corps" to expand the reach of volunteerism into new sectors, including a Clean Energy Corps, Education Corps, Healthy Futures Corps and Veterans Service Corps, and it expands the National Civilian Community Corps to focus on additional areas like disaster relief and energy conservation."
More here...

ALERT: Critical Bill To Support

Please CONTACT YOUR CONGRESSMEN
(http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt)and urge them to SUPPORT “HR 1207 The FEDERAL RESERVE TRANSPARENCY ACT of 2009″ and insist on a ROLL CALL VOTE on the bill. This may the most important positive legislation towards truly fixing our economy. The bill, sponsored by Ron Paul and co-sponsored by at least 28 others, is in congress right now. The Fed refuses to give a public accounting of the trillions in recent taxpayer-backed loans, and the American people
deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent and their currency inflated. The Fed has been shrouded in secrecy too long which allows for abuse. Hold the Fed accountable, auditable and transparent. Any politician that doesn’t support this bill doesn’t deserve to be re-elected in 2010.

If you want the government to be accountable, this is the way to do it.
Want to know where all the money went, this is the way to do it.

The Dirty Dozen

In reviewing Barack Obama's background, cronies and his "job" history, it is becoming much more clear as to the nature of his psychological makeup and mindset. Just a few (the dirty dozen) of the germane facts, neatly lined up, will show how his perceptions have been formed, the results thus far (as attested to by his actions), and the perilous path he is following.

1. He was repeatedly "thrown away" by his two fathers, his mother and even his grandparents when they sent him off to school.
2. He has never had a hard job that required him to "punch" the clock,make decisions, be evaluated or manage a staff of people.
3. He has never had to budget his "own hard earned" money.
4. He, as a youth, was in turmoil as to his self image, be it black or white.
5. He did not work to pay for his education. It was handed to him.
6. He did not have a student loan to repay after he graduated.
7. He was "sponsored" into Harvard by Khalid al Mansour, a Muslim with strong ties to the Saudis and OPEC.
8. He was able to lie about his religious background, denying he was ever a Muslim.
9. He was put into the jobs he had by sponsorship of his cronies, and never "competed" for any position.
10. During his work as a community organizer, he was exposed to the plight of the poorer blacks in Chicago.
11. He identified with socialist causes and became a member of the socialist party in Illinois.
12. He aligned himself with Alinsky's philosophy and was given jobs doling out other peoples' money (Woods Fund and Joyce Foundation etc.,).
He has never, to my knowledge, been a principal in a significant legal case where he had to think and speak on his feet and go toe to toe with another lawyer in court. Is this why he has to have a teleprompter? Can he think on his feet?

This man, Barack Obama, has never been held accountable by anyone. He cannot be held accountable for his place of birth because that secret is locked away. If it was not a secret, lawyers would not be getting big dollars to fight the issue. He cannot be held accountable for his college performance because it is locked away. He cannot be held accountable for his medical background because it too is hidden away. Is it a wonder, after you quickly read through that "dirty dozen list" that; he has no appreciation for people who work hard, no understanding of debt or budgeting, has escaped all accountability, skated through the senate by voting "present", and is arrogant? No, it is no wonder.

In Chicago, he recognized the power of organizing the minorities of the south side of Chicago. It was his association with Acorn and his community organizing that he recognized as a base of power via the vote. By applying that principle to his campaign, he was able to capitalize on his color and his promises to the Hispanics (a way to citizenship) as well as the blacks. He told the truth when he said he was for redistribution of wealth. He has absolutely no appreciation for the thousands of small businesses that are the financial and economic backbone of the United States. He has certainly accomplished that redistribution of wealth, to include the unearned wealth of two more generations of Americans.

In less than 100 days, he has destroyed the economic strength of this country to the extent that the Chinese are questioning whether to invest any more in the United States. While doing all this, he has continued to campaign. He has surrounded himself with socialists, liars, tax cheats, pro union, and anti-gun politicians who, like him, could care less about the small businessman, the recently unemployed, or the survival of the country, so long as they all get to feed at the pig trough. He has sent a cold irrefutable message to Israel that they are on their own. He attributes miraculous power to "dialog" with people whose careers and positions were built on lies and broken promises. Quite a change, I would say.

