RedPurpleBlue

Stimulus or Porkulus or Political Game?

2009-01-27T06:55:00.002-05:00

President Obama and Co. want to push through Congress an $825 billion (plus) "stimulus" package to be "a quick jolt the economy." This is on top of the nearly $1 trillion "emergency economic recovery" package Congress rammed through in 2008 at the behest of former President Bush.

In 2008 it was absolutely "imperative" that the "emergency economic recovery" package be passed because allegedly the economy was in dire peril. The passage of the package was supposed to "unlock the credit markets" and help us avoid a long, drawn-out recession.

Has anyone noticed that it didn't work?

In fact, barely 1/3 of the appropriated funds have been disbursed, mostly to banks which ended up going on a buying spree to merge with other banks that were in trouble.

Yesterday, over 50,000 layoffs were announced. 50,000 in one day.

Hello, recession!

So now Congress and the president want to spend another $825 billion. But what's this from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

In 2009, the new "stimulus" package will result in total spending of barely $26 billion of the $825 billion. That's about 3.2% of the total "stimulus." How is that supposed to jolt the economy?

In 2010 -- the year of the mid-term elections -- another $110 billion will be spent or 13.3%.

So in two years only 16.5% of the $825 billion will have been spent; that leaves 83.5% of the money left to spend in the last 2 years of Obama's administration.

That's a whopping $688.9 billion to spend right before this administration faces a reelection.

The timing is not a coincidence. It is nothing more than a political ploy.

Worse still is what the CBO reports as the benefits of this "stimulus" package. Consider:

Only $30 billion or 3.6% will be spent on roads and highways.

Only 2% will be spent on development of "clean" energy.

Where is the majority of the money going: federal programs -- to buy new computers and replace federal cars with more energy-efficient ones; to help fund Amtrak and buy new uniforms for the TSA; several million is going to NASA and billions are being poured into federal programs that have yet and may never produce one single job.

What the president and the Democrats in Congress are doing is using FEAR to get Americans to support a political power grab that is sure to entrench the Democrats in power for decades to come.

FEAR -- False Evidence Appearing Real

Don't fall for their ploy. Don't accept their false evidence. Demand accountability. Demand real bipartsianship.

Bipartisanship We Can Believe, Part II

2009-01-26T09:41:00.004-05:00

Illinois, unlike Washington, DC, has discovered true bipartianship. We can thank Gov. Rod Blagojevich ("Blago") for this.

The governor's impeachment trial begins today at noon in Springfield, IL. The IL State Senate will sit in judgement of Blago for his alleged crime spree which includes his attempt to sell former Senator Obama's seat to the highest bidder. There are other "abuses of power" alleged by the IL House in its impeachment report, most of them spanning both terms of the governor.

It was the attempted sale of the Senate seat that finally spurred the IL General Assembly to action. Well, that and the arrest of Blago in the early morning hours of December 9th. Had the arrest not occurred, I seriously doubt Blago would be facing the state senate today.

In point of fact, however, he's decided NOT to face the state senators. In a bizarro claim of constitutional malfeasance and injustice, Blago is instead making the media rounds today, trying to present his case directly to the people. I doubt most Americans much care what happens in IL, but Blago makes interesting TV and radio. He has a vaunted media team on his side, despite the fact that his primary lawyer basically fired him as a client last week.

What's up with the craziness? First, the conclusion of the IL State Senate trial is a foregone conclusion. Blago will be found guilty, probably by the end of this week, since he is choosing not to mount any defense. The senators will easily meet the informal deadline of removing Blago from office before Lincoln's 200th birthday on Feb. 12th.

Mounting a defense in the state senate is virtually pointless for Blago. At best he might sway 1, possibly 2 votes away from conviction, but that'd be a real long shot. He has no family or friends in that chamber, unlike a sister-in-law in the IL House (she was the only representative to vote against his impeachment).

Better to spend his time making a case about injustice and unfairness via the media. Appeal directly to the potential jury pool that will be called when his federal criminal trial begins later this year or in 2010. It's an absurd attempt, assuming people will remember this months or years from now. But what else has the man got to do in the waning days and hours of his administration?

A better answer is that Blago is instead delivering a calculated message to IL politicians and a few in the Obama administration, too. If he goes down, he will not go down alone. His abuses of power were not solo acts and like any good politician, he knows where more than a few skeletons are buried.

Blago is certain to lose his job as governor -- no amount of threats will stop that. He will certainly be barred from seeking public office in IL again. A worse fate though awaits him in his federal trial: prison.

He will not go down easily or quietly. His demands to be able to call witnesses in his impeachment trial this week like Rahm Emmanual, Valerie Jarrett and Jesse Jackson, Jr. are not so subtle signals to the powers that be that he is more than willing to say anything and implicate anyone else to save his own skin. He knows much and is willing to spill it to get whatever deal he can get.

The Blago drama will not end with his removal from office. That's only Act I in this drama.

Bipartisanship We Can Believe

2009-01-26T06:26:00.002-05:00

From a campaign filled with the words hope, change and bipartisanship to an administration filled with:

"I won."

"I will trump you on that."

"You can't just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done."

Wow, what a change a week makes. Well, actually less than a week. I suppose the honeymoon's over before it ever began. And so is all the talk and hype from the campaign to stamp out the partisan bickering in Washington.

Welcome to the reality of the Obama administration. He's actually using a rather clever strategy to isolate Republicans and even some moderate to leaning conservative Democrats (if any exist). The idea is to follow Rule 11 of Saul Alinksy's "Rules for Radicals" (http://www.vcn.bc.ca/citizens-handbook/rules.html):

Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, polarize it. Don’t try to attack abstract corporations or bureaucracies. Identify a responsible individual. Ignore attempts to shift or spread the blame.

Obama is following this tactic to the letter.

Don't allow debate about the actual topic, in this case, the nearly TRILLION dollar "stimulus" package Obama wants to ram through Congress. Instead create a distraction, such as Rush Limbaugh, or polarize it by claiming to be able to trump any opposition. If this doesn't work, then denigrate the private sector. Excoriate Merrill Lynch for spending $1.2 million to rennovate an executive suite, even though such action provided numerous jobs for contractors, designers, laborers, decorators -- all direct stimulation to the economy.

Obama's stimulus plan is truly just a "pork-ulus" plan. The Office of Management and Budget has rejected this plan and says the vast majority of this stuff is not going to get spent 'til after 2010 or 2011, and 2010 just happens to be reelection year.

We've already passed one stimulus plan that has done nothing to rescue the country from recession and now we are getting ready to spend another trillion dollars. Why? Because the government simply cannot understand that it is impossible for them to spend their way to prosperity.

Sadly, Obama is right. He won. He has the votes to pass whatever he wants, despite the lame opposition that Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid voiced. Their bleating that they will not be a rubber stamp for the Obama administration is like dust in the wind. Whatever Obama asks for, Congress will pass.

That's the new bipartisanship in Washington.

I won. So get over it and just give me what I want.

And like the reporters in the White House press room discovered last Thursday, don't dare question the president. "I didn't come down here today to answer questions."

Remember... this is truly an imperial presidency. Obama rules, reporters drool.

Hopium: the Opiate of the People

2009-01-23T07:40:00.003-05:00

("Hopium" is not original to me. I have borrowed it from John Kass, a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.)

Karl Marx once opined: "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people."

Karl Marx was quite wrong. It isn't religion; it is "Hopium."

