House Committee sessions where these issues were voted on were nothing but a sham! The real work went on behind closed doors in direct contradiction to Obama’s promise for an open process!

Nancy Pelosi finally put her cards on the table this week. Meeting in secret She produced a bill which weighs in at a record 1990 pages (PDF). It’s a monster by every measure. The Congressional Budget Office puts the full cost of the bill at $1.28 trillion dollars:

According to a preliminary CBO estimate of the bill released Thursday, the cost of expanding coverage to an additional 36 million Americans under the House plan would total $1.055 trillion over the next decade, counting tax breaks for small businesses, subsidies for low- and moderate-income families and the largest expansion of Medicaid since its inception 40 years ago. Add a variety of other costs outside the coverage package — including the creation of a new innovations center to reform Medicaid and Medicare — and the total cost of the bill rises to nearly $1.28 trillion, according to calculations by other Democratic aides.

Pelosi and House Democrat leaders are trying to push the fiction that this won’t be a budget busting bill but members of her own party are not buying it. The famous Blue Dogs are rebelling again and demanding answers from the CBO on how much the bill will actually cost after all the smoke and mirrors are gone. As we all know, government programs typically cost far more than they are projected to.

The Crown Jewel of Socialism
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Rather than give the troops the reinforcements they need, Obama instead uses the dead for a photo op! What an ASS!

Obama’s one and only trip to the Dover Delaware Air Force Base which is the gateway for the bodies of all the nation’s war dead was a photo op that almost didn’t happen. 17 out of the 18 families refused their permission for the news media to cover this event.
Instead of a row of coffins coming back from Afghanistan, Obama got to use only one as a prop.

Readers may recall that President Bush met privately on numerous occasions with families of our fallen but he NEVER ONCE took news media cameras and pool reporters along.

Liz Cheney, daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney thought Obama’s conduct was a bit odd. Here’s a brief interview she gave to John Gibson on Fox News Radio: Read the rest of this entry »

Hope, Change and a Nobel Peace Prize don’t cut the mustard with the Mullahs!

It was supposed to be Obama’s first big achievement in foreign affairs. Michael Adler, who has been gushing about a new age of diplomacy and peace called it possibly “an “Audacity of Hope” moment in foreign diplomacy, a potentially transformative development.” That was 12 days ago. Thursday, the Iranians announced that they rejected the deal to ship uranium out of the country for processing and asked instead for a new round of negotiations which can have only one purpose: to stall for more time as Iran works to build a bomb.

Look back over the past nine months since Obama took office. He’s gone out of his way to be nice to the mad Mullahs who run Iran. He found it difficult to condemn Iran even as it was butchering it’s citizens in the streets of Tehran. He bashed his own countries “arrogance” and offered to reset relations with the world. All that hope and change with nothing to show for it.

The day before Michael Adler gushed about Obama’s “transformative development” Charles Krauthammer showed his prescience once again:

What’s come from Obama holding his tongue while Iranian demonstrators were being shot and from his recognizing the legitimacy of a thug regime illegitimately returned to power in a fraudulent election? Iran cracks down even more mercilessly on the opposition and races ahead with its nuclear program.
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Associated Press confirms what we first reported a few days ago…

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands
By BRETT J. BLACKLEDGE and MATT APUZZO
Associated Press
Oct 29,2009

WASHINGTON (AP) – An early progress report on President Barack Obama’s economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports.

The government’s first accounting of jobs tied to the $787 billion stimulus program claimed more than 30,000 positions paid for with recovery money. But that figure is overstated by least 5,000 jobs, according to an Associated Press review of a sample of stimulus contracts.

The AP review found some counts were more than 10 times as high as the actual number of jobs; some jobs credited to the stimulus program were counted two and sometimes more than four times; and other jobs were credited to stimulus spending when none was produced.

For example:
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His warning about the value of freedom and danger of big government is even more relevant today!