I fear that "something big" is just around the corner. The Chinese are exceptionally astute at pounding personalities into the ground. The Russians see Obama as a fool and, together with Chavez, and good old Cuba (regardless of who is in charge there) might make him and his teleprompter quiver in fear. The Israelis now view him as a traitor. The middle class in the US rightfully view him as a thief, who with one
felled swoop put their children in deep debt. The British now view him as an arrogant buffoon. Even the North Koreans are developing more testosterone. All the while, the uneducated and ill-informed in the US think he is doing a good job. A good job at what?! Is he doing a good job at watching the new alliance forming among Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria?

I see a strategic scenario that might be the worst of all scenarios. That would be Russia with bombers in the Southern Hemisphere when Israel attacks Iran. Think about that 800 pound gorilla in our back yard. Does he even have the ability to think that far into the game? Just pray that he listens to the DOD and the Intelligence community.


This post was written after dialogue with another blogger.

Joke of the Day

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote mountainous pasture in California when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, 'If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?'

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, 'Sure, Why not?'
The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, 'You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves.'

'That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves,' says Bud. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car..

Then the Bud says to the young man, 'Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?'

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, 'Okay, why not?'

'You're a Congressman for the U.S. Government', says Bud.

'Wow! That's correct,' says the yuppie, 'but how did you guess that?'

'No guessing required.' answered the cowboy. 'You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You tried to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about cows...this is a Herd of sheep.

.... Now give me back my dog.

What Did You Do?

At the rate that the Obama administration is moving with it's radical social agenda, it is entirely feasible that the America in which we live in 20 years will look and feel vastly different from that which we have enjoyed during our lifetimes. Eventually, even this financial crisis will pass, albeit more painfully and slowly if managed poorly by the White House. (Thus far, economists have given both Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner "F's" for their performance in handling the crisis.)

But after the USA gets back on it's financial footing, what will the aftermath of Obama's tenure look like in this country? Despite his denial of socialist beliefs, he clearly desires to move the country towards a European style social democracy. He has used the current crisis to stoke the fire of hasty action, without accountability and without debate. He will continue with this course of action, hammering down socialized healthcare, redistribution of income, devastatingly expensive energy policies, and throwing more money into a broken educational system without addressing the root causes of its failure to adequately prepare our children for the 21st century. What effect will these changes have on our lives?

While each issue can fill books, I will try to summarize the effects in a sentence or two. Healthcare will undergo dramatic changes under total government control (and make no mistake that is Obama's end goal). Everybody's health record will be available to the government via the electronic records system. The government will set up cost effectiveness models to determine which medicines, treatments, and technologies you will receive based on set criteria such as age, medical history, and expectation for recovery. Government will make these decisions for you; not your doctor who will simply be the conduit of fulfilling the government's prescription for your treatment. Rationing will be the norm, as resources will need to be spread over a larger population. To provide care for everyone will be extremely expensive; costs will INCREASE, not decrease.

Redistribution of income is a major tenet of socialism. Those who create 70% of jobs in this country, small businesses, will be taxed at the highest levels, along with individuals in the upper tiers. This will result in a net decrease in jobs, as business owners will simply not have the financial resources to hire more people. Investment will dry up, creating a weak market, upon which most of us rely for our retirement savings.

Exorbitant cap and trade regulations will drive the cost of energy through the roof, without having any net positive effect on the planet due to the inaction of other major developing countries (China and India) to curb emissions. This will result in greater hardships for those at the low end of the income scale, as more of their income is spent on necessities which will be far more expensive due to high energy costs.

Obama's pandering to the teacher's unions will result in more expensive schools, without commensurate bang for the buck. Instead of creating a market based system and allowing schools to compete for kids, money will be thrown at the unions who have no stake in educational outcome, but rather their own security and pocketbooks.

All of this will end up costing everyone more money. The debt being incurred with the current spending mentality will have to be paid back. Confiscating all of the income of the top 2% of wage earners won't come close to paying for this mess. Thus, everyone's taxes will rise to levels we have not seen in this country to mirror the tax rates in social democracies in Europe. These high taxes and failure to incentivize innovation always result in stagnant economies with a standard of living at least 30% below what the US enjoys.

So in 20 years, when your kids and grandkids ask you what you did when the country was changed from a system of incentivizing ingenuity and valuing self reliance to a stagnant nanny state of decreased opportunities and standard of living, what will you say? Will you be able to look them in the eye and tell them that you took action to try to stop the madness? Will you tell them that you contacted your government leaders and the White House over and over, that you demonstrated peacefully to show your discontent, that you spoke with people about the dangers that lay ahead? If you cannot tell them this, honestly, then who will they blame for the lost America that slipped through your hands?

So I ask you, readers, what are you doing NOW to change the course of events unfolding before our very eyes? Please leave comments, and share your ideas!