Hopium is what the Obama administration is selling the masses by the brick and in some cases, where there is financial hardship, giving it away for nothing. Hopium is the new opium of a reborn America.

Like any other drug, hopium is seductively addictive and provides users with feelings of euphoria in the midst of day-to-day drudgery. Hopium provides instant insight into a fantasy world where we arrive at "that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right." (from Rev. Joseph Lowery's inaugural benediction)

Sadly, few care to see or recognize the true results of hopium dependency. However, one does not need a crystal ball or fortune teller or psychic hotline to see where a country addicted to hopium will end up.

Rather we need only to look to history, to the words of the Marquis de Sade in his play "Juliette." He said it much more eloquently that I ever could.

Though nature lavishes much upon your people, their circumstances are strait. But this is not the effect of their laziness; this general paralysis has its source in your policy which, from maintaining the people in dependence, shuts them out from wealth; their ills are thus rendered beyond remedy, and the political state is in a situation no less grave than the civil government, since it must seek its strength in its very weakness. Your apprehension, Ferdinand, lest someone discover the things I have been telling you leads you to exile arts and talents from your realm. You fear the powerful eye of genius, that is why you encourage ignorance. Tis opium you feed your people, so that, drugged, they do not feel their hurts, inflicted by you. And that is why where you reign no establishments are to be found giving great men to the homeland; the rewards due knowledge are unknown here, and as there is neither honor nor profit in being wise, nobody seeks after wisdom.

I have studied your civil laws, they are good, but poorly enforced, and as a result they sink into ever further decay. And the consequences thereof? A man prefers to live amidst their corruption rather than plead for their reform, because he fears, and with reason, that this reform will engender infinitely more abuses than it will do away with; things are left as they are. Nevertheless, everything goes askew and awry and as a career in government has no more attractions than one in the arts, nobody involves himself in public affairs; and for all this compensation is offered in the form of luxury, of frivolity, of entertainments. So it is that among you a taste for trivial things replaces a taste for great ones, that the time which ought to be devoted to the latter is frittered away on futilities, and that you will be subjegated sooner or later and again and again by any foe who bothers to make the effort.

Don't Ask If Government Is Too Big

2009-01-22T07:00:00.002-05:00

It's the new patriotism as defined by President Obama in his inaugural speech. "The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified."

Don't question whether government is too big because that is not patriotic, not appropriate, not right.

We must be willing to allow government to become whatever it needs to be in order to provide for every man, woman and child in America what government believes they need. This is the way America should work, must work and will work. This is the new, rebuilt America.

Such blind faith in government is faith that is not only blind but woefully misplaced. It requires us to cast aside our own beliefs to accept someone else's beliefs. No room for disagreement, debate or disillusionment.

It is time for a new America where an all-powerful, all-compassionate, all-knowing government dispenses economic prosperity for one and all. This is the new popular sentiment as the MSM describes it. It is a message as from almighty God for our weary and war-torn nation.

It is interesting that Obama's speech yet included this line: "To those who cling to power through corruption, to those who cling to power through deceit, to those who cling to power through the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history."

To whom was he referring? I could offer a multitude of names from both sides of the aisle and from all corners and crevices of Washington. What of those who would cling to power through the silencing of dissent? Is that not what President Obama himself is calling for in his speech?

For nearly 8 years I've listened to the liberals and leftists throwing around one of Teddy Roosevelt's famous lines in reference to their dissent and even disrespect of former President Bush.

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."

I hope the MSM, the liberals, the Democrats, the Repubicans in name only and leftists are prepared to have this quote tossed back in their faces -- frequently. It will be a pleasure to return the favor.

Spending Our Way To Prosperity

2009-01-21T08:28:00.002-05:00

According to Time, we are now looking at FDR redux. Supposedly, President Obama will now lead our country to a new era of success and prosperity. Rather high expectations if you ask me.

Yet it reflects the standard liberal myth that the government is the primary catalyst for the economy. If the government spends enough money, it will jump-start a sluggish economy back on the road to prosperity for all.

Sadly, too many people believe or rather buy into this myth.

What they fail to realize is that the government is a huge non-profit enterprise that produces nothing of value in goods and services.

It is, for all intents and purposes, just a giantic charity that has been given the right to siphon money from the pockets of hard-working Americans to support its free-spending habits.

Imagine for a moment any other charity with this ability: the Red Cross or Make A Wish or Juvenile Diabetes or American Cancer Society. All of these and many more are certainly worthy charities.

Yet they are supported by free will donations from individuals and companies. They depend, as it were, on the kindness of strangers.

Not so the government. It has the right to take from every working American long before you see the first dime of the money you worked so hard to earn.

Before you even see your paycheck, the government has snatched its hefty cut, leaving you to subsist on the meager remains.

No other charity or non-profit organization in the world operates like that.

And no other one spends as wildly and with reckless abandon as does the government. So much so that we have topped the TRILLION mark for a deficit for the first time in history.

Last year Congress voted to spend trillions of your dollars ... money you worked hard to provide for you and your families' food, shelter and clothing. Much of it was given away to programs that show little if any value or return on investment.

That giant sucking sound you hear is the money being flushed down a toilet... which is basically what happens to 90% of our tax dollars.

Yesterday, President Obama said we shouldn't ask how big government is but whether or not it works.

That's all fine, well and good. As long as when the answer comes back that no it isn't working, they do something to fix it.

The first 100 days have started.

What will be fixed? What will be left alone? How much more money will be wasted before this waste is stopped?

Not Just Another Day in Washington, D.C.

2009-01-20T07:01:00.002-05:00

January 20, 2009. A truly historic day in many respects and for many reasons. While most marvel and celebrate what is called an historic occasion, which I do not deny, I would choose to marvel and celebrate something else.

The inauguration of this nation's first black president is truly historic and certainly it was not something I ever expected to see in my lifetime. It is a great moment for our country, but there is something far greater happening today.

I refer to the peaceful and orderly transition of power. After 8 years in office, President Bush will hand over the duties and office of the President of the United States at 12 noon today to his successor, Barack H. Obama. At 12:01 p.m., we will have a new president and the former president will become just that -- another former president.

It is a remarkable event full of pomp and ceremony. Yet, it is remarkable even more so when one considers that in many other countries this would never happen. In some countries, the transition of governments is accomplished via gunfire and bloodshed. The concept of democracy is a sham and government leaders serve as long as they can maintain their stranglehold on power.

Not so in America, despite what a few paranoid people would have us believe. There've been no last-minute presidential orders declaring a state of emergency so that President Bush can remain in power indefinitely. A new Congress was sworn in and nearly all the elected or appointed Senators are serving.

The Bush family has already moved all their personal possessions out of the White House. All that remains are some suitcases of their clothes. President and Mrs. Bush are ready to resume a semi-private life in a suburb of Dallas, TX this afternoon. The Obama family will begin settling in at the White House this evening.

This is a remarkable historic day for us. For the 44th time in our history, we change administrations. Not with bullets and cannons, but with the ballot box.

That's the way democracy works and it is a dream that many countries would love to emulate.

What A Difference One Letter Makes

2009-01-15T05:38:00.002-05:00

In the American alphabet, one would think that like all men & women, all letters are created equal. While I hate being the bearer of bad news, it pains me to say this is simply not true.

In politics and the media, the letter "D" is much more powerful, attractive, respected and admired than the letter "R". That's just the way it is.

Consider...