“A Time for Choosing” otherwise known as “The Speech” was delivered in a broadcast in support of Barry Goldwater’s 1964 presidential election. The name of the program, “Rendezvous with Destiny” marked the beginning of Reagan as a national political figure. It turned out to be Reagan’s rendezvous with destiny…

Full text of the speech

Excerpts from “A Time for Choosing”
By Ronald Reagan
Broadcast October 27, 1964
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The real plan is bad enough!

What an actor! Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid presented his idea (we still haven’t seen the bill which he wrote in secret) for a government run health plan that had an “opt out” provision with a straight face. But the idea is such a joke, it’s difficult to see how anyone took the idea seriously. What state would consent to see their citizens taxed to pay for the health benefits in another state?

Reid knows that there are not 60 votes in the Senate for a government run health plan. It’s also unlikely that he’ll upset the wishes of his own members and force the bill through to the floor with the legislative move known as reconciliation.

So what is really going on?

I’ve warned throughout this farce that the Dems will push the more extreme version of health care “reform” knowing full well it cannot pass. To do otherwise would upset their fringe left wing supporters who demand an immediate government takeover of America’s health care so they can start telling the rest of us how to live. The Dem’s real goal is to stake out territory on the extreme left then be shown to “compromise” by backing the less radical plan closer to that put forward by the Senate Finance Committee. When that happens expect the trumpets to sound, the clouds to part and the Dem’s allies in the “news” media to announce how wonderful it is that Dems have shown such incredible flexibility. Heck, they might even persuade Maine’s Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) to get back on board and declare the entire undertaking a bipartisan triumph!

Everyone would be so relieved that the full out government option had been defeated that they would sign off on Obama Care. By the time reality sets in it would be too late.

Reality of the Dem’s “Moderate” Plan: Higher Taxes, Higher Insurance Costs!

A new study by the Insurance company Wellpoint, which operates Blue Cross plans in several states shows that rates will rise much faster under Obama Care than they would if no new legislation were passed:

The WellPoint Revelation
Private insurance premiums could triple under ObamaCare.
Wall Street Journal
OCTOBER 28, 2009
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The big sign indicating this shift was Obama’s decision to abandon Polish and Czech allies in missile defense pact! When the mouthpiece for world communism starts praising Obama, it’s time for a change!

America Moving from Kingdom of Cash to Socialism Slowly but Surely
Pravda
October 19, 2009

Obama’s decision not to build the Missile Defense System in Poland and the Czech Republic and his Noble Prize have not yet been comprehended from a philosophical viewpoint. It’s time to do it.

The last turning point similar to the current one happened approximately 400 years ago. The Western European society discovered a new hierarchy of values. Feudalism that valued service and chivalry was replaced with capitalism. Wealth became the measure of success, and everyone was to care about his own pocket only. The cult of money replaced all other values, including religious.
…
What does Obama’s decision not to build the Eastern European Missile Defense System have to do with all of this? Well, it means that it’s not capitalism that’s undergoing the crisis, but the belief in its high efficiency. And this, in turn, means that America, the bulwark of capitalism, is no longer the boss of the world. And if it’s not the boss any more, it has to be friends with everybody, including Russia. And it’s America’s turn to offer Russia to push the reset button. Or maybe it’s just tired of imposing its rules on others and felt that friendship is more valuable than money and power? If this is the case, we will soon witness another turning point in the world history.

Yeah, that’s right. The world would be such a better place if we returned to the feudal system where the great mass of mankind were treated as the slaves to a handful of rich aristocrats!

Hmmm… isn’t that what Obama is trying to do? Enslave us all to his big money friends like foreign born George Soros?

Scare your neighbors! Be Barack the Nobel Prize Winner!

The marathon joker and Nobel laureate!

Get your Barack the Joker Mask here.

Or print out one of these and dress it up with a fancy ribbon and wear it proudly:

Award the kiddies their own Nobel Prize!