The Breathing Tax

Excellent post on Cap and Trade policies and how it will affect our economy and our lives over at Stand Up for America. Check it out. And hold your breath or you'll pay dearly!

Morphing Serpent Stew

In case you weren't looking, there is a new alliance forming in the Middle East. While Hillary was pushing the “red button” with the Russians and Obama was writing a $900 million check to Gaza, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq started rearranging the furniture in the Helen Keller School for Blind Foreign Policy. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1069327.html

This development should have the appropriate Washington agencies with their eyebrows raised. It should also be causing some serious heartburn in Israel. Now that it is “all but certain” that Israel will have to “go it alone” in the nuclear disarming of Ahmadinejad, it is time for those who care, to reflect on what the new terrain will look like the morning after Iran's nuclear capability is set back a few years. Ahmadinejad has promised to turn the Middle East into an inferno. That promise most likely includes the assets the US has deployed to the Persian Gulf, and more specifically the Straits of Hormuz. Since the word is out that Ahmadinejad's nuclear toys may be ready within a year, the clock is ticking down rapidly for Israeli action. Mr. Netanyahu and most sane casual observers understand the issue is one of survival for Israel. But what does this situation hold for the rest of the planet?

If you feel the United States economy is healthy and robust right now, you can skip the rest of this and go on to something more important. However, some financial analysts feel the US economy is currently struggling just a little bit, and will continue struggling until the middle of 2010. Well, Mr. Netanyahu can't wait until mid 2010 to take action. The bottom line in this situation involves the disruption of the flow of oil that would surely occur nearly instantaneously in the event of Israeli action against Iran. The immediate effect on the price of gas in the US and Europe could be a doubling in a week, and perhaps much higher in the following week or weeks. That would play havoc with the US economy, as would the response to such events on Wall Street. Depending on the nature of the Arab world's reaction to an Israeli attack on Iran , the price of gas might be the least of our worries.

If the Hezbollah and Syria, together with the remnants of Hamas were to strike out at Israel in a coordinated fashion, Israel would have their hands full on two fronts and possibly with some Air Forces from Iran. It does not take much imagination to envision a long line of martyrs signing up to wreak havoc against Israel. US and Israeli embassies would surely be targeted by radical Islamic terrorists where convenient. Now for the nightmare scenario. If it appears Israel is losing ground against those attackers, and the fight is a fight for survival, is it conceivable that Israel would resort to a practical demonstration of the fact that they have their own nuclear arsenal? At this point, the crystal ball becomes useless.

It should suffice to say, that it would behoove the President to immerse himself and his key advisers in the Department of Defense and the State Department in a dialogue concerning how the US will respond to any action initiated by Israel, and the subsequent response by Iran. Hopefully, that dialogue would include advising both China and Russia of the limits of US reaction. By the same token, both China and Russia should be involved in providing mutual assurance that the Middle East inferno will not be stoked until it consumes a much larger portion of the planet. The time for dialogue with Iran will end very soon. It is now time for cooperative dialogue, without arrogance, with all the major stakeholders. Anything less is unacceptable. One brief look at a map of the Middle East should cause some serious analysis of the nature of this new “alliance” forming among and between Iran, Turkey, Iraq and Syria.


This post was written by our new guest contributor, James Newman, Lt. Col, USAF (ret). Thank you Jim, for a wonderfully written and insightful look into the current issues facing this tumultuous region.

I'm Tired

Great post by The Old Jarhead, a Marine Corp vet, and 5 term Massachusetts State Senator. Definitely worth a read.

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2009-02-21T18%3A08%3A00-06%3A00

Gilligan & Buddies on "Obama Isle"

The news is getting so awful I have to step back and have a light hearted moment here. So today I'm going to demonstrate how the crew and passengers from that zany show, Gilligan's Island, would fair if they had landed on Obama Isle.

So, Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic shore aboard this tiny ship...

Let's start with the Skipper. The poor Skipper, being a small business owner, soon discovers that Obama views him as the money making machine which keeps the island operating. The Skipper's taxes rise to 39.6%, plus he has to pay all of his, and half of Gilligan's, FICA tax and healthcare benefits. Never mind the new carbon tax that The Minnow is going to cost him. When the Skipper pleads "But I work 90 hours a week and put most of my money back into the business, AND I create jobs for others", Obama scoffs at the Skipper's utter selfishness before heading off to lunch at the beach bar to enjoy a nice weygu steak sandwich and a Corona.