In 2005 the media had fits of anguish that the incoming Bush administration was spending $40 million on inaugural ceremonies. Words such as "disgrace" and "wasteful" were used. Writers asked how that money could be better spent on things like tsunami relief or for move Humvees for the war. Such spending was considered unseemly and extragavant when the nation faced a then record deficit of $412 billion.

BTW, there was the letter "R" to designate with which party that administration was affiliated.

Fast forward to 2009 and the incoming Obama administration is spending more than three times what was spent in 2005. Because the letter "D" is used to designate this administration, the rhetoric is far different. We hear words like "historic", "celebration", "glitz" and "momentous."

Amazingly there are no stories about how many armored vests $150 million would buy or how many starving children in Africa could be fed. Not one word about a new record deficit, record home foreclosures, and high unemployment.

All because of the letter "D".

Consider the number of scandals and problems that have plagued the Obama transition team: Blago, Richardson, Giethner, Clinton, et. al. If there were an "R" after any of these names, there'd be a shortage of trees and lumber in a 5 state area surrounding Washington as that other political party and the media built pyres on which to burn their opponents.

Yet, we hear that it's just some "honest mistakes" or nothing to worry about. What a difference a letter makes.

The hypocrisy is so deep I'm fearful my hip-waders won't keep me dry much longer.

Happy Days Are Here Again

2009-01-09T14:09:00.002-05:00

Happy days are here again
Blago's impeached by the IL House
Soon he'll be the ex-governor
Happy days are here again!

By a vote of 114-1 (with 1 person voting Present -- probably in honor of President-elect Barack H. Obama), the Illinois House approved the impeachment of Gov. Rod. Blagojevich (D-IL). The one person who voted "No" said he didn't have any first-hand knowledge of the evidence.

That probably means he failed to get his "pay" for play. Bummer!

The Democrats effectively control the IL General Assembly and have for over 6 years enabled Blago to practice the venerable political art of "pay for play." If anyone thinks for a moment that this art form is particular to Illinois, let me assure you nothing is further from the truth. Just look at the current examples from NY and NM which hit the news.

Pay for play in politics is everywhere. Usually, it's not uncovered, not discussed, and not prosecuted. Because that's how politics works in America. And how it works in IL.

So what makes this case so different? Gov. Blago violated the cardinal rule of pay for play: When you pay for play in IL (or any state for that matter), it STAYS in the state.

You don't go trying to expand your little fiefdom outside the borders of the state, especially not at the federal level. That was Rod's big mistake -- he got too greedy. He thought he could score the "Big One" -- the pay for play of all time: a Senate seat.

Greed got him caught. And now he's going to pay. Finally.

Sadly, those who've enabled him and participated in other pay for play schemes are -- so far -- untouched. It remains to be seen what Blago will say in the coming months to save his sorry posterior. So far he's kept quiet, but now the heat is being turned up. Blago may be greedy, but it is also a cunning politician.

On January 14th, Blago will perform one more duty as governor of IL: he will convene the IL State Senate into session -- the same session that will conduct his impeachment trial.

There is speculation that Rod might run that day, just like he did this morning as the IL House voted to impeach him. By refusing to convene the IL Senate, he might hope to delay his inevitable trial and removal from office.

Democrat leaders in IL are prepared to order the IL State Police to arrest Blago and bring him, under arrest, to the state senate chambers if necessary.

If you think this scenario is not probable, you probably don't live in Illinois. I am not sure what the over/under is on this scenario, but I'd be willing to wager that he will pull something next Wednesday.

The trial is expected to last 3 weeks. Yes, it will run through Jan. 20th and sadly will cast a shadow over that momentous day. Sadly that cannot be helped.

Hopefully, however, IL will be rid of Blago as governor before February 12, Lincoln's 200th birthday.

If that happens, I imagine old Abe would smile.

Silent Night, Barry's Quiet

2009-01-08T07:31:00.002-05:00

Silent night, Barry's quiet,
Rockets roar at Hamas' doors,
Israel invades the Gaza Strip
Hamas lobs more rockets quick,
Why is Barry so silent
On this issue of import(ance).

Seriously, folks, it seems odd to me that few in the MSM are asking why President-elect Barack H. Obama is willing to stomp all over domestic/economic policy but is incredibly deferential and oddly silent on foreign policy. Obama's answer:

"We can't have two administrations running foreign policy at the same time. Until I take office, it would be imprudent of me to start sending out signals that somehow we are running foreign policy when I am not legally authorized to do so."

So let me get this straight: it's imprudent to talk about foreign policy as president-elect, but it is perfectly fine to address domestic policy. On domestic issues, it's acceptable to have 2 administrations running at the same time. On foreign issues, not so much. Huh?

Chuck Todd from NBC, asked, "The situation in Gaza is getting worse out there, fighting's resumed this morning. When are you gonna talk about? What are you going to do about it?" That's when he got Obama's two administrations at the same time answer.

Odd that Obama feels legally authorized to not just send signals, but practically make demands about a $1 trillion+ stimulus package, especially when the country is facing a $1 trillion deficit. He is all over Washington twisting arms and pumping hands to get his domestic agenda going. Supposedly, the logic is the country's financial woes cannot wait until 12:01 p.m. January 20, 2009. His work -- his mighty mission -- must start now. Money must be allocated and printed and prepared to be spent. Money talks. Money greases the wheels of the economy. Gotta act today.

However, Palestinian and Israeli men, women and worse still, children are being killed every hour since 12/27/08 and Obama has not uttered so much as a peep about it.

Obama can utter a lot of statements about whether or not Roland Burris should be keeping his old Senate seat warm. Obama was against Burris before he was for Burris -- but what's a little waffling among friends.

It's OK to have 2 presidents on domestic issues, especially when it concerns money and Senate seats. But not when it involves human life.

Chuck Todd, NBC: "Are you worried that the Palestinians, though, are interpreting your silence in --" (here the president-elect cuts him off mid-thought)

Obama: "Chuck, as a -- you know, there are -- I can't control how people interpret, uh, what I'm saying, other than to repeat what I've said, and hope that they hear what I'm say, uh -- hear my message."

What message is that? You have not said anything, so what is the world supposed to hear from the sounds of silence. The only logical interpretation anyone can come to is that you support Israel's actions. Which it not a bad thing in my mind, except that Obama seems so terribly reluctant to actually say it aloud.

To be fair, Obama did continue his non-answer answer: "The silence is not as a consequence of a lack of concern. In fact, it's not silence. I've explained very clearly exactly what institutional constraints I'm under when it comes to this issue."

Gotcha! Silence is not silence when you speak to give a non-answer answer.

More change we can believe in, folks, straight from the president-elect's own mouth.

At least we now have a clear understanding of his priorities.

#1 priority: MONEY

Lowest, least, last priority: HUMAN LIFE

More Democrat Backpedaling

2009-01-08T05:27:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I referenced Lester Maddox, a late former governor of Georgia, who was well known for a somewhat unique skill: he was able to ride a bicycle backwards somewhat easily. What that had to do with politics I don't know, but it provides a nice backdrop for what the Senate Democrats and the president-elect are now doing.

It's called back-pedaling and they could take some lessons from old Lester.

The entire Roland (I'm the magic man) Burris fiasco could have been avoided easily. Eight days ago, Obama and Senate Democrat leaders saw Gov. Blagojevich (D-IL) as so politically damaged that they announced they would reject anyone he appointed to finish Obama's term. Every Democrat senator signed a letter to the same effect.

Bad move. Now, in private, many are admitting the same. Let the backpedaling begin!