Be the only house on the block that awards a Nobel Peace Prize to every caller. Downsize the image above (here’s one you can print out) and affix it to a chocolate coin and hand to visiting children with the following greeting: Congratulations, you too have won a Nobel Peace Prize for doing absolutely nothing. Happy hope and change!

Nov. 3rd election shaping up as referendum on Obama!

With all the talk last week of the White House bailing on the flailing campaign of Virginia gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds (known as “Dirty Deeds” for the slime campaign directed at his Republican opponent Robert McDonnell)a new ad from ole D.D. plants his campaign hopes squarely under the Obama banner:

The problem is, no one is paying much attention. It’s what Peter Nicholas writing for the L.A. Times reports as the “Obama hangover.” Voters who were all “fired up and ready to go” last year aren’t so keen on doing a repeat this November; especially for candidates like Deeds or Jon Corzine, running for re-election as Governor of New Jersey.

Every poll in Virginia shows a handy lead for the Republican McDonnell. The race in New Jersey is tied between Corzine and GOP challenger Christie. If it weren’t for the Independent Dagget, a former Republican, a two way race would likely put Christie over the top by a comfortable margin.

The looming election in these two states on November 3rd is shaping up to be a humiliating defeat for Obama and a clear referendum on his presidency. Even if Dems manage a narrow win in New Jersey, the combined anti-Dem vote will be undeniable evidence that the old hopey-changey magic no longer works.

Such an outcome will set the stage for a roaring GOP comeback in the congressional elections in 2010! Payback will be SWEET!

Obama lifts accountability and transparency rules for Unions as he cuts CEO pay of bailout firms!

Remember the shock this week when Obama’s pay czar announced up to a 90% cut in the salaries of executives at firms which took federal bailout help? The thinking is that those firms, which include Chrysler and General Motors took government help and will live by government rules.

Fair enough perhaps but what about the Auto Unions? They got a huge handout in both GM and Chrylser bailouts. The Auto workers union will end up owning Chrysler. Yet, in a move which got no publicity at all, not even on Fox News, the Obama Administration quietly moved to reduce transparency and accountability requirements for ALL labor unions:

The U.S. Department of Labor has formally rescinded a series of reporting changes designed to enhance union disclosure.

The aim of these rule changes is to weaken union oversight requirements – a trend this Administration started with its FY 2010 budget, which cut $4.4 million from the Office of Labor Management Standards, more than a 10 percent reduction in its overall budget. Judging by the profligate spending this Administration has applied to nearly every other department – giving the federal budget a nearly 10 percent boost in spending, cutting union oversight seems an odd place to “save money” – unless reducing transparency, and not saving money, were their aims.

Part of the transparency roll back for union bosses includes the following items that the Labor Department will no longer require of unions:

•Disclose the total value of benefits received by union officers and employees;
•Disclose the names of parties buying and selling union assets; or
•Itemize union receipts

Federal labor law is intended to ensure that rank-and-file union members have a full, equal, and democratic voice in union affairs. Armed with knowledge, union members will have better tools to elect leaders who work in their best interest — and to hold accountable union officials who serve their own interests.

What else do you expect in the age of the Obama Thugocracy!

A topic I first raised in March rings ever more true!

In March I wrote: “Is Obama the New Nixon? How long before full White House involvement in enemies list and attack politics is revealed?”

At the time, their primary target was Rush Limbaugh. Since then, they have expanded their field of fire considerably. Anyone who has a policy disagreement with Obama, even a fellow Democrat, can be targeted for destruction by this White House.

Is the Real Obama a Uniter or a Divider?