Gilligan. Obama loves Gilligan. He immediately gets some union thugs to coerce the sorry boy into signing on, and "Poof!" He gets a pay raise, a full pension, and lifetime healthcare benefits, along with the stipulation that he does not have to work outside of the contract. When the weather starts getting rough and the tiny ship is tossed, well, that's the Skipper's problem. Gilligan soon gets used to this great new deal, and ACORN registers him and his imaginary friend Gary as Democrats.

The Professor. Being a liberal elite intellectual from an Ivy league school with no practical knowledge but lots of great ideas, The Professor is definitely "in" with Obama. Obama uses him as his front man for all policy making (as he personally has no clue) and puts him to work 24/7 to find a way out of their little problem of being stranded. The Professor is, however, definitely not cool enough to be invited to parties at the Island White House.

Ginger. Ginger, as a Hollywood starlet, is definitely the "It Girl" and is invited to every White House party. However, when she breathily sings "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", Michelle, who has been holding in her contempt for the dumb redhead, jumps her, and a cat fight ensues. It's Friday night Smack Down at the White House! With her toned arms and big booty, the smart money is on Michelle.

Thurston Howell III and wife, Lovey. Obama's first order is to send tax cheat Tim Geithner to hunt down Thurston's gazillions of dollars hidden in secret Swiss Bank accounts. When the Swiss don't comply, Thurston is put under Hut Arrest, whilst the wheels of the legal system turn ever so slowly. No matter, Lovey is there to comfort him, and fill him in on the island goings on as their savings are depleted in the tumbling Obama stock market.

Mary Ann. Hailing from the midwest and chock full of good traditional American values, Mary Ann does not like what she sees happening on on the Island. She's disgusted with Gilligan for betraying The Skipper and foregoes making him any more coconut cream pies. Instead, she puts her perky talents towards protesting Obama's new rules and holding Tea Parties which only the Skipper and Lovey attend. Obama soon clamps down on the dissent and sends pesky Mary Ann to pry abalone shells off of the rocks at low tide.

States to Obama: Don't Tread On Me!

At least 20 states are considering resolutions under the 10th amendment to prevent Washington from thwarting state sovereign rights guaranteed under the Constitution. Much of the funds given to states under the $789B Stimulus Plan include provisions that demand that states change their laws to reflect federal mandates. One such law requires that states offer unemployment compensation to part-time workers, which in effect, would INCREASE some states' debt, even as they collect money from the Stimulus Plan. In addition, these laws would remain on the books long after the Stimulus money has been spent.

Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress are determined to force their socialist agenda upon all Americans in a stealthy and insidious manner. By increasing rules, regulations, and mandates, they can effect change at every level of government without the populace being any the wiser until it is too late. This time, the states are standing up for themselves and telling Obama, "Back Off!"


"WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Republican lawmakers from more than 20 states across the country are willing to take federal funding, but only on their terms.

Some state lawmakers are pushing for sovereignty from the federal government.

From Montana to South Carolina, lawmakers in mostly red states have pushed ahead with measures calling for state sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment, saying the federal government has overstepped its bounds with the stimulus package. The states are calling for the right to ignore laws they deem unconstitutional." Read more...

The Propaganda Machine

Great post over at American Thinker about secret daily meetings at the White House to spin their web of propagandist falsehoods.

The New Cold War?

While Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gives her Russian counterpart a RED Button (the traditional icon for launching a nuclear weapon- D'OH!), which supposedly said "Reset" in Russian (it actually said "overcharge" D'OH again!), Russia may be flexing it's military muscle in preparations to take out our highly advanced satellite technology. The little incident last month in which an American communication satellite collided with an out-of-commission Cold War Russian satellite is raising some eyebrows as the Russians accuse the US of engineering the collision. The more likely scenario is the opposite- the defunct Russian satellite was intentionally turned into a "kill satellite" by altering it's orbit as it neared our operational Iridium 33, thus causing the collision that destroyed both. With Russia playing footsie with all of our BFF's, including Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba, what is Obama going to do about this? Give them some more red buttons?

Read the whole story here.

Elite Liberals, Are You Embarrassed Yet?

It would appear that Barry and Michelle don't much care for our British friends. After tossing the much revered bust of Winston Churchill out of the oval office, BO then failed to provide appropriate respect for our greatest ally by denying the Prime Minister of England the small show of a Press Conference until the poor sops had to beg for one. A Press Conference is always due the most important heads of state which visit the White House. Oh, but it gets better. Whilst Gordon Brown bestowed upon the First Family fine gifts of historic import, Barry handed Gordy a set of 25 DVD's. Yes, movies. How classy. I'm just waiting for a few rusty old cars tottering on cinder blocks to decorate the White House lawn. I thought there was only white trash. Well, then again, he is half white...