The Senate underestimated Blago's cunning. He may be wounded, but he is also cornered. It's never a good idea to mess with a wounded and cornered politician. Those who have little or nothing left to lose can leave some nasty marks on their opponents.

The Democrats attempted to use a play from the 2008 Republican political playbook: guilt by association. Blago is accused of trying to sell Obama's seat to the highest bidder, therefore, Burris -- appointed by Blago -- is guilty by association or "tainted."

They already figured that Burris would be a weak candidate in 2010 for election, thus making this seat available for a Republican to pick up. Reid and company wanted a stronger candidate, giving them a better chance at the highly desired supermajority.

They didn't count on Rep. Bobby Rush coming in as a wild card to throw down the race card. They also didn't expect Burris to assume the role of the martyr in this drama. Both wild cards made Burris a sympathetic figure in the national media.

Immediately the question was raised: how can the Senate Democrats refuse to seat another Democrat who is black and is replacing the only black Senator?

Further, no one has been able to dig up any dirt or sleaze on Burris -- not even so much as a parking ticket. The man is so politically clean he probably squeaks. In the media he comes across as likable and non-confrontational.

Quite unlike Reid and friends.

Quickly the Democrats resolve began to crumble as their plans fell apart. Seeing the writing on the wall, Reid hastily arranged a meeting with Burris probably to patch things up. Seeking to turn the spotlight off his own missteps, Reid tossed the ball back to the IL Supreme Court to wait on their decision on whether Sec. of State Jesse White's signature was needed.

Reid and friends don't want to take responsibility for waiving their own rules.

How many more hurdles will Burris need to overcome to be seated? For some odd reason, Reid seems insistent that the entire Senate vote to seat Burris. It will be interesting to see if the same standard is applied to Al Franken or to whomever is appointed from CO, NY and DE. If not, I wonder if anyone will dare question Reid as to why a vote on Burris but no one else?

In assessing his behavior in all this, Reid seemed a bit petulant. "How are we supposed to react? We've acted in a very reasonable way."

Right. I suppose the same could be said for every child's (or childish) temper tantrum.

Update on yesterday's prediction: Burris is unlikely to be seated by the end of this week, although signs point to Blago being impeached by week's end. I now believe Burris will be sworn in and seated by the end of January. Ideally, by Jan. 19th, but only if Obama puts some pressure on Reid. Blago will be removed from office before Lincoln's birthday.

Political Hypocrisy On All Sides

2009-01-07T05:30:00.006-05:00

It's not red, blue or purple. Political hypocrisy comes in all colors and flavors served up regularly for our country and world to see. Sometimes one has to laugh about it to keep from crying. A few noteworthy items of late...

Item 1: The Great Unasked Question

A politician proposes new spending plans, tax cuts, government hiring programs. What is the reaction of the main stream media and those who populate Washington?

If the politician in question has the letter "R" beside their name, as in Republican, the hue and cry rises from shore to shore: How are we going to pay for this?

If the politician in question has the letter "D" beside their name, as in Democrat, the reaction is the sound of silence.

President-elect Obama has proposed nearly $1 trillion more in spending, nearly 600,000 new government jobs and $300 billion in tax cuts. Amazingly not a single politician, pundit, journalist, or talking head has asked the How are we going to pay for this question.

Why not?

Item 2: Practice what you preach

A politician appears to win a tight election by a narrow victory and in the acceptance speech calls on the opponent to "do the right thing" and step aside. Unfortunately, the narrow victory requires a recount, which appears to overturn the original outcome. The original winner, instead of accepting defeat and stepping aside, now threatens to file lawsuits.

Thank you, Sen. Norm Coleman, for providing a fine "red" example of hypocrisy. When you were winning it was all well and good to expect Al Franken to just step aside and forgo filing any lawsuits over the election.

Now the tables are turned and instead of graciously accepting the will (and abject stupidity) of the people of MN, you are going to file a lawsuit over the recount. A margin of victory of 200+ votes is small, but if certified by the state, it is final. Do the right thing, Sen. Coleman, and be gracious in defeat. In six years you can try again.

Item 3: Lester Maddox Redux (sans the Axe Handle)

If you are too young, you will need to Google "Lester Maddox" to understand this item. (Go ahead -- the blog will be here when you get back.)

Sen. (Dingy) Harry Reid pulled a "Lester Maddox" in slamming the door in Senator-designate Roland Burris' face yesterday. The only thing missing was the infamous axe handle, but given Reid's and the Democrat Party's record of hypocrisy an axe handle is superfluous. Reid and the Dems are very pro-minority -- well, at least as long as the minorities in question keep their place, if you know what I mean.

It appears that Senator-wannabe Burris was getting a bit too uppidy for Sen. Reid, so Reid had to put Burris in his place. At least on behalf of the current all lily-white Senate, that is.

Of course, there are "Rules" to uphold and the lack of a signature on some paperwork is an overwhelming affront to the dignity and decorum of such an august body.

Nevermind the fact that Reid made it abundantly clear to the IL governor that replacing a black male senator with another black male was unacceptable. He might be able to tolerate a woman, but a black man would simply not do.

Once again Democrat hyprocrisy on display in all its glory.

My prediction: Burris will be sworn in and seated before the end of this week. Reid's iron grip is already crumbling with Sen. Feinstein leaving the fold. A couple of meetings today and I expect an announcement in time for the evening news.

The Senate Dems really should look for a new majority leader. Reid is nothing but an embarrassment.

Hyprocrisy... we're all guilty at one time or another. It's just that some displays are so blatant.

UPDATE: CBS reports: "Senate Democrats plan to accept Roland Burris for President-elect Barack Obama's vacant seat.Burris was scheduled to meet Wednesday with the Senate's top two Democrats -- Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and assistant leader Dick Durbin of Illinois -- on Wednesday, a day after his paperwork was rejected at the opening of the 111th Congress. Senate officials in both parties, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for Senate members, said there is a growing expectation on Capitol Hill that the saga will end with Burris being seated. "

With Apologies to Frank Capra, et. al.

2009-01-06T05:35:00.005-05:00

It's the headline du jour: "Mr. Burris Goes To Washington", referring obviously to Senator-hopeful Roland Burris (D-IL), appointee and political foil/sacrificial lamb/human shield of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-IL). Sadly enough, Burris is no Jimmy Stewart/Mr. Smith and mores the pity. The Senate could use a few dozen Mr. Smith's right now.

This political circus plays out at a time when America is finally throwing out the old race-baiting political playbooks of the past. For the first time in our history, the country anticipates the inauguration of our first black president. Illinois has led the country in sending minority politicans to Washington, including the last two black Senators.

Yet to the dismay of most of us, Blago has dug deep into the political trash to pull out chapter 1 of race-baiting politics in appointing Burris to fill Obama's unfinished term. In a sad, perverse way he tweaks the nose of the now all-white Senate by daring them not to seat its only black member. Caught between a rock and a hard place, the Senate is now scrambling to find (or negotiate) a way out of this impasse.

A simple solution to end this carnival side show is for IL Secretary of State Jesse White to simply certify the legal appointment of Burris. Certainly White will have to hold his nose while signing the certification paperwork. No one wants to send a politically tainted appointee to the Senate and Burris is just that.

Nonetheless, Gov. Blagojevich, although under investigation, having been arrested, soon to be impeached and most likely indicted by April, remains the governor of IL. Per the state's constitution he has the authority to make this appointment, distasteful as it may be. Anyone with a modicum of morality knows Blago's actions in trying to sell the seat to the highest bidder was wrong.