Readers may recall these words from Obama’s inaugural address:

“We gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.” –Barack Hussein Obama, January 20, 2009

Those words contrast with the ones he spoke on the campaign trail in Philadelphia in June 2008:

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun…Because from what I understand, folks in Philly like a good brawl. I’ve seen Eagles fans.” — Barack Hussein Obama, June 13, 2008

Words, words and more words. But look at Obama’s actions to see who the man really is:

The Chicago Way
The Chamber of Commerce is only the latest target of the Chicago Gang in the White House.
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
Wall Street Journal
OCTOBER 22, 2009,

“They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That’s the Chicago way. “–Jim Malone, “The Untouchables”

When Barack Obama promised to deliver “a new kind of politics” to Washington, most folk didn’t picture Rahm Emanuel with a baseball bat. These days, the capital would make David Mamet, who wrote Malone’s memorable movie dialogue, proud.
Read the rest of this entry »

Yet, we’re supposed to believe their promises for health care reform?

Readers may recall that the same White House bunch promising a “deficit neutral” health care plan promised that if we passed the $787 billion stimulus ($one trillion after debt cost) that we would save millions of American jobs. They even put out a chart which showed their projections state by state on the jobs they expected to be created.

Earlier this week, I posted a report from the House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member which shows that instead of creating millions of new jobs, we have lost an additional 2.7 million since the stimulus bill was rushed through congress.

A reasonable person might say: well, perhaps more jobs will be created later as the stimulus spending increases? That would conflict with the statement of Christina Romer, Chair of the WH Council of Economic Advisors. In prepared testimony she delivered before Congress on October 22, 2009 she dropped this bombshell:

“Most analysts predict that the fiscal stimulus will have its greatest impact on growth in the second and third quarters of 2009.By mid-2010, fiscal stimulus will likely be contributing little to growth.”

So, we spent a trillion taxpayer dollars and exploded the deficit only to lose 2.7 million jobs? It gets worse. Romer concluded:

“We enter the fourth quarter of 2009 with the unemployment rate nearing 10 percent and likely to remain severely elevated.”

In the video posted at right you can hear the incredulity expressed by the panel of the Fox News program Special Report. No wonder the White House wants to silence Fox News!
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We told you so!

The never ending partisan campaign. The attacks on the GOP, Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, the Chamber of Commerce, tea partiers, insurance companies….. It’s not exactly how Obama said he would run things when he campaigned for president.

You’ll want to read Tom Bevan’s entire article here. If you’re short on time, here’s the Cliff Notes version:

Obama vs. The President He Said He’d Be
By Tom Bevan
Real Clear Politics
October 23, 2009

During the campaign Barack Obama vowed he would be a different kind of leader who would move America beyond the “smallness of our politics.” That inspired promise was not an insignificant part of why he was elected last November.

In his inaugural address Obama told us that “the time has come to set aside childish things.” He promised to bring “an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.”

Not only has President Obama failed to live up to those promises so far, it appears that on more than a number of occasions he’s made a conscious decision to break them.
…
Americans understand it’s not easy governing a country as divided as ours. It takes hard work to find common ground in a system that’s been increasingly polarized, and it takes political courage for a President to buck the interests of the base of his party when necessary. More than anything else, achieving real bipartisanship requires a good faith effort led by the President that genuinely seeks compromise with the opposition without demonizing, dismissing, or demeaning them.
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The original Crescent of Embrace memorial to Flight 93 faced less than 2° from Mecca. That made it a mihrab, the Mecca-direction indicator around which every mosque is built. (Some mihrabs are pointed-arch shaped, but the classic mihrab is crescent shaped.)

The Park Service dismissed concern about the Mecca-oriented crescent on grounds that the construction drawings had not yet been finalized. “Those trees could move fifty feet, or three hundred feet,” said Project Manager Jeff Reinbold in the Spring of 2006, as if this kind of “tweaking” would make any difference (Crescent of Betrayal Ch.8 p.145-6).

The construction drawings have now been released, and yes, they moved the lower tip of the half-mile wide crescent about 300 feet, enough to change the orientation of the crescent by about 4.5°. Instead of pointing less than 2° north of Mecca, the giant Islamic-shaped crescent now points less than 3° south of Mecca.

Here is the original Crescent of Embrace: Read the rest of this entry »