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/06/obamas-blockbuster-gift-brown-dvds/

Um, Ah, Wait Just a Minute Now, Ah, Uh Huh

It appears that Obama didn't get the memo that "Don't Leave Home Without It" refers to his Amex card, not his very special friend, Mr. TelePrompter. Indeed, Mr. T, as BO endearingly calls him, goes wherever the big guy goes, no matter how large or how small the venue at which The One speaks. And apparently it's unprecedented for a President to do so. Golly, and all this time, I figured that Harvard Law had taught him all those great oratory skills. Turns out it's just his little glass friend who is the unsung hero.

More...

And this says it all...

Is Israel Ready to Hit the Button?

Events, diplomatic relations, and headlines of late clearly show that Israel is being pushed farther and farther into a corner. Hillary admonishes them for not following the "road map" to peace with the Palestinians. Obama signs a big fat $900 million check to rebuild Gaza, with no way to control whether Hamas will get it's hands on the money. Russia is wheeling and dealing with Iran to provide missile defenses, all the while laughing at Obama's overtures to "talk it over" first. Iran continues to squeal that Israel must be wiped off the face of the earth, and now we learn that they may have enough material to make not one, but 50 nukes, and within a year. With unapologetic hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu about to take the helm, will Israel wait for outside forces to gather beyond their control? My guess is no, as their options are becoming more limited by the day.

This article from the Jerusalem Post demonstrates the growing likelihood that Israel will take action, and perhaps in the not so distant future.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1236103158937

Most CFO's Don't Expect Recovery Until 2010

This report of CFO's expectations for economic recovery, job losses, and wages across the globe indicates a tough year ahead, in spite of the $789B Spendulus Plan. Interestingly, most of the spending for the plan will play out in time for the 2010 election season.

http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/story/4665265/

Get Back to the Phones

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but this is an important provision in the Omnibus Bill which must be acted upon to ensure Americans are given the opportunity for the scarce jobs available and created by our taxpayer funded programs. My post yesterday updating you on Amnesty and E-verify speaks to this issue further.


ANOTHER CHANCE TO PUSH E-VERIFY -- Phone to Get Long-Term Extension in Spending Bill

*DEAR FRIENDS,*

Your anti-illegal-immigration allies in the U.S. House have asked us to get your help Tuesday and Wednesday in obtaining signatures on a crucial letter (see text below).


They need you to support their last-ditch effort to put a long-term extension of the E-Verify program in the giant spending bill before Congress this week.

When we are asked directly by Members of Congress for help, we have to be willing to back them up. They know that the only way to succeed is if they have your help in phoning their colleagues and asking them to sign a crucial letter to House Speaker Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Leader Boehner (R-Ohio).

The key point sentence of the letter is this:

*"Please do everything within your power to protect legal workers by ensuring that the E-Verify program is reauthorized long-term in the Omnibus Appropriations Act."*

Pelosi and Boehner have the power to make that happen when the bill comes to the House/Senate negotiating committee if they would just resolve to do it.

*Your assignment* -- if you choose to accept it -- is to phone your own U.S. Representative
and ask him/her to sign the letter. If you don't know your U.S. Rep, supply your ZIP at congress.org to find
out.


* Step 1: Phone the Congressional operator at *202-224-3121.*

* Ask to be connected to you Rep's office.*

* Step 2: Tell the staffers that their boss has already received a letter about E-Verify from Rep. Bilbray's office.
* Step 3: Read the key sentence quoted above.
* Step 4: Ask that your Rep contact Congressman Bilbray's office at 225-0508 and pledge to sign the letter -- or at least to get another copy of it to read. (YOU should NOT call Mr. Bilbray's office because that will tie up his phone.)
* Step 5: Note that Mr. Bilbray has to receive! the pledge by the close of business Wednesday.
* Step 6: Emphasize that the American people are growing tired of the delaying tactics of Congress over the last six months. It is time to stop treating E-Verify as a political football and to give it the long-term authorization that states and businesses need to be able to rely on the program.

Thanks for taking quick action on this.

If your own Representative is Pelosi or Boehner, they obviously won't be signing the letter. Just phone them and tell them that you agree with the letter that is being sent to them from other Members.

If your Rep is Bilbray or Shuler (original signers), give their staffs a break and call a neighboring Member of Congress.