However, the IL Democrats sat on their hands for years while Blago wildly exercised and abused his powers as governor. The IL Sen. Majority Leader, Mike Madigan, even chaired Blago's reelection committee, helping him to a 2nd term and basically approving his "pay-to-play" political games.

So all their bluster and condemnation today of Blago's activities is beyond hypocritical. Even after he was arrested, the Democrats sat on their hands and did nothing to strip him of his appointment powers or call for a special election. They are complicit in this circus of madness.

It was for all intents and purposes a legal appointment and should be recognized, as disgusting as that may be. Burris is all too anxious to add "U.S. Senator" to his political tombstone, so why should anyone stand in his way. Once seated, there are no Constitutional requirements that he be given any committee appointments or responsibilities. Any legislation he writes can easily be bottled up or killed in committee. He can serve until 2010, when the people of IL will gladly return him to his political exile.

Sadly, Roland Burris is a 20-watt bulb in a 100-watt world. His own pronouncements over the past few days amply demonstrate this:

"We are the junior senator from Illinois."
"No one is more qualified for this job than me."
"I am the magic man."
"This is all politics and theater, but I am the junior senator according to every law book in the nation."
"I am a United States senator. They can't stop me from doing my senatorial duties."
"We are hoping and praying that they will not be able to deny what the Lord has ordained."

What more can be said? MN appears poised to send Al Franken to the Senate and IL is trying its darndest to send Burris.

Now more than ever the Senate truly is looking more and more like a carnival side show.

2009: A Good Year To Be Red

2009-01-05T07:27:00.003-05:00

2009 is already starting out to be a good year to be "red." In IL, Gov. Blago continues to make a spectacle of himself and the Democrats by trying (in vain) to be the head of state. The impeachment proceedings roll on with the Lt. Governor, Pat Quinn, openly hoping that Blago will be removed by Feb. 12th -- honest Abe's 200th birthday.

We can only hope.

In NM, Bill Richardson is facing his own "pay to play" scandal and did the appropriate thing: he withdrew his name for Secretary of Commerce and handed the incoming administration its first embarrassing moment. A federal grand jury is investigating how a California company that contributed to Richardson's political activities won a lucrative New Mexico state contract. Seems that Republicans are not the only ones who can goof up vetting.

Then there's the ongoing saga of Charlie ("Ethics are for schmucks") Rangel. The latest ethical lapse he's accused of swirls around how he sought a donation for a public service center built in his honor from a firm with business before his committee. The House ethics committee continues to struggle with Charlie's ideas of what is and is not proper behavior for a Congressperson.

The Clinton's are back in the news, too. The NY Times reports: "An upstate New York developer donated $100,000 to former President Bill Clinton’s foundation in November 2004, around the same time that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton helped secure millions of dollars in federal assistance for the businessman’s mall project. Mrs. Clinton helped enact legislation allowing the developer, Robert J. Congel, to use tax-exempt bonds to help finance the construction of the Destiny USA entertainment and shopping complex, an expansion of the Carousel Center in Syracuse. Mrs. Clinton also helped secure a provision in a highway bill that set aside $5 million for Destiny USA roadway construction. The bill with the tax-free bonds provision became law in October 2004, weeks before the donation, and the highway bill with the set-aside became law in August 2005, about nine months after the donation."

Incredibly coincidental timing as always with the Clintons.

Meanwhile, Fox News is reporting that Sen. Harry Reid was active in attempting to influence Gov. Blagojevich's Senate seat selection. It is reported that Reid made it clear he did NOT want Jesse Jackson, Jr. in the vacant seat. The phone call (one and only one) took place on Dec. 3 -- six days before Blago was arrested. As usual, Reid is at a loss to explain his actions or why he was so concerned about keeping Jackson, Jr. out of the Senate.

NY's governor is juggling the difficult decision of which caretaker to appoint to Hillary's soon-to-be-open Senate seat: her husband or Caroline ("I'm entitled by birth") Kennedy. Either way, NY loses.

Roland ("I'm not electable to any office") Burris is heading to Washington to claim his Senate seat. Rather than drag this out for months with Senate inquiries and lawsuits, Reid and the Senate Democrats should just seat him. Roland ("We are the junior Senator from IL") Burris (his quote, not mine BTW) is an empty suit and quite capable of fulfilling the only task for which he is imminently qualified: keeping a seat warm for a couple of years. Yes, he will go down in defeat in 2010, but the people of IL have suffered with a part-time junior Senator for most of the last 4 years. At least Burris has the desire to show up for work on a regular basis.

Finally, but not laughably, it appears Al Franken is headed to the Senate. As if that institution were not already enough of a joke, the good people of MN saw fit to share Franken with the entire country. Maybe Reid can find a committee position worthy of Mr. Franken's immeasurable talents -- something along the lines of chairman of the sub-committee on waste disposal. Franken has outstanding qualifications in that area.

It's going to be a very good year to be "red."

Bailouts Are Bad Business

2008-12-31T08:21:00.002-05:00

Thanks to a bout with insomnia, I happened upon an interesting BBC America show, Dragon's Den. The premise of the show is that inventors of almost anything make a pitch to 5 multimillionares. These 5 individuals are in their own right accomplished businesspeople in their own fields. These individuals may choose to invest in the inventor's company, if the inventor can convince them of their product's worth.

If only we had our own Dragon's Den for the Big 3 automakers. Alas, we instead have Congress and more's the pity.

Politicians are incredibly poor businesspeople. I considered the way the congressional committees questioned the Big 3 CEO's against how the Dragon's Den 5 questioned the inventors.

Politicians unfortunately play to the camera and to the soundbite. They and their staffs strive to elicit the day's quote or media moment that might propel the politician into the evening news spotlight for a few seconds. Why else do they flock to an open microphone like vultures to a rotting carcass? They know nothing and care not about gross sales figures, net profits, unit production costs or wholesale prices.

Those are just some of the questions the so-called "dragons" posed to the brave inventors who entered their den. Those who were prepared with the information fared better than those who stumbled. The inventors -- few though they may be -- who left with actual investments did so because they proved they had completed their homework.

They had done their market analysis.
They had successfully prototyped and initially marketed a useful or necessary product.
They had done the math, run the numbers, performed critical analysis of projected sales.
They knew their competition and their audience.

Not so with the Big 3, especially Chrysler. Their full page ads in newspapers across the country this week -- thanking America for the bailout -- simply shows how out of touch they are.

Do they think we are so naive as to believe that in 3 months they will do what they have not accomplished in over 3 decades?

Bailouts are inherently anti-capitalistic. In a true free market, capitalist economy, success is rewarded and failure is punished.

In America, we reward failure with bailouts so the company (or individuals) can continue the failure.

We are too stupid to learn from our mistakes so we are forever doomed to repeat them.

We are too complacent with our elected officials so we continue to re-elect them so they can continue to reward failure.

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Most animals can be trained to perform or avoid behaviors with effective positive or negative reinforcements.

Unfortunately, we are too far evolved for that.

The Audacity of Arrogance

2008-12-30T16:50:00.003-05:00

So Gov. Blago (D-IL) has rejected the wise counsel offered him both publicly and privately to forego appointing anyone to President-elect Obama's vacant Senate seat. This afternoon, the governor seemed to proudly announce his appointment of Roland Burris to this seat. As many in IL would tell you, this would be the only route that Burris would ever find to acquiring a Senate seat, his electoral chances being two: slim and none.

