Political Map 24/7

Mexican Smuglers Get Bolder

2009-09-23T05:19:00.000-07:00

The US/Mexico border crossing at San Ysidro, California was closed and later reopened this morning after three vans packed with illegal aliens zipped through.

The driver of the first van handed his driver's license to the border guard, and when the guard turned to his booth, all three vans made a mad dash through the border.

This time it wasn't drug smuggling, but human trafficking. But alas, this is another case of "the stupidest criminals". Thinking to avoid the traditional methods of sneaking into the country, they missed that whole thing about California traffic.

Don't these guys get CNN or Fox News? Car chases never turn out in a good way. Pendejos.

It's the Government, Stupid

The core of the problem is that the government refuses to take responsibility for border security. And I'm not throwing stones at any particular administration here. No, none of them have shown any testicular tendencies in running an effective program.

Hussein Obama, Bush, Clinton; none of them have done their job on this issue. The government has no issues with using citizen's tax dollars to protect other countries, but it won't protect it's own citizens.

And it's not just the illegals aliens being allowed to take jobs while Americans are enduring a monumental unemployment rate. It's the drug war spilling across the border. It's the Mexican gangs running operations openly in our "sanctuary cities".

It's time for hope and change, but in actuality this time, not more empty campaign promises.

Van Jones, an American Cry Baby

2009-09-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

Van Jones is a typical liberal. First, his behavior is more ghetto than professional, and then when he gets called on the carpet to answer for his juvenile demeanor, he attacks those who objected to his antics.

"On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me. They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide."

Smear campaign? Lies and distortions? What did I miss here? All those videos about Columbine, crackheads, and @$$hole Republicans were "manufactured", I suppose.

The marks of a real man are not only to act appropriately, but to be accountable for one's actions. Jones can do neither. He's a pathetic excuse for an American man. The real question is why he was appointed to a position of such authority (Green Czar) in the first place.

It stinks of the Chicago politics that Obama brought to the White House and how he runs it. Somehow, none of this surprising. Very few of his appointees have paid their taxes until forced to do so to accept the job (but have no problem levying more taxes on us in fly-over country).

Jones goes on to say, "It has been a great honor to serve my country and my President in this capacity. I thank everyone who has offered support and encouragement. I am proud to have been able to make a contribution to the clean energy future. I will continue to do so, in the months and years ahead."

Mr. Jones, don't drag my country's name through the mud by associating yourself with it. You have no honor and certainly no capacity for answering honestly for you misdeeds. A Harvard-educated person who signs a petition without reading it?

Sir, you disgrace this great nation and your school.

League City Police "Crack Down" on Illegal Aliens

2009-09-04T09:42:00.000-07:00

Ah, justice at last. According to 1070 AM radio yesterday, League City, Texas police are cracking down on illegal aliens that congregate to solicit day labor work.

Of course, the illegals have been doing it for years while the law turned a blind eye to people who break the law in multiple ways - sneaking across the border illegally, working without a social security number, not paying employment-related taxes yet consuming social services, etc.

So why the sudden move by the city? According to the Houston radio station, the illegals had the gall to expand operations beyond convenience store parking lots to, gasp, the police station parking lot.

Not only were they soliciting illegal work (that's OK; wink, wink, nod, nod) but they had the nerve to actually litter in the parking lot and whistle at female police officers. Now, that's crossing the line, buster!

This is a huge problem in the entire Houston metroplex area, make no mistake about it. We've seen how it's brought down the economy in California. Yet Houston mayor Bill White continues to wear blinders and continues the city's sanctuary city stance. Pure folly.

But it's easy to take that liberal stance when you're a politician and not a carpenter, welder, or landscape worker having to compete with under-the-table workers. Yes Bill, let's keep those votes rolling in; everybody likes to have their cheap lawn mowing service.

I did a drive-by of day labor congregation spots this morning along FM 518 in League City. Sure enough, They are not in the convenience store parking lots now. They've re-located to empty lots next to the convenience stores.

I guess LCPD is really putting the fear of God into them. Unfortunately, now we are going to have a traffic issue since there is no parking lot for day labor pick-up.

As a journalistic experiment, I approached the illegals at one labor hook-up spot and asked who would be willing to take $20 for a 1 hour job. They not only laughed at me, they called me a "pinche bolillo". (They didn't realize I'm bilingual.)