Here is the letter you are asking your Congress(wo)man to sign:
*

Dear Madam Speaker and Republican Leader Boehner:*

As Members of the House of Representatives, we appeal to you on behalf of American workers. Nationwide, 7.6 percent of the labor force 11.6 million workers is unemployed, and millions more are involuntarily working part-time or have given up hope of finding a job. Estimates of the number of jobs that might be created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (the Recovery Act) vary widely. While no one can predict exactly how many jobs will be created, we believe that the
American people deserve to know that their tax dollars are being used to create jobs for legal workers.

While the House version of the Recovery Act included two E-Verify-related measures to ensure American jobs would be protected, the Senate failed to include similar language. Because of the Senates oversight, we, the undersigned Members of the House of Representatives, urge you to protect taxpayers and legal workers by including these critical jobs protection provisions in any future economic recovery legislation. The House version of the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, H. R. 1105, included a short-term extension of the E-Verify program through the end of the fiscal year (September 30, 2009). While a
short-term extension is a step in the right direction, it is difficult for business to plan and effectively utilize the program without its secure future.

According to recent analysis, as many as 300,000 illegal aliens could receive jobs funded by the recovery program because these provisions were not included in the final version of the Recovery Act. If these provisions do not become law, not only will the important E-Verify program be in danger of expiring on March 6, 2009, but it may mean that hundreds of thousands of potential jobs for American workers will be compromised.

The E-Verify program enjoys a success rate of 99.6%, meaning that 99.6% of those legal workers checked by the program are verified through E-Verify without receiving a tentative non-confirmation (TNC) or having to take any type of corrective action. Testifying in June, Rep. Heath Shuler said, E-Verify is handling at least one in eight new hires already. Based on recent load testing, the system has the capacity to handle 240 million queries a year thats four times the number of people in the United States who are usually hired in a given year. The E-Verify program is reliable, easy to use and, most importantly, expedient.

Employers who break the law by hiring illegal immigrants create unfair competition in the labor market and depress wages for all workers. The Center for Immigration Studies has found that the current level of immigration has reduced the wages of the average native-born worker in a low-skilled occupation by 12% a year, or almost $2,000. Alexander Aleinikoff, a former Clinton Administration INS official, Dean of Georgetown Law School and co-chair of the Immigration Policy Review Team
for the Presidential Transition of Barack Obama, calls it a myth that there is little or no competition between undocumented workers and American workers . . . . !

According to estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center, roughly 7.7 million illegal immigrants are employed in the United States in 2008. These are all jobs that currently unemployed United States workersboth citizens and legal immigrantscould and should have a chance to fill. If the E-Verify program is not reauthorized, this Congress and our President will spend more than $1 trillion of taxpayer money to possibly provide jobs for illegal workers. Please do everything within your power to
protect legal workers by ensuring that the E-Verify program is reauthorized long-term in the Omnibus Appropriations Act.

Part of the Problem

Obama's done a great job, thus far, of telling Americans that he will save us from the disastrous economy he "inherited". However, it is becoming clear to even his most starry-eyed supporters (well, maybe not THEM), that his policies have become a big part of the problem with what is occurring in our financial markets. And yet today he tells us not to look at the stock market as it is simply like a poll, and doesn't really reflect policy effects. Really? When my retirement savings dwindle with every passing day to levels I haven't seen since I was a young professional, am I supposed to chalk this up to some anomaly? That things will somehow work out, despite his barrage of decisions which punish the very people and institutions which keep the market ticking along?

This today from the WSJ...

" As 2009 opened, three weeks before Barack Obama took office, the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 9034 on January 2, its highest level since the autumn panic. Yesterday the Dow fell another 4.24% to 6763, for an overall decline of 25% in two months and to its lowest level since 1997. The dismaying message here is that President Obama's policies have become part of the economy's problem. Rest of story...

Pitchfork Time

Great article which tells it like it is. A must read.

Pitchfork Time
by Patrick J. Buchanan
03/03/2009


In his campaign and inaugural address, Barack Obama cast himself as a moderate man seeking common ground with conservatives.

Yet, his budget calls for the radical restructuring of the U.S. economy, a sweeping redistribution of power and wealth to government and Democratic constituencies. It is a declaration of war on the Right.

The real Obama has stood up, and lived up to his ranking as the most left-wing member of the United States Senate.

Barack has no mandate for this. He was even behind McCain when the decisive event that gave him the presidency occurred -- the September collapse of Lehman Brothers and the market crash.