Let's not ignore his campaigning for this seat with Gov. Blago. Burris made it more than abundantly clear what his aspirations were and sadly the governor was more than willing to listen. Then act.

Neither the governor nor Burris seemed remotely concerned by the fact that previously and again today, the IL Secretary of State, Jesse White, said he would not certify this appointment. This is not some rubber stamp of approval, but rather a legal requirement for someone who is appointed to the Senate. Without Secretary White's imprimatur, Blago's appointment has all the legal weight of a helium-filled balloon.

I hope Mr. Burris has not been apartment-hunting in D.C. just yet.

Another hurdle that is seemingly impossible to overcome is the Senate itself, which announced that it would vote not to seat Burris should the unthinkable happen and Sec. White's signature find its way on the appropriate paperwork (forgery notwithstanding).

I hope Mr. Burris purchased refundable tickets for his flight to D.C. I'm just saying...

The incredible arrogance displayed by the governor in light of the impending impeachment, the calls for his resignation, and the impossibility of his appointment being fulfilled is beyond astounding. But such is politics in Illinois, the land of Lincoln and now Obama.

Blago is but one pimple on a political face ravaged and pock-marked by terminal acne. IL politics has been corrupt for so long that it exists almost outside of time and space. The political machine in IL has its tentacles wrapped so tightly around almost everything that happens in this state that it is practically impossible to get anything done via legal means anymore.

The sadder truth is this is the birthplace of the political career of President-elect Obama and this is the political birthright bestowed upon him. He cut his political teeth in the machine politics in IL and leveraged it's power to vault from the IL General Assembly to the Senate. Those who may believe that he escaped the taint of the political corruption that oozes and squirts from every political pore and pimple in this state are beyond naive.

Gov. Blago is simply the latest IL pol to have been caught flaunting his excesses. As much as power corrupts, it also breeds contempt, which the governor has displayed amply today by his actions. Yet it is the same contempt which most politicians hold, but are usually wiser in avoiding displays of it.

Contempt, corruption and arrogance... all on display in one single, futile act of a politically drowning governor. As I sat watching the movie Frost/Nixon today, I couldn't help but think of the similarities between Nixon and Blago. Different levels to be sure, but similar in their thought processes, arrogance and utter disregard for the people.

Elections Have Consequences

2008-12-23T02:31:00.005-05:00

This title is not original to me; it comes from Rush Limbaugh. I don't always agree with everything Rush says, but this one thought does resonate with me. Elections do have consequences.

By electing Obama as our next president, we have effectively laid low the argument that the president needs to be a person of experience. Not any more. In the past, the American people have broken a number of barriers, but always seemed to select a person with a lengthy resume. It seems that is no longer necessary.

Obama's election opened a seat in the Senate which led to the downfall of yet another IL governor. Although he refuses to resign, Gov. Blago's days are numbered as the IL General Assembly contemplates impeachment.

Obama's open Senate seat also led to IL becoming fodder for late night talk show hosts and comedians everywhere. But far worse, it exposed the dirty underbelly of IL pay-for-play politics to the country and the world. One can hope that this scandal will result in change, but I've lived in IL for too many years to hold out much hope.

Elections have consequences.

Obama's election resulted in another open Senate seat -- this one in NY. With Hillary moving to SecState, Caroline Kennedy is poised to join her uncle Ted in the Senate. Qualifications be damned, experience remember means nothing anymore in politics. The fact that Caroline's resume could fit on a 3 by 5 card with room left for Grandma's secret recipe for a super-juicy turkey AND her pumpkin pie should not be a problem. What experience did Hillary bring to the job and it seems NY was happy with her.

Elections have consequences.

In MN, where people are shivering in sub-zero cold even as I type, the recount battle for one of their 2 Senate seats rages on. Al Franken may be within grasping distance of actually claiming that seat -- as frightening a prospect as that is for anyone with a modicum of sense. There is talk that even some Democrats in the Senate are fearful of a Senator Al Franken.

Elections have consequences.

Before Nov. 4th, we were told that Obama was the one we had been waiting for and hoping for. He would right wrongs, fix the economy, end the war, heal the sick, make the lame walk... well, at least some of that.

Now those high expectations are being quickly deflated with talk of more troops going to Iraq, a 16 month withdrawal timetable. and lately discussions that the economy may take up to 4 years to recover. Umm, that'd be the entire first Obama term. Of course, that'd be an economic first -- a 4+ year recession. I hope he was just joking.

Elections have consequences.

We get what we vote for although what we vote for often turns out to be something other that what we really wanted. That's the funny thing about elections and politicians. What we see is never quite what we get. Promises made are promises forgotten. Still we listen and believe and vote.

Obama's first 100 days will come and go -- rather quickly but not without notice. We will begin to see what we will really get... what we really voted for. When that starts to happen, please remember one thing:

Elections have consequences.

What Price for Tolerance

2008-12-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

My liberal friends (and yes, I have a few) tell me that my conservative views make me "less tolerant" or that I need to learn to be "more tolerant" -- I suppose, like they are when they trash conservative views or religious beliefs. This is not to say that they all do this and that none of them share some of my views or beliefs.

But it does seem to me quite often that tolerance practiced is a one-way street.

The Left is great at preaching tolerance. We're supposed to be tolerant of all sorts of things that go against the grain. If one does not believe in or support gay marriage, then one is labeled intolerant or bigoted.

Consider the latest dust-up over someone's alleged acts of intolerance: the invitation of Pastor Rick Warren, from Saddleback Church, to give the inaugural invocation on January 20th. I thought that President-elect Obama made a courageous choice of Rev. Warren in asking him to participate.

Apparently, I was wrong. At least according to Barney Frank among others.

"Giving that kind of mark of approval and honor to someone who has frankly spoken in ways I and many others have found personally very offensive, I thought that was a mistake for the president-elect to do,” said Frank, a Massachusetts Democrat.

To his credit, Obama, speaking at a Dec. 18 news conference, said he doesn’t share Warren’s views on gay rights and wants to create an atmosphere “where we can disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans.”

Wow -- disagree without being disagreeable -- sort of sounds like tolerance to me.

To his credit, Warren had the following response on Saturday: "You don't have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand."

Gee, once again sounds like tolerance to me.

And to balance things out on Jan. 20th, Obama invited invited Joseph Lowery, a Methodist minister and civil rights leader who supports same-sex marriage and gay rights, to deliver the benediction.

I'm not sure what more those who have their knickers in a knot over this would want, except obviously the ouster of Warren from the program.

But that would be -- umm-- intolerant, wouldn't it?

But I tend to forget... the Left gets to preach all about tolerance, and in doing so it relieves them from ever having to actually practice it in real life. They just demand that from everyone else who happens to disagree with them.

How very tolerant of them.

Tuesday Thoughts

2008-12-16T06:20:00.002-05:00

** As expected the Supreme Court tossed yet another birth certificate lawsuit against the now official President-elect Obama. CNN reports: "The justices without comment on Monday refused to intervene in the November 4 presidential election, dismissing the claims of Cort Wrotnowski, a resident of Greenwich, Connecticut. In his appeal, Wrotnowski claimed that because Obama’s father was a Kenyan-born British subject, the president-elect does meet the Constitution’s requirement that the president be a “natural born citizen” of the United States. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961. His mother was a U.S. citizen, born in the United States." How many more of these are out there?