Gratitude is everything, yes? I'm all for helping my fellow man, but not when he takes food off my plate, spits in my face, and my elected officials favor illegals over citizens.

Cozying up to Cuba

2009-09-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

It's no secret that Obama wants to be embraced by his socialist and communist brethren. Since Cuba is close to home, and we have so many Cubans living in the US that would like to reconnect, his assumption that that is the place to test the waters.

After all, it stands to reason that this is where he can garner the most support. His stated objectives are to "recast" relations with the island nation, with whom we've kept in embargo status for the past 47 years.

There is good reason for that. When Fidel Castro decided to alienate his nation, remove freedoms, and oppress and starve his people, we took the high ground for moral reasons, not political ones.

Unfortunately, with Obama, ideology trumps human values.

And at the end of the day, this is Obama's fatal flaw, and it is tripping him up now. He came into office with very little experience on the state level and none on the national or global level. (Yes, he was in the senate, but he spent all that time campaigning for president.) In other words, an intellectual with no experience based in reality. Naive.

When he went on his worldwide "apology tour", bowing to Petro-tyrant kings and handing out iPods to the Queen, his assumption was that with enough kowtowing and abdicating his assumed title of Leader of the Free World, the rest of the globe's leaders would make nice with us.

But now he's starting to see that this is not how it works in the real world where political and economic reality is ruthless. His numbers are slipping into the sea, and no number of NYC fly-over pranks and beer summits will distract the American public from the fact that he is ill-prepared to lead the nation, and certainly not lead on a global level.

He is, as we say in Texas, "All hat and no cattle."

Obama and the Media Still Play Snuggle-Puppies

2009-08-25T05:43:00.000-07:00

The recent theories being floated are that the honeymoon between President Obama and the media is ramping down. I think the media is simply miffed. After all, they threw their full weight behind the messiah to get him elected.

Now that he's in office, rather than running for office, the campaign promises are going away like so much pot smoke drifting out of the dorm rooms of a liberal university campus. And gasp! Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary, was supposed to be their buddy.

After all, during the campaign, the press limited themselves to softball questions of the Democrat nominee. Shouldn't there be payback now? No, Gibbs sports an arrogant attitude when it comes to returning the favor.

He's better known for laughing serious questions off or evading them than he is giving a straightforward answer.

It's interesting to reflect on Obama's campaign rhetoric. We were going to bring the troops home. Well, actually, they might be, eventually, but it will be via Afghanistan. And while at the time this political bloviating was going on, the media was giving kudos to all the righteous anti-war liberal mobs.

"Bush evil! Bush evil!"

Hmm, now the media delights in telling us the grandmothers, veterans, and hard-working citizens that are peacefully questioning their "representatives" at town hall meetings are mobs. Those protesting against Bush were citizens using their constitutional rights.

Nancy Pelosi is down with that. She has a conspiracy theory that today's dissent is being organized by some secret wing of the Republican party. No, something that organized would take some type of community organizer, wouldn't it?

Other Democrats go so far as to compare them to Nazis. That's quite pathetic, but understandable, given the source.

Obama and the media may seem to be pouting like quarreling adolescent sweethearts, but they'll kiss and make up. And before anyone berates me for calling the president childish, it was he not I that said, “There’s something about August going into September where everyone in Washington gets all ‘wee-weed’ up."

The Recession and Recreational Activity

2009-04-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows we are deep in a global recession. The two questions on most people's minds are, "How will it affect me?" and "When will it turn around and stabilize my life and 401K?"

Even the brightest economists can't touch the second question; there are too many factors and an unhealthy degree of government intervention. The answer to the second one is easier. "You'll have to tighten your belt and hang on for the ride."

One of the first things to do is cut spending on recreation. I remember the last time anything of this magnitude happened here in Houston. We are still weathering the storm fairly well due to the energy sector.

But last time, one of the first things to go was gym memberships. That put a lot of personal trainers on the street, and their talents don't translate to many other occupations.

Instead of going to the movies, fueling up the ski and fishing boats, and eating out, it's still possible to have fun on a shoestring. Public libraries are still free. So are public parks. Why not begin a fitness routine outdoors, like a beginners running program?

All that takes is a pair of running shoes and shorts. There's always a good deal if you shop around and find a New Balance Clearance Sale. Heck, you don't even have to drive anywhere. It doesn't get any easier than that!

How Dangerous will North Korea Get?

2009-04-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

North Korea's latest missile test is problematic to say the least. Them saying they're launching for a satellite program is like saying OJ Simpson wasn't guilty (the first time, not the looney-tunes act in Las Vegas).

North Korea has arguably one of the strangest societies in the world. It's like quirkiness going exponential. The caricature that is Kim Jong il is enough to boggle the mind. The public's worshiping of him makes the whole thing stranger. If that's possible.

What do they see in him? The inner Elvis?

The question in my mind is this, "How is Obama going to handle this?" He'll be expected to be a leader. But how will he react?

He's practically advocating demilitarization, at least out of one side of the mouth. The other side is committing more action in Afghanistan and maintaining a continued presence in Iraq.

He needs to get on the stick and light the fire beneath Korea. Tell them to cease and desist. It'll be humiliating if Barak pulls another bow-at-the-hip act, but this time with Kim "Elvis" Jong il instead of the Sheik.

Obama Appoints Yet Another Tax "Mistaker"

2009-04-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

Being a tax avoider seems to be one of the most common traits of Obama's appointments. The latest "detail overlooker" is Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius.

Sebelius, who is the Governor of Kansas, and her husband, who is a federal magistrate judge, overlooked $7,040 in back taxes. Not just a single mistake either; they began overlooking details in 2005 and continued through 2007. Wow.

Now, I'm not trying to throw stones here; anybody can make a mistake. Some of theirs were ones that, well, I bet most of us make all the time. Especially it we're Governors and federal magistrate judges. Here's an interesting sampling of how this couple's finances went so wrong:

Not keeping paperwork for three charitable deductions.
Not enough documentation for various business expense deductions.
They took mortgage interest deductions for payments they continued to make even after they sold the home. I hate it when I keep paying for a house somebody else owns! I could've had a V-8! Argg!

OK, I'm just wondering here. Now that the Democrats are in charge of the whole game now, and the people getting appointed and confirmed can't seem to pay their taxes, doesn't it seem logical that they might take a look at simplifying the federal tax code?

I mean, if these people are smart enough to be running the country and can't figure it out, what hope is there for us serfs?

Saudi Arabia Takes Terrorism Seriously - Kind of

2009-03-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Saudi Arabia has moved, albeit slowly, to taking terrorists a wee bit more seriously. 9-11 didn't convince them and they kept up their support of radical mosques which preached hate and called for jihad.

So where has this somewhat perceptible change of heart come from? From violent attacks hitting closer to home. For example, in December 2004, a suicide bomber detonated his car at the Saudi's main counterterrorism training center.

Nothing like hitting close to home to make you say, "Whoa... maybe we should back off being so touchy-feely with Wahhabism. "

So what are the visible changes that the royal ruling family have instituted? Well, they've built up their SWAT teams and increased anti-terrorism training.

In a country of high unemployment, the government finds jobs for those who renounce jihad.

Still, the patience of the jihadists is long. And they have found a warm welcome in Yemen, with whom the Saudis share a long and porous border. They can strike at their leisure, much like the Mexican drug cartels on our own border.

And our government is still turning a blind eye to our border problem. Maybe we share more with the Saudis than first meet the eye.

Coleman and Franken Still Dukin' it Out

2009-03-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

The people of Minnesota must be getting plenty tired of the battle between Norm Coleman (R) and Al Franken (D). But it's not up to the citizens any more, it's up to a 3-judge panel.

It used to be the case that we, as citizens of this great nation, elected our leaders. Not so anymore. Our election system has become a fraud to our great shame. But the power of it is that we can at least settle these things legally.

It's not just Minnesota. It's all over the map. Acorn drumming up fake votes for Obama is a great example. And they're being rewarded by a nice slice of economic stimulus pie.

Al Gore lost even after he disallowed all those absentee ballots from our military members serving overseas. Perhaps what we need is a big helping of Patriot Depot.

Meanwhile, back in Minnesota, they are still arguing about re-counting ballots, even though according to Newsmax.com as many as 25 precincts counted ballots for Franken twice. Whew! Can you say fraud?

The rumor has it that Franken's eventual goal is to run for governor. Some talking heads contend that all this fighting may count against him when it comes to that goal.

He was never funny on Saturday Night Live, and he's not even remotely amusing now. And by golly, I don't like him.

Obama's Lack of Executive Experience Showing

2009-03-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

The fact that both Hillary and Sarah Palin pointed out, and quite correctly, that Barak seriously lacked executive experience was lost on his many disciples. But now, as his swept-under-the-carpet pastor would say, "Obama's chickens have come home to roost!"

Rest assured that this assertion is not made lightly. Barak Obama has come to office as possibly the least qualified candidate in the history of the nation. Not only that, but he still sees the world through the rose-colored eyeglasses of academia.

This is not to say that he can't mature in the ways of the world and the office, but even Joltin' Joe Biden said this is not an on-the-job-training kind of job. There's simply too much power potential involved.

Consider:

Delivering that pathetic speech to the Iranian people. This is not realistic "reaching out;" what this boils down to is people from that culture seeing a weak and inept leader.

After condemning President Bush for employing signing statements as an abuse of power, and promising to exercise more restraint when using them he is doing just that himself. His campaign said he would not issue “signing statements that undermine the legislative intent.” But his latest one is used to bypass whistle-blower protections for executive branch officials who give certain information to Congress. That's paranoid behavior and a lack of transparency. Even executive branch officials are civil servants, a fact lost on today's elite class of professional politicians.

He now laments the fact that he's in a "Washington bubble" and out of contact with the common folk. Mr. Obama, as the highest executive in the land, you don't have time for that; you must use other methods to keep your hand on pulse of the nation. You're not a community organizer any more - deal with it; Get Organized.

Yes, I am being critical. I understand that there is a steep learning curve. But I deplore what the president is doing to our country. I'm afraid of the amount of damage he will have done before he matures in office and understands the world as it is. And you should be afraid as well.

Who's Ready for Cap and Trade?

2009-03-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

Basically, President Obama is. Why? Because I might be wrong but I doubt that he has to cover the utility bills in the White House.

Now is the time to prepare your home to reduce your electricity and gas bills as much as possible.

Officially, the cap and trade policy (read "energy tax") would only up the national energy cost by $646 billion. But Ernest Istook of the Heritage Foundation estimates that the average American household wil be ponying up an additional 50%.

So what is this policy? In a nutshell, the cap is a government-mandated legal limit on what volume of greenhouse gases that a region can emit each year. Trade means that companies can swap among themselves the permission – or permits – to emit greenhouse gases.

More, when the price of petroleum spikes again, as it will thanks to Venezuela and those lovely Middle Easterners.

I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly swimming in disposable income.

But to compound the future gasoline prices, the United Nations has sent up a trial balloon on an international gasoline tax. They're calling it the "green new deal". Obama has already demonstrated how sweet he is on the UN. It's not a stretch to assume that he will embrace this plan as well.

Jim Tedisco Aims for NY Congressional Seat

2009-03-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Jim Tedisco (R) is battling it out with Scott Murphy (D) for the seat vacated by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D).

He's aiming to harness populist anger over the absurd bonuses ladled out to AIG exectutives. These generous bonuses come straight out of the taxpayer bailout trough. Why these executives should be rewarded for being such unpolished losers boils down to fine print in their contracts.

How much of your tax money have the AIG porkers consumed? Hold on to your hat; the bill comes out to around $170 billion. The bonuses alone account for over $400 million of that sum. Not bad work if you can get it.

One Tedisco YouTube ad points out that Murphy supported the AIG-type bailout bonuses. Murph feins innocence, insisting he supported the bailout but can't be faulted since he didn't read it. Pretty lame, Murph.

I love it when the public supports individuals that can think for themselves. And know how to tie their shoes. Yeah, that's a qualifier too.

Of course, now that he sees that misspending tax money actually bothers voters (imagine that!), he's changed his tune, saying, “One of the first things I’ll do in Congress is block federal bailout beneficiaries like AIG from abusing our taxpayer dollars to pay lavish bonuses, plain and simple. Throughout my career of investing in small businesses, I have regularly placed caps on executive compensation, which is why I am renewing my call to do everything possible to block AIG and others from abusing taxpayer dollars for excessive bonuses on Wall Street.”

Mitt Romney has endorsed Tedisco and Nancy Pelosi is in Murphy's corner. Both endorsers are heavy hitters and the battle is heating up. How important is this election? Very.

Things in Washington under the taskmasters of Obama, Pelosi, and Barney are a partisan as they've ever been and they're spending your money like drunken sailors. We need some balance.

Why GM Failed and Won't Recover

2009-03-17T06:19:00.000-07:00

Greed and blinders. Those are the root causes of GM's collapse and why they won't recover. General Motors used to be the largest industrial company in the world.

Gas was cheap, muscle cars were hip, and consumers were buying.

It owned the market. The problem was that it grew so complacent in that role that it couldn't compete with imports like Toyota and Nissan and their efficient production methods. In many cases management was simply in denial.

For example, when Jim Harbour had the audacity to try to warn and explain to his GM superiors why the Japanese production methods were more efficient, management's response was to simply ban him from the company property.

Nothing says great management like holding your hands over your ears and saying, "LA LA LA LA LA."

But if denial was the carpenter that built GM's coffin, the UAW union was the hammer that drove the final nails into the lid.

This is the story of unbridled greed, a lunatic sense of entitlement, and a cowardly management team too scared to stand up to labor bullies.

GM finally realized that to survive after imports ceased to become imports, when they were being built here, they had no option but to become more efficient. This meant fewer, more productive workers as well as new technology.

But the union would have none of that. The workers were entitled. They weren't like the average American citizen. They deserved to be taken care of. So, management caved and created the Job Bank, which is secret union code language for being paid for sitting at home watching Oprah.

Then there's the union's demand for pensions and health care. This is another area where the management surrender monkeys wouldn't and still won't face reality. But why should they? GM can't afford it so now the Obama administration is using taxpayer dollars to fund UAW pensions and health care.

That's right, non-union workers without health care, are funding health care and pensions for union members that, in many cases, make more money per hour than they do.

This is the redistribution of wealth policy that America voted for.

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. -Thomas Jefferson

Obama May be Tested

2009-03-15T10:47:00.000-07:00

During the campaign, many of his supporters compared him to the late President Kennedy. True, they are both superb orators, and we can only hope that is the light in which the reference was made.

And who can forget Jumpin' Joe Biden making the ominous pronouncement (or dramatic prediction) that the messiah would be "tested" early in his administration, and the decisions the president made would not be readily recognized as the correct move.

Both of these observations may be at the point of converging. Who can forget JFK staring down the Soviets, intent on establishing missile bases in Cuba?

Now, the Russians are making nice and playing snuggle-puppy with both Cuba and Venezuela. They've sent up a trial balloon on the possibility of using a military airfield on La Orchila island to park their Russian strategic bombers.

Hugo Chavez is keen on hosting them.

Cuba is also courting the big red bear and is leaving the door open for them to establish a military presence right on America's doorstep.

"This is possible in Cuba," said General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force's strategic aviation staff, to the Interfax-AVN military news agency.

Could this be Barak's JFK moment? The one Jumpin' Joe prophesied for the messiah? We know the reds wouldn't have dared make this move with Bush in office, or even Clinton. But Barak is an acknowledged socialist and they obviously feel some dogmatic kinship with him.

At this point, the president is still somewhat an unknown quantity, given more to nebulous rhetoric than decisive action.

And the fact of the matter is that Russians have never been that way. For better or worse, they are men of action. Sometimes brutal, it's true; but you can count on bold action, even when it's ill-conceived.

If this test is indeed on the horizon, Obama has two choices: fall in line with his marxist belief system, or unlike Michelle, decide he's proud of his country and grow a pair.

Choose wisely.

RINOs Cross the Aisle to Feed at the Trough

2009-03-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

Sadly, eight RINOs (Republican In Name Only) embraced the president's drunken-spending $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill.

Why? Why, to add their own pork barrel spending, of course! The bill increases spending on domestic programs by 8% on average and spews out $7.7 billion for a disappointing 8,500 earmarks. Many of these were added by the RINOs because they're "representing" you.

Here's the Earmark Lineup:
RINO, Earmarks, and the Price to you
Thad Cochran, 65, $75,908,475
Roger Wicker, 9, $4,325,000
Chris Bond, 54, $85,691,491
Richard Shelby, 64, $114,484,250
Arlen Specter, 134, $25,320,000
Lisa Murkowski, 71, $74,000,750
Lamar Alexander, 10, $5,402,000
Olympia Snowe, Just went along to get along. Cute.

So, are you feeling the love yet? I'm just wallowing in it.

On 03/04/09 White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said, "We've seen throughout the past few years that the amount and the number of earmarks in legislation has been cut significantly. The president believes we can do even more and looks forward to working with Congress to ensure that that happens."

Call me terminally myopic, but the only "working with Congress" that I see is Barak wielding a big rubber stamp.

He did say, "This piece of legislation must mark an end to the old way of doing business." How, Mr. President? Did you use a different courier service to deliver the bill to your desk? And why did you just sign it quietly, with no fanfare and scant opportunity for press coverage?

Hedging against your declining approval rating among those who saw you as the messiah?

I think we know the answer to that.

American Construction Workers Need Not Apply

2009-03-09T08:49:00.000-07:00

That's what the Obama administration and the liberal socialists are effectively saying. When they passed the spending wish-list (stimulus) bill, they sidestepped including E-Verify, a Department of Homeland Security program that allows employers to check social security numbers.

USA Today reports that up to an estimated 300,000 stimulus infrastructure jobs might go to illegal alien construction workers.

Does it get any more abysmally stupid than this? I don't think so. Recall when I blogged about Obama economic adviser Robert Reich saying that none of these jobs should go to educated white male construction workers?

I wasn't joking.

Talk about liberal bloviating. Not only that; it's a sexist, racist, bigoted policy. And I thought the Dems were supposed to be the "inclusive" party.

This is called vote buying, folks. How, you ask? Simple; and you heard it here first: this administration will find a way to allow them to vote in your elections.

It will likely begin with driver's licenses or some other kind of provisional paperwork.

The administration needs to get its head out of the sand. Encouraging these workers by leaving the borders wide open and allowing lawsuits against American landowners on the border who are trying to protect their home's and property ushers in other problems.

Obama's open border pandering policy is also letting in the gangs and drug cartels. The Houston Chronicle reports at least five drug cartel cells operating in Houston already. Barak, Chicago is not that far north. Yo, comrade.

Dems Note: Paranoia will Destroy Ya

2009-03-04T04:39:00.000-08:00

First we had that crybaby flap that Rush wanted Obama to fail. He had to clarify by saying that he wanted his policies to fail. This should have been obvious, but not to the libs and their lockstep media pals. Or was it?

Of course it was. Then why did they misconstrue what Rush said? Spin, spin, spin. Link it to their ambitions to impose the fairness doctrine on a free speech, free enterprise society.

But, as the Ginzu knife hawker on TV would say, "But wait! We're not done yet!" The latest installment is brought to us by none other than Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

“It’s very clear they’ve made a decision they want President Obama to fail,” he told reporters, speaking of Senate Republicans.

And when pressed to answer why he thought that, he cited a number of things on Obama's wish list that they didn't approve of. It's clear that he's yearning for the days when Dems showed so much bipartisan support for President Bush.

And when pressed to identify exactly which Republicans he was referring to, all he would say is, a “number of Republicans.” Very reminiscent of Captain Queeg rolling his ball bearings in his hand and complaining about strawberry theft.

“It’s very clear,” Reid said. “Some have said so, others have acted accordingly.” Rattle, rattle. Put those ball bearings in your pocket, Harry; please.

Want more spin? On Tuesday 3/3/09, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his team sat in hearings trying to defend Obama's $3.6 trillion budget, but the discussion kept getting shifted to the economic meltdown and subsequent (still not done with) bailouts.

In defence of the bailouts, they kept reiterating that they were just trying to clean up the mess left by the Bush administration.

Really? Let's not forget that it was McCain and other Republicans that kept pressing for a reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who precipiated the "mess". But the F&F lobbiests kept spreading the cash to prevent reform. Who was the #2 recipient of all that lobby grease?

Drumroll, please. None other than Barak Obama. In fact, the top three were Democrats. So it seems responsibility for the "mess" belongs arguably to the current administration.

In fairness though, the seed of the matter may be older. After all, it was Clinton administration that created F&F and encouraged them to provide mortgages for Americans that could not afford them.

Economic Crisis on Both Sides of the Pond

2009-03-02T08:24:00.000-08:00

The USA isn't the only part of the globe gripped by the throat by the current economic meltdown. In California, already in trouble from poor fiscal practices and handing out taxpayer funded social programs to illegal aliens, now finds 1 out of every 10 residents unemployed.

The proposed method of bailing out the sinking boat is to freeze state income tax refunds. Or in other words, state confiscation. Thinly veiled, granted, by not saying it's a permanent theft, but time will tell.

Meanwhile, on Sunday last there was an emergency summit meeting in Brussels, attended by the leaders of the European Union.

Already, sides are being taken by the wealthier nations vs the poorer. Germany rejected Hungary's plea for a bailout of newer members of the EU.

Hungary's Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, warned of "a new Iron Curtain" destined to divide Europe, although the metal today is gold. Apt comparison, yes?

There's no doubt that the EU is a bold experiment, but now the test begins. A common currency does not make for equal distribution of wealth. Solidarity may be a noble concept, but when the fecal matter hits the fan, human nature tends to dictate self-preservation.

Meanwhile, President Obama continues to send the stock market further in the hole every time he announces more non-stimulus social give-away projects. And Barak and the Mrs. continue to host lavish parties with entertainment provided by the likes of Earth, Wind and Fire.

All this while the average joe struggles to put food on the table. Nero fiddles while Rome burns? Time will tell; time will tell.

Nothing Fair about the Fairness Doctrine

2009-02-28T05:54:00.000-08:00

The legislation that we know as the fairness doctrine is actually the Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1993. It's based on a similar act that took effect in 1949 but overturned in 1987 by the FCC.

The reason given was that it failed to encourage the discussion of more controversial issues (which was its original purpose). The FCC was also concerned that it was in violation of First Amendment free speech principles.

What the doctrine does is force radio stations to give equal air time to opposing views. Currently, talk radio is almost exclusively conservative.

Now that the Democrats have sole rein of the government, they are pursuing reenactment with reckless abandon.

But why is it ethically unfair? Because the case can be made that it violates the American principle of free enterprise, for one thing. Radio stations are not owned by the government, they are only licensed by the government.

They are privately or corporate owned businesses. They exist by selling ads. Advertisers only buy air time when the number of listeners warrant it.

The bottom line is that listeners are overwhelmingly conservative; that's why you only hear the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Medved, and Dennis Prager.

Nobody is conspiring to keep liberals off the air waves. Americans just aren't interested in listening to it. Just as your grocery store won't stock a product that consumers won't buy. Simple economics.

Liberals have tried to enter the market with such colossal failures as Air America. You might have heard of Al Franken? He was a talk show host there before going on to be a tax cheat and to conduct "alleged" election fraud in Minnesota.

Liberal talk shows just don't sell, bottom line. The only success of note is NPR (National Public Radio). It survives by selling tote bags and funneling off your tax dollars.

If these private businesses are forced to air liberal hosts, who will pay for it? It's a clear violation of the first amendment.

So if Nancy Pelosi and her band of whiners are successful at getting the doctrine reinstated, it will be clear case of forced government propaganda. You can sugar-coat it all you want, but that's what it is.

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Obama's Theoretical Tax Cut

2009-02-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

How gullible are Americans, really? Quite gullible is what Obama must be thinking. He claims he's going to give us all a tax "cut", but what he's actually done is tell employers to reduce the federal withholding tax on paychecks.

Who really thinks that's a tax cut? For the overwhelming number of workers, it just means they will get a smaller income tax return next spring. Folks, this is nothing but a shell game. It's not a cut, it's a shift.

The problem is that not enough people are working. But they want to. Here's an idea, Mr. Obama; get serious about the illegal aliens in this country. Send them packing and let Americans have their jobs.

The old bone about, "They only do the jobs Americans won't do" is a fiction. Just look at any construction site or road construction project in Texas. You won't hear much English being spoken.

Not five miles from my house there's a convenience store next to an apartment building. Drive by any day in the morning and you'll see upwards of fifty "guest workers" loitering, waiting to do day labor jobs.

And they won't budge for under $10 an hour.

Don't think for a minute that they're paying any taxes. But they certainly use city services. Where's the Immigration Service in all this? Asleep at the wheel. Why? Because this is one of many sanctuary cities.

So stop already with the shell game, Mr. President. Enforce the law of the land and allow citizens to take these jobs. Let them earn a wage and pay taxes.

That's the way to stimulate the economy. Not by encouraging illegal workers while extending unemployment insurance to the states with strings attached. Si se puede.

Obama's Declining Approval Rating

2009-02-24T04:03:00.000-08:00

As with most incoming presidents, Obama's approval/disapproval rating is trending towards convergence. This began just after the lights were turned off at the inauguration parties and real business began.

According to Gallup polls, currently his approval is 67% and disapproval stands at 25%. I believe things are just going to go downhill from here. Why? Let's take a gander at some of the issues affecting the slide.

First, as I predicted, his total lack of executive experience is tripping him up. The process of naming his cabinet is tragic. Either his staffers are the shoddiest vetting panel ever assembled, Obama doesn't care about the ethics of those he surrounds himself with, or it's a combination of the two.

For example, both Geithner (Secretary of the Treasury) and Daschle (Secretary of Health and Human Services nominee) are out and out tax cheats.

Governor Richardson is facing corruption charges for awarding New Mexico state contracts to a financial firm estimated at over $1.4 million just after making contributions to Richardson political action committees.

Another popularity slide is going to happen as soon as the peace-at-any-cost gang that elected him discovers that he's not really going to bring the troops home from Iraq. No, he's just going to shift them to Afganistan.

And he's already authorized more bombing there. So, either he really was in la-la denial land on the campaign trail and has woken up to reality after some security briefings, or he was misleading the peaceniks for votes. Either way, they're not going to be happy campers.

And don't even get me started on good old Bumblin' Biden. Mr. President, I respectably suggest that you either buy him a muzzle at Petsmart or hide him in the bunker. I think Dick Chaney left the lights on for him.

So there you have it. I think we're all going to be looking on in dismay before the first 100 days are over.

Will Obama Administration Nationalize Banks?

2009-02-22T05:57:00.000-08:00

That's the question being bandied about not only in the financial sector, but around kitchen counters and in diners across the nation. The Obama administration is trying to quell this speculation.

They trotted out Robert Gibbs, White House press secretary, who said, "This administration continues to strongly believe that a privately held banking system is the correct way to go, ensuring they are regulated sufficiently by this government."

It seems the keyword here is "believe". That's a relatively lukewarm term when citizens (at least conservatives and libertarians) would prefer to hear something more along the lines of "insist".

The two banks that are currently the most worrisome are Bank of America and Citigroup. The bottom line is if nationalization takes place, shareholders would likely be wiped out.

Is this any way to treat citizens? Hardly. When times were great, Wall Street institutions didn't mind slamming people with high credit interest rates. When times got bad because of lending irresponsibility, taxpayers had to bail them out. Some of the money went for lofty bonuses.

Where is the shame, where is the shame? President Obama needs to step up and show leadership and take these banks to task. That's some change I'd like to see.

Chavez Diggs in His Heels

2009-02-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

Hugo Chavez, the barking chihuahua from Venezuela, claimed a victory by winning the right to run for that country's lead job for life. And the way he buys votes it will likely happen. Kind of like Fidel Castro's little brother.

In fact, at a recent rally, announced that he would accelerate “the construction of true socialism” in Venezuela. Really? Too slow for you, Hugo? He's already taken control of the nation's oil fields. It really boils down to thievery.

While it's true that Venezuela produces a huge quantity of petrochemicals, there is one issue; the crude drilled there is extremely sour, meaning that the sulfur content is very high. It takes special refining units to process it.

If we adopted the Pickens plan to use more natural gas, it would be possible to wean ourselves from Chavez and his red-shirted lackeys. What would that do to his Bolivarian revolution? Probably not stop it, but it might take a bit of wind out of his sails.

Whether we take this opportunity or not is largely in the hands of Obama and his Democrat majority. They are extremely anti-energy, but it's got to come from somewhere. Time will tell.

It's Spending, Not Stimulus, Stupid

2009-02-16T07:46:00.000-08:00

That's the problem, isn't it? Everyone wants to stimulate the economy, but unfortunately, Obama's "stimulus" package is not the way to do it. The main problem with it (other than the bloated nature of it), is that it's pretty slim on production.

It might put people to work, but it doesn't really produce any durable goods. That equals a lot of money chasing a dwindling pool of goods. The end result? Economic Inflation. The goods that will be available will all be produced elsewhere. Bonehead Jimmy Carter all over again.

So what does that mean? Stimulating someone else's economy, if anything. Like China. Would you like a little lead with that?

The whole thing stinks of the huge government spewing of greenbacks that Pelosi and the other socialists on the hill claim brought us out of the Great Depression. Wrong. It extended the depression. It was the war that got us out of that particular problem.

Why? Because it shifted paychecks to people producing things that could be marketed and purchased. That is stimulation. Get those dollars circulating. To people to make things, other people have to produce the raw materials. Other people have to move it, and others have to sell it. See where all this is going?

Paying poets to write didn't do it back then and it won't today either, sheeple.