Republicans are under no obligation to render bipartisan support to this statist coup d'etat. For what is going down is a leftist power grab that is anathema to their principles and philosophy.

Where the U.S. government usually consumes 21 percent of gross domestic product, this Obama budget spends 28 percent in 2009 and runs a deficit of $1.75 trillion, or 12.7 percent of GDP. That is four times the largest deficit of George W. Bush and twice as large a share of the economy as any deficit run since World War II.

Add that 28 percent of GDP spent by the U.S. government to the 12 percent spent by states, counties and cities, and government will consume 40 percent of the economy in 2009.

We are not "headed down the road to socialism." We are there.

Since the budget was released, word has come that the U.S. economy did not shrink by 3.8 percent in the fourth quarter, but 6.2 percent. All the assumptions in Obama's budget about growth in 2009 and 2010 need to be revised downward, and the deficits revised upward.

Look for the deficit for 2009 to cross $2 trillion.

Who abroad is going to lend us the trillions to finance our deficits without demanding higher interest rates on the U.S. bonds they are being asked to hold? And if we must revert to the printing press to create the money, what happens to the dollar?

As Americans save only a pittance and have lost -- in the value of homes, stocks, bonds and other assets -- $15 trillion to $20 trillion since 2007, how can the people provide the feds with the needed money?

In his speech to Congress, Obama promised new investments in energy, education and health care. Every kid is going to get a college degree. We're going to find a cure for cancer.

Who is going to pay for all this?

The top 2 percent, the filthy rich who got all those Bush tax breaks, say Democrats. But the top 5 percent of income earners already pay 60 percent of U.S. income taxes, while the bottom 40 percent pays nothing.

Those paying a federal tax rate of 35 percent will see it rise to near 40 percent and will lose a fifth of the value of their deductions for taxes, mortgage interest and charitable contributions.

Yet, two-thirds of small businesses are taxed at the same rate as individuals. Consider what this means to the owner of a restaurant and bar in Los Angeles open from noon to midnight, where a husband and wife each put in 80 hours a week.

At year's end, the couple finds they have actually made a profit of $500,000 that they can take home in salary.

What is the Obama-Schwarzenegger tax take on that salary?

Their U.S. tax rate will have hit 39.6 percent.

Their California income tax will have hit 9.55 percent.

Medicare payroll taxes on the proprietor as both employer and salaried employee will be $14,500. Social Security payroll taxes for the proprietor as both employer and employee will be $13,243.

In short, U.S. and state income and payroll taxes will consume half of all the pair earned for some 8,000 hours of work.

From that ravaged salary they must pay a state sales tax of 8.25 percent, gas taxes for the 50-mile commute, and tens of thousands in property taxes on both their restaurant and home. And, after being pilloried by politicians for having feasted in the Bush era, they are now told the tax deduction they get for contributing to the church is to be cut 20 percent, while millions of Obama voters, who paid no U.S. income tax at all, will be getting a tax cut -- i.e., a fat little check -- in April.

Any wonder native-born Californians are fleeing the Golden Land?

Markets are not infallible. But the stock market has long been a "lead indicator" of where the economy will be six months from now. What are the markets, the collective decisions of millions of investors, saying?

Having fallen every month since Obama's election, with January and February the worst two months in history, they are telling us the stimulus package will not work, that Tim Geithner is clueless about how to save the banks, that the Obama budget portends disaster for the republic.

The president says he is gearing up for a fight on his budget.

Good. Let's give him one.

The Three War President

Looks like Obama is gonna have another war on his hands based on what is going on down at the border. We'll see how he does dealing with the great thugs of society and the massive refugee population which will most likely ensue. Hmmm, I wonder if they'll be eligible for his free health care plan and tax credits as well.


From the Washington Times

EXCLUSIVE: 100,000 foot soldiers in cartels
Numbers rival Mexican army

Sara A. Carter (Contact)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009


CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico

The U.S. Defense Department thinks Mexico's two most deadly drug cartels together have fielded more than 100,000 foot soldiers - an army that rivals Mexico's armed forces and threatens to turn the country into a narco-state.

"It's moving to crisis proportions," a senior U.S. defense official told The Washington Times. The official, who spoke on the condition that he not be named because of the sensitive nature of his work, said the cartels' "foot soldiers" are on a par with Mexico's army of about 130,000.

Rest of article here.

Russia Recognizes a "Girly Man" When It Sees One

So much for Obama's grand visions for having tea and crumpets and "talking through" all of our differences with the malevolent forces in the world.