** There is a "strong buy" rating on ILlaughingstock (ILLS) with super heavy buying over this past weekend. The future outlook is that ILLS will be shorted soon by ILimpeach (IMPECH) and Consolidated Victory (ConVict). Make your money while you can folks.

** According to the global warming theorists, the sudden bursts of icy cold and snow that is blanketing much of the U.S. this week is ample proof of global warming. This morning I started my car in 6 degree cold -- wind chill of -10. I could use some real warming right now.

** NY looks to implement a "fat" tax on non-diet soft drinks. $404 million in income expected. Just another wonderful example of government gone wild.

** Will Obama release the information about his transition team/staff contacts with IL Governor Rod Blagojevich? Right now all we have is his statement that there was no "inappropriate" contact. Show us the supporting evidence, Mr. President-elect.

** After 8 years of dodging the media, the pundits, the talking heads, the lawyers, Congress, the Supreme Court, et. al., is anyone really surprised that President Bush was so quick and so capable of dodging a couple of Iraqi shoes? Practice makes perfect folks!

** Why is Joe Biden still hanging onto his Senate seat? Is he planning to double-dip come Jan. 20th? I realize the office of VP is "not worth a bucket of warm spit", but it will come with a paycheck, Joe. Heck, IL is making do with one Senator and DE already has your replacement in hand. Let it go, Joe!

** A word of advice to Chicago/IL politicians from someone who knows -- Chicago's own Edward (Fast Eddie) Vrdolyak, a former Chicago alderman. "Talk to everyone like they're wearing a wire, even (your) wife!" Like several other corrupt Chicago/IL pols (are there any other kind?), Fast Eddie will be spending some time in jail. Apparently, he forgot his own advice.

IL Is #18, But We Try Harder!

2008-12-12T10:44:00.002-05:00

According to today's USA Today, Illinois is only the 18th most corrupt state in the union, based on federal crime convictions per capita. Yes, we have machine-style politics, greased palms, and it's probably easier to go to prison if you're an IL governor than a murderer... but we're not even in the big leagues of corruption.

We really have to try harder!

The #1 most corrupt state -- North Dakota.

Well that makes sense -- there's nothing much to do up there except practice corruption and freeze to death.

But seriously, USA Today reports that N.D. has 8.3 convictions per 100,000 people. Even Alaska and Louisiana fare worse than IL. We have only 3.9 convictions per 100,000 people.

Maybe the truth is we are just better at concealing our greed and corruption. After all only 3 of our governors in the last 35 years went to prison. Several got off scot-free!

And we even had a year recently when not a single Chicago alderman went to jail! Now if that doesn't restore your belief in miracles, then you are just too jaded for words.

We may be #18 today, but it's a solid 18 with a bullet. If he keeps working at it, Patrick Fitzgerald can uncover a huge cesspool of corruption with trails leading all through IL.

In 2009 we should easily break the top 10. We might even give ND a real run for the money for the #1 slot.

By the way, Nebraska -- the Corn Husker State -- is #50 with less than 0.5 convictions per 100,000 people.

If you'd like to check out the stats, go here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-12-10-corruptstates_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Thursday Red Bullets

2008-12-11T07:09:00.003-05:00

** All the pundits have diagnosed Gov. Blagojevich (D-IL) as a nut case, sociopath, lunatic, crazy person. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble, but Blago is as sane as all the other IL politicians. This is how IL politics is done. Don't let the Obama cult of personality fool you. Obama is the exception that proves the rule.

** Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) apparently didn't listen to his father closely enough. Identified as "Senate candidate 5" -- the one who allegedly offered $1 million for Obama's seat -- "Jr." as he is known in these parts is steadfastly denying the allegations. His deft denial, however, is classic Jackson. His attorney confirms his denial, but slyly added that Jackson still wants the Senate seat. The attorney, James Montgomery, said, “He’s campaigned for it, he wants it, he’s qualified for it.” And the Jackson's have quick and easy access to the $1 million, too. I'm just saying...

** The investigations continue and the body count grows. One of Blago's deputy governors quietly resigned yesterday. No explanation why. Also Blago's attorney, Bill Quinlan, has been questioned by the Feds.

** What happens next? The calls for Blago's resignation are mounting, but he will not fall on his sword. Only Republicans do that; Democrats have to be torn from office kicking and screaming. Although there are calls for impeachment, it probably will not happen in the special session of the IL General Assembly next week. The main heads of the Dems in IL are remaining strangely silent and a new Assembly convenes in January. Any impeachment action might occur then.

** Can Blago still appoint an IL senator? Sure can! But the Sec. of State Jesse White would have to confirm the appointment (unlikely). The Senate would have to seat the appointee (possible), but then they'd probably vote to expel him/her. Most likely: a special election in February '09. Expect Jackson Jr. to be on that ballot.

** What happened to Chicago's 2016 Olympic hopes? Hear that giant flushing sound? Remember the FBI's Robert Grant quote of the day from Tuesday: "If [Illinois] isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's one hell of a competitor." YIKES!

** If you have not read the complaint, read it here: http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/iln/
I'm having a hard time selecting my "favorite" section. I enjoyed his musing about being appointed an ambassador -- that's sort of classic. The whole thing will give you a good look inside the way IL politics really works. If you live in IL, it just makes you sick. If you don't, it'll make you glad you live elsewhere.

Land of Lincoln or Land of Corruption?

2008-12-10T06:25:00.003-05:00

Gov. Blagojevich (D) of my home state (IL) is charged with a "political corruption crime spree." Why am I not surprised?

In IL, if you are a politician that is not under investigation, you probably should be investigated. Political corruption is a way of life in IL. The IL "combine" does not refer to farm equipment -- it's the term used to describe the machine politics that spilled out of Chicago into Springfield (the state capitol).

The "nice" thing about political corruption in IL -- it's bipartisan! Our previous governor, a Republican, is serving time in prison for a licenses for bribes scandal. His greed led to the deaths of a van of innocent children who were literally burned to death. Their van struck some debris that fell off a truck driven by someone who paid a bribe to get a trucker's license in IL. Now George Ryan spends his retirement in prison.

Three governors in 35 years went from the governor's mansion to prison. The others probably escaped by being only slightly more artful in their corruption.

Gov. Blago was just plain ham-handed. Beside the blatant attempt to literally sell the open Senate seat, Blago and his chief of staff reportedly attempted to shake down dozens of people for campaign contributions. The most shocking accusation was his threat to withhold funding for the Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago because the CEO was not fast enough in coughing up a $50,000 campaign "contribution." Apparently, that's the price tag for making sure innocent children get the critical medical care they need in IL.

Selling favors and contracts, seeking a Cabinet position and a board of directors spot for his wife, Blagojevich was way more interested in padding his post-governor lifestyle than in serving the people of IL. Most politicians are greedy, but Blagojevich has taken greed to a completely new level.

As bad as all that is, he is recorded on tape musing about appointing himself to the vacant Senate seat. His approval rating in IL is in the single digits, so he thought that jumping to the Senate would give him a chance to improve his image and run for prez in 2016.

If it isn't the most corrupt state in the United States, it's certainly one hell of a competitor," said Robert Grant, special agent in charge of the FBI's Chicago office.

The people of IL are not surprised though -- this is what we live with every day. There's an unwritten agreement between the people and the pols -- as long as they don't go overboard in their corruption, the people will turn a blind eye to it. Apparently, Blago couldn't be satisfied just sticking a couple of fingers in the cookie jar -- he had to break the jar open, grab all the cookies and then demand even more -- all the while denying that he'd done anything wrong.

Grant had the privilege of standing outside Blagojevich's home about 6 a.m. Tuesday and calling the sleepy governor to say federal agents were outside, waiting to arrest him quietly. "I could tell I woke him up," Grant said. "And the first thing he said was, 'Is this a joke?' "

Even knowing that he was under investigation for the last 2+ years, Blago continued his blatant and obvious selling of anything he could lay his hands on to fill his insatiable money lust. When it all fell down around him like a house of cards, he asks, "Is this a joke?"

Sadly, Blagojevich was elected governor on the reform ticket, promising to clean up the state and end business as usual. He managed to get re-elected even though the clouds were forming over his head.

In his own words: "I'm going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain," Blagojevich allegedly said on tape. "You hear what I'm saying? And if I don't get what I want, and I'm not satisfied with it, then I'll just take the Senate seat myself." Obama's Senate seat, Blagojevich allegedly said, "is a [expletive] valuable thing. You don't just give it away for nothing." Then, on Nov. 5, he allegedly said, "I've got this thing, and it's [expletive] golden and, uh, I'm just not going to give it up for [expletive] nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And I can always use it, I can parachute me there."

In the midst of all this is the irony of Sen. Dick Durbin's request last week for President Bush to pardon or commute the sentence of former Gov. George Ryan. I suppose that was Durbin's way of suggesting that they make room in the prison system for IL's current governor and his aides.

I agree with what U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald said yesterday: Lincoln is, indeed, turning over in his grave, if not, spinning.

It's Always Darkest Before The Bottom Falls Out

2008-12-09T06:00:00.004-05:00

The Chicken Little syndrome is in full effect in Washington, DC. The sky is falling; the end is near; time to circle the wagons and nationalize everything in the private sector because only the federal government can save us now.

Or so we are being led to believe. The "too big to fail" mentality has gone extreme.

Congress is proposing taking a 20% stake in the Big 3 automakers. Not content to allow the genuises who have for decades refused to rethink, revamp, restructure and retool themselves, Congress believes that it can take over and do a better job of producing cars that America will buy.

Anyone remember the Edsel?

Now we have the President-elect Obama telling us that it's going to get worse before it gets better. Talk about managing expectations!

So to help the incoming prez wants to resurrect an old failure -- the public works programs of FDR. Not content with rebuilding roads and bridges, the incoming administration has set its sights on "modernizing" schools as well as "giving every American access to an electronic medical record as part of an “economic recovery plan."

FDR's WPA was a bureaucratic inefficient mess that ate up massive resources with minimal productivity. Time and again the private sector has proven it can do a better quality job at a lower price than the federal government can.

Yet one can't tell that to the Obama administration.

Let's expand the government's role beyond anything that was envisioned by the Constitution. As Ed Morrissey writes in his blog, Hot Air, "The federal government should work on interstate highways and its bridges, and state governments should remain responsible for their transportation infrastructure." I totally agree.

As for health records on the Internet, that's already happening under HIPAA, so I'm not sure what more the Obama administration thinks it can do. It just demonstrates that this incoming administration is willing to turn a blind eye to history in an attempt to sell "change."

This kind of "change" when the country is tettering on the edge of financial disaster is nothing short of madness. It's like a person declaring bankruptcy and then rushing out to apply for more credit cards and loans to continue a wild, reckless spending spree. Ed Morrissey summarized it best when he wrote:

Recreating the WPA and proposing even more massive spending programs in the face of our precarious financial condition and debt load finds its equivalent only perhaps in the apocryphal fiddling of Nero while Rome burned.

Bailout Madness

2008-12-05T13:18:00.002-05:00

They're back!

Ford, GM, and Chrysler returned to Washington, DC yesterday. They came not as brash and cocky CEOs, but more as penitents who had learned a lesson in how to beg for a bailout.

Instead of high-priced corporate jets, they drove to DC in allegedly fuel-efficient cars. They claimed they would also be driving home. I wonder how far out of Washington they got before ditching the cars for the corporate jet.

They came, hat in hand, asking for an additional $35 billion. That's on top of the $25 billion that was carved out of the TARP -- remember that money that was supposed to help homeowners who were in danger of losing their homes, but which has not yet made its way there.

GM said it would settle for a measly $4 billion now. Otherwise, it'd have to lock its doors on December 31.

Wahhh!

Come Jan. 31 they'd need more money. They are burning through $2 billion a MONTH now. They lose $1,500 on every car they manufacture. Not sell -- MANUFACTURE.

Their cars roll off the factory floor onto the truck to a dealer at a LOSS. This doesn't count the drastic markdowns the dealers are making to try to get their aging inventory off their lots.

Today the question was finally asked that had been on everyone's mind: Would it help the Big 3 if the federal gov't. were to take over their medical and pension benefits plans?

Well, duh! Why not just take over the whole industry! Everyone can see what an incredible job the federal gov't. has done managing such programs as Social Security, Medicare, Amtrak among others. I'm sure the genuises in Washington could handle managing the Big 3 just as well.

Some want to attach strings to the Big 3 bailout. Well, at least they learned something from the $700 billion gaffe they recently passed. Sadly, any oversight of the Big 3 would simply create more government requiring more spending requiring more of OUR money. Sounds like a winning plan to me. Not!

The Big 3 have had decades to revamp, restructure, retool and rethink. Instead they surrendered repeatedly to the unions which ran them into the ground with increasing wages, benefits, unemployment and pension programs. Now the unions are saying they might be willing to make some concessions. Thanks, but no thanks.

Allow the Big 3 to pre-arrange a bankruptcy so that under court protection and supervision they can do what they should have done 2 or 3 decades ago.

It's time to end the bailout madness once and for all. Continuing it will only delay the inevitable and extend the recession. It needs to stop now.

Red Bullets

2008-12-04T10:05:00.002-05:00

* Sen. Harry (Dirty) Reid to America: "You stink!" "My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid in his remarks. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true." Next time, Sen. Reid, listen to your staff. They obviously have more common sense and decorum than you do.

* I suppose I should not be surprised, but Obama's campaign promises, quickly removed from the transition team's Change.gov website, are being thrown under the bus faster than... well Jeremiah Wright and his racist sermons. I'll leave it to Rick Moran's blog, Right Wing Nuthouse, to do a better job than I can of detailing the carnage. Read "Obama, The Promise Breaker" (http://rightwingnuthouse.com/)

*The Minnesota Senate race just gets goofier and stranger by the moment. Missing ballots, dismissed ballots, miscounted ballots and lawsuits galore. Somehow I doubt this is going to end anytime soon. Undoubtedly, no one will be pleased with the outcome and this is simply another sad example of how we seem unable to effectively practice democracy.

* Tomorrow the U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether to hear the case of Donofrio v. Wells. What makes this case of any special note? Leo Donofrio is suing the NJ Secretary of State Nina Wells for failing to stop NJ from participating in the November 4th general election. The basis for the suit: an accusation that Barack Obama does not qualify to be elected president because he is not a "natural born citizen" of the U.S. It is highly unlikely that Donofrio v. Wells will be granted cert. Maybe by tossing this the Supreme Court can once and for all close the case on this absurd accusation.

* What will happen when "Obamamania" peaks and begins to subside? And has it already started to subside? After all, you can elect the first black president only one time. I mentioned yesterday that the GA Senate run-off was the first test and it seems clear the MSM agree that the Obama coalition failed this test miserably. Such is the problem with cults of personality. When the personality is not present, the cult tends to fall apart.