"RUSSIA BRUSHES OFF OBAMA: NO 'HAGGLING'
Tue Mar 03 2009 09:15:17 ET

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on Tuesday showed willingness to discuss the US-planned missile defence system opposed by Moscow, but without 'haggling' linking it to Iran.

Medvedev was commenting during a visit to Spain on an alleged offer by US President Barack Obama to halt the defence system if Iran could be convinced to give up nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in Madrid, Medvedev welcomed the 'positive signals' coming from the Obama administration with which he hoped to reach 'agreements.'

'Haggling,' however, was not 'productive,' Medvedev said".

Update on Amnesty From Politico

Here's the latest update on the Amnesty Bill and how the left is attempting to circumvent existing laws.

Diligence helps resist stealth amnesty
by Politico.com
Monday March 02, 2009, 4:59 AM
As the Obama administration continues to navigate the shoals of the nation’s financial crisis, other dangerous waters are approaching — growing pressure from open borders groups to legalize 11 million illegal immigrants.

So far, Team Obama is sailing around this one, instead of through it. President Barack Obama recently told a popular Mexican-American radio personality in Los Angeles that “comprehensive immigration reform” is going to be politically tough. He said, “It’s probably tougher now than it was, partly because of the fact that the economy has gotten worse.”

But we’re less than 100 days into a new administration, and the restless left seems ill-inclined to wait.

One congressman made a public show of calling on Obama to place a moratorium on worksite enforcement actions. And illegal-immigrant advocacy groups are calling on the president to place a moratorium on immigration enforcement.

In the 110th Congress, there was a focused effort by amnesty opponents to defeat a single massive amnesty bill. The American people made their views clear during the ensuing debate: They oppose amnesty. But illegal immigrant advocates still want it, and in the 111th Congress, the left’s impatience will bring new challenges for amnesty opponents.

The illegal-immigrant lobby knows that a comprehensive bill isn’t necessary to accomplish the goal of allowing millions of illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. A thousand “small cuts” would go a long way.

For the open borders crowd, the first step is to ensure that illegal immigrants get jobs. That means allowing E-Verify, the federal government’s system that helps 100,000 businesses ensure the people they hire are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants, to expire. Or it could mean reauthorizing E-Verify only for short terms of a few months, making it difficult for businesses to make long-term management decisions. Illegal-immigrant advocates prefer to let illegal immigrants keep working, even at the expense of American workers.

The open borders crowd will rely on its most liberal friends in Congress to undertake some of the same efforts they began last year after comprehensive immigration reform failed. No one should be surprised to see the left trying to move piecemeal legislation along the lines of AgJOBS and the DREAM Act. Last year, those bills were designed to grant stealth amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants in specific categories: farm workers and those who claim to have come to the U.S. illegally as minors.


Similarly, the patriotically described HR 6020, a bill to “protect the well-being of soldiers and their families,” was in fact an effort to protect illegal immigrants and criminal aliens. It could have granted amnesty and relief from the consequences of committing serious crimes to almost anyone who has ever served in the United States military and their family members.

In addition to these stealth legislative efforts, there are many ways to weaken immigration enforcement that require no new laws and can be done by the Obama administration with the stroke of a pen, simply through an executive order. Regulatory changes and funding cuts in enforcement can both be part of the open borders effort to bring about amnesty, too.

This “small cuts” approach has already started.

Without notice, the Obama administration delayed the scheduled implementation of a requirement that federal contractors use E-Verify. The purpose of this requirement is to ensure that individuals working for or contracting with the federal government employ legal U.S. workers, not illegal foreign workers.

Obama claimed to support E-Verify when he served in the Senate, but the White House allowed E-Verify to be removed from the final stimulus package. Obama signed a bill that his administration claims will generate jobs, but Democrats removed the requirement that employers use E-Verify to confirm the legal status of workers paid with stimulus money. Without the E-Verify protections, 300,000 construction jobs alone will go to illegal immigrants, according to the Heritage Foundation. It is but one aspect of a massive bill, but the American people need to know that the Democrats could have saved stimulus jobs for U.S. citizens and legal immigrants but decided to give jobs to illegal immigrants instead.

Amnesty opponents must remain vigilant and diligent if we are to identify each of these small, stealth efforts to achieve piecemeal amnesty. Our task in the coming year will be to ensure that “small cuts” at amnesty do not become law. If they do, they will force American workers to compete with foreign workers for scarce jobs and undermine the rule of law.

Rep. Lamar Smith represents the 21st Congressional District of Texas. He is the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee.