Did Pelosi Join The NRA?

Pelosi throws cold water on weapons ban
By Mike Soraghan
Posted: 02/26/09 11:59 AM [ET]

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tossed cold water on the prospect of reinstating the assault weapons ban, highlighting Democrats’ reluctance to take on gun issues.

Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat “no” when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.

“On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now,” Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it's clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”

Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president, that phrase is the stock line of those who don’t want to pass new gun control laws, such as the National Rifle Association.

The White House declined to comment on Holder's remarks, referring reporters to the Department of Justice. The DoJ did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.

Pelosi has consistently voted against gun rights, and the NRA grades her with a F on gun control (the lowest possible rating).

Maybe even the liberal gun grabbers are starting to realize that the Clinton ban did nothing to prevent crime.

Obama can't bring the ban back without the support of congress.

This is good news that gives us more time to stock up on assault weapons for the revolution!

Obama's Speech & The Mortgage Bailout

Second, we have launched a housing plan that will help responsible families facing the threat of foreclosure lower their monthly payments and re-finance their mortgages. It’s a plan that won’t help speculators or that neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford, but it will help millions of Americans who are struggling with declining home values – Americans who will now be able to take advantage of the lower interest rates that this plan has already helped bring about. In fact, the average family who re-finances today can save nearly $2000 per year on their mortgage.

How do declining home values prevent people from paying their mortgage on time?

If a house is worth $1 or $1,000,000 the mortgage payments are the same.

It's total bullshit that he would call these people who are behind on their mortgages "responsible families". Aren't the people paying their mortgages the real "responsible families"?

Obama is saying the exact opposite of what this bailout really is. This bailout is helping that "neighbor down the street who bought a house he could never hope to afford." Isn't it? If that neighbor down the street bought a house that he could afford, why does he need a bailout?

Obama straight up lied about this last night.

Hey Barack! We get it! You inherited the problem.

How many times does Barack need to remind us that he inherited the problem? Leaders rise to the challenge they don't point fingers and assign blame. I can't recall Bush Sr., Clinton or W. ever using this kind of rhetoric. "They did this" and "I did that" and "its not my fault" waaa waaaa boo hoo.

You know, a lot of political pundits blame Clinton for the security lapses that caused 9/11. Lots of Senators and Congressmen blame Clinton for not going after Osama when he had a chance. Many Democrats blame Reagan for deficit spending on the military industrial complex...

But I have never heard a sitting President point so many fingers in so many public forums.

Imagine if Bush on 9/11 were to continuously remind everyone that "hey, its not my fault."... WHO THE HELL CARES BARACK? JUST FIX IT.

Seriously, read Leadership 101. Hell, read your campaign speeches! Ending petty politics? Really?! Ok, Dr. Petty Gloom.

Full text of his speech to Congress

"It reflects the stark reality of what we've inherited"..

As if you weren't a member of Congress? As if Joe and Nancy just showed up to fix the problem? As if Harry sat down to work a month ago and was like "Holy shit! What happened? Looooook what I have inherited!"

Are you serious Barack?

People have a right to own a home!

Those crazy kids over at ACORN are at it again:

Stuart Varney: They got a right to the house even though they haven’t paid their bills?

Bertha Lewis: They have been paying their bills…I think it’s a false thing to say that people haven’t been paying their bills.

Stuart Varney: No, their delinquent on their mortgages.

Bertha Lewis: Well, they maybe delinquent on their mortgages but there are people still do that.

Stuart Varney: They haven’t been paying their bills

Bertha Lewis: There are millions of millions of people who are…

Stuart Varney: Doesn’t matter, they haven’t been paying their bills.

Thanks to Lawson for my daily dose of outrage for the day. 

$410b in new spending! And higher taxes! Awesome!

House Democrats propose $410B spending bill

House bill to keep govt. running totals $410 billion, features thousands of pet projects

The measure includes thousands of earmarks, the pet projects favored by lawmakers but often criticized by the public in opinion polls. There was no official total of the bill's earmarks, which accounted for at least $3.8 billion.

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

Obama's Budget = New taxes on the "rich" and businesses

President Obama is putting the finishing touches on an ambitious first budget that seeks to cut the federal deficit in half over the next four years, primarily by raising taxes on businesses and the wealthy and by slashing spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, administration officials said.

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

Can you say "tax-and-spend-liberalism" ? 

I'm glad to see the JV squad really executing the playbook here. Did Team Obama read Liberalism for Dummies? Seriously, its like they have no clue what they are doing. 

"So what now? Gee I don't know, go to the chapter on taxes... oh, it says here we are supposed to raise taxes on evil corporations and wealthy people... and the next chapter says that we should give handouts and welfare to people who didn't pay the taxes... then it says you should complete your first 100 days by rewarding your supporters with pet projects and earmarks... (oink, oink) hey did you hear that? Don't worry about it, the next chapter says that earmarks and wasteful spending might sound like pork but have no fear, that is only AM Talk radio propaganda, that is really the sound of stimulus!"

Team Obama: Starting Jr. Varsity

Team Obama: Starting Jr. Varsity

Great article here... some highlights(lowlights)

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

Clearly, it is way too early for any of the new stabilization and stimulus programs to have taken effect. Why then is the consensus so pessimistic? Certainly the political wrangling of the past month has dispelled optimism that President Obama can change the contentious nature of American politics. Both Democrats and Republicans have spurned Obama’s leadership. The free-for-all over the stimulus bill portrayed Congress in the worst possible light — no surprise there — and led Americans to view not only the process but the bill with utter skepticism. Delivering a 1000-page bill to our legislators just two hours before the signing deadline (and then going on a long-weekend holiday before signing it) was outrageous. The mortgage relief plan hasn’t been received much better. Most Americans (ninety two percent, by some estimates) pay their mortgages on time; they’re darned if they know why they should bail out their neighbors.

...

The White House scramble has led to creeping fear that we’re dealing with the Junior Varsity. I’ve even heard people pining for former Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson — hard to imagine, right? (No one quite misses Bush yet; let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.)

...

Now we need President Obama to quit the campaign trail and start looking presidential. He needs to take ownership of the country’s problems and solutions. We all get that he inherited this mess, but as a candidate he had a lot of answers on how he would manage the clean-up; it’s time to get on with it. 

...

My concern is that recent events have squelched that optimism among consumers, and that the nation’s mood is even darker than it was a few months ago. Remember how Obama derided the “politics of fear?” He’s become its greatest champion.

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

The same thing is being echoed by Democrat and Republican alike. Team Obama is playing fast and loose with this crisis. It freakin amateur hour at the Treasury and Obama is sitting on the sidelines. He has not been directly involved with Porkulus or the housing bailout. He doesn't have a clue what was in the 1,000 page Porkulus Bill. He is leaving things to Harry and Nancy and Little Timmy Geithner (who is still hiding under his desk after the banking collapse of the past 5 days).  When Obama does speak and attempt to lead he does it as Dr. Doom and Mr. Blame-the-other-guy. All I have heard from the Savior is how he inherited a problem and its everyone elses fault causing it and not solving it. He has also been the master of sidestepping questions and giving half answers and Wall Street is getting pissed (not to mention Europe and China). 

Worst Tax Idea EvAR

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/20/driving.tax/index.html

# Mileage tax idea would use GPS in cars to track drivers' usage
# Transportation Secretary LaHood calls it an idea "we should look at"
# Transportation Department says Obama will not pursue the tax
# Oregon carried out a pilot program and deemed it "successful"

It's so bad that even Obama doesn't want to pursue it.

Kojiro, what's up with Oregon doing this? Did you pay GPS tax?

Nanny State Update: Wi-Fi Logs

Bill proposes ISPs, Wi-Fi keep logs for police

Republican politicians on Thursday called for a sweeping new federal law that would require all Internet providers and operators of millions of Wi-Fi access points, even hotels, local coffee shops, and home users, to keep records about users for two years to aid police investigations.

...

"While the Internet has generated many positive changes in the way we communicate and do business, its limitless nature offers anonymity that has opened the door to criminals looking to harm innocent children," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, said at a press conference on Thursday. "Keeping our children safe requires cooperation on the local, state, federal, and family level."

...

Translated, the Internet Safety Act applies not just to AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, and so on--but also to the tens of millions of homes with Wi-Fi access points or wired routers that use the standard method of dynamically assigning temporary addresses. (That method is called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, or DHCP.)

Privacy concerns aside (which is not to say I discount them at all - I love the 4th amendment even more than Jay loves the 2nd amendment), how the frak is this even supposed to work? Everyone's WAP gets a firmware update for the uplink to Nanny State HQ?

I almost expect something this insane from feckless liberals (and I think they have tried it before). But does this represent the GOP's new idea of small government? Government just small enough to fit inside my Linksys WRT54G? Whatever happened to good parenting keeping kids out of harm's way?

Rush and Reagan on the Fairness Doctrine

Mr. President, Keep the Airwaves Free

As a former law professor, 

surely you understand the Bill of Rights.

Rush:

Dear President Obama:

I have a straightforward question, which I hope you will answer in a straightforward way: Is it your intention to censor talk radio through a variety of contrivances, such as "local content," "diversity of ownership," and "public interest" rules -- all of which are designed to appeal to populist sentiments but, as you know, are the death knell of talk radio and the AM band? ...

Ronald Reagan: 

"This doctrine . . . requires Federal officials to supervise the editorial practices of broadcasters in an effort to ensure that they provide coverage of controversial issues and a reasonable opportunity for the airing of contrasting viewpoints of those issues. This type of content-based regulation by the Federal Government is . . . antagonistic to the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment. . . . History has shown that the dangers of an overly timid or biased press cannot be averted through bureaucratic regulation, but only through the freedom and competition that the First Amendment sought to guarantee."

Obama beats out Jesus as America's hero

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Americans named President Obama as their No. 1 hero, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King, in a new Harris poll.

Others in the top 10, in descending order, were Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger and Mother Teresa.

People were asked whom they admired enough to call their heroes. Those surveyed were not shown a list of people to choose from. The Harris Poll was conducted online among a sample of 2,634 U.S. adults by Harris Interactive.

This question was first asked in a Harris Poll in 2001. In that survey Jesus Christ was the hero mentioned most often, followed by Martin Luther King, Colin Powell, John F. Kennedy and Mother Teresa.

The biggest changes upwards on this list into the top 10 since 2001, apart from Barack Obama, were:

— George W. Bush was rated only 19th in July 2001, when he had been president for six months, and is now number 5 on the list.

— John McCain, who was not in the top 20 in 2001, is now number 7.

— Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot who landed his jet safely in the Hudson River, is ranked number 9.

Heroes who were in the top 10 in 2001 who have fallen sharply this year include:

— Colin Powell, who was number 3 and is now number 16.

— John Wayne, who was number 8 and has dropped out of the top 20.

— Michael Jordan, who was number 9 and is no longer in the top 20.

— Mother Teresa, who was number 5 and is now number 10.

What's with all the news out of Buffalo and Rochester lately?

http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1440284,w-obama-jesus-christ-hero-harris-poll021909.article

The Gentleman's B

The Gentleman's B

From the New York Times:

A recent study by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, found that a third of students surveyed said that they expected B’s just for attending lectures, and 40 percent said they deserved a B for completing the required reading.

Students often confuse the level of effort with the quality of work. There is a mentality in students that ‘if I work hard, I deserve a high grade.’ 

Jason Greenwood, a senior kinesiology major at the University of Maryland echoed that view.

“I think putting in a lot of effort should merit a high grade,” Mr. Greenwood said. “What else is there really than the effort that you put in?”

“If you put in all the effort you have and get a C, what is the point?” he added. “If someone goes to every class and reads every chapter in the book and does everything the teacher asks of them and more, then they should be getting an A like their effort deserves.

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

This is what is wrong with our education system and a symptom of the nanny-culture we have created in this country.

Our classrooms have become so sanitized and coddled that we have promised our kids success if the merely show up. Think about it, how many studies, commercials and lectures have you heard that say “If you go to college you will succeed, if you go to college you will make more money”. The emphasis is on “go”. As if you go university osmosis will take over and you will achieve great things. It trickles down (or trickled up) from High Schools too. We have told our kids for so long that they are special, that they are all winners, that they all can be anything they want to be. Surprisingly they all believed it (real shocker there)

Guess what kiddies, you all won’t save the world, you all won’t do great things… unless you freakin try hard and actually achieve something, you actually have to learn something and you actually have to do something with what you are taught.

We are living in a nanny-state where failure is rewarded and mediocrity is championed. Welcome to France. (one day I’ll post about Frances university system, what a joke… but hey, its free!) 

Giving credit where credit is due...

White House: 

Obama Opposes 'Fairness Doctrine' Revival

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

President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine, a spokesman told FOXNews.com Wednesday. 

The statement is the first definitive stance the administration has taken since an aide told an industry publication last summer that Obama opposes the doctrine -- a long-abolished policy that would require broadcasters to provide opposing viewpoints on controversial issues. 

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

AM talk radio is old people internet. Let's keep the government out of both. 

Where's My Bailout?

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/18/news/economy/obama_foreclosure/index.htm?postversion=2009021809

Obama is venturing into new territory to deal with a serious problem plaguing millions of Americans, even those who remain current on their loans. The mortgage meltdown has prompted a steep decline in prices, leaving many homeowners owing more than their house is worth. Nationwide, prices have fallen 17.5%, back to the level they were at in fall 2004, according to Zillow.com.

But only those who are current on their payments and whose loans are held or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are eligible. Also, the new mortgage, including refinancing costs, can't exceed 105% of the current market value of the property, excluding many of the hardest hit. So if your mortgage is $210,000, your property can't be worth less than $200,000.

My home value dropped about $100K in the last year. How many regular middle class Americans can say that? My mortgage is for about 115% of the value of my home. Even though I put a down payment on it!

But since I didn't use government welfare to buy my home, I'm not eligible for any bailout.

How selfish of me to not use taxpayer money for my down payment. I'm such a bastard!

I worked with a guy in 2006 who had his wife quit her job for several months so that they would qualify for Fannie Mae money. As soon as they got it, she got another job.

But you know what? I don't want to be on welfare. I don't want Obama to pay down my mortgage with our tax dollars. I do this thing called work and pay my bills. Maybe more Americans should try it. You go to this place called work and they give you a paycheck, and you can use that paycheck to pay your bills.

Here's a message to all you whiny entitlement Obama-worshiping losers out there: I worked four jobs in 2008 and paid a shitload of taxes. Enjoy my tax dollars paying down your mortgages. I hope that $15 per paycheck does you well. Just pray to Obama that people like me keep paying our taxes, or you're all fucked.

Do we need more proof that bailouts don't work?

Let's run through the list shall we?

• We gave AIG $85 billion, then we gave them another $30b, then another $20b and that wasn't the end...
• We then bailed out the entire banking industry for $700 billion. At least half of that money has evaporated and never lent out to people who needed it and the credit markets never really opened up. More and more banks are failing months after this bailout. 
• Then we bailed out Detroit... and here is a BIG shocker: They want more! Whoa! Who woulda thunk it?!
• Then Obama and Tim Geithner announced their latest bank strategy and global markets went in the crapper. 
• Now Obama has signed his "Stimulus Package" into law and the global market again have again sunk to 10-year lows. 

Let's not also forget that we have pissed off Europe and Asia more than any damage caused by an Iraq invasion. The difference is that these bailouts and this horrible irresponsible fiscal and monetary policy actually effects European and Asian pocketbooks. 

Unemployment is higher and confidence is lower (thanks in no small part to Dr. Doom Obama) 

It was requested that we give Obama a chance to govern before we criticize. His methods, his appointments, his strategy, his ideas are getting a cool reception and pissing off lots of people off. I honestly don't even hear CNN or Democrats really enthused by anything. More like a lot of begrudging acceptance of an imperfect stimulus bill and that at least something was done. 

So keeping bailing! The water is flooding in faster now!

Embracing Diversity through Honor Killings

Honor Killing in Buffalo

Sharia Law in action!

Orchard Park police are investigating a particularly gruesome killing, the beheading of a woman, after her husband — an influential member of the local Muslim community — reported her death to police Thursday. Muzzammil Hassan is the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004, amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light.

This is a great story, it’s horrible, but so ironic and hypocritical that you just have to laugh. Let me sum it up in case there is any confusion: A young couple starts a TV station with the dream of portraying Mulsims in a more positive light. They called it “Bridges” because they wanted to “build bridges” between the Muslim community and the non-Muslim communities to foster a better understanding of Muslim culture in American.

Awww isn’t that sweet?

Turns out their dream of portraying Muslims in a positive light took a turn for the worst when Aasiya Z. Hassan wanted a divorce from her marriage which of course was under Shariah law. And of course under Shariah law the husband can commit honor killings when his family has been embarrassed and obviously divorce is every embarrassing (beheadings are also sort of embarrassing in America, but that is a biased hate mongering American opinion). 

I truly wonder if a bridge can be built so that we can foster a better understanding of Muslim culture, I want to better understand Muzzammil Hassan embarrassment. I feel if only there were a TV station where I could better understand Muslim culture I would have a better grasp on what Muzzammil Hassan is going through… this poor guy. Can you believe his wife wanted to divorce him? How embarrassing. Her head obviously wasn’t in the marriage.  Maybe she was too head strong for Muzzammil. This clearly wasn’t the way for her to get a head in life.

In case you want to read more about Sharia Law and Honor Killings. Think about it, maybe you should build better bridges like Muzzammil Hassan. Can’t we all be like Muzzammil and embrace our diversity and understanding?

In side note: This took place in Orchard Park… for the love of god/allah can’t this city catch a break?

Bridges TV is a 24x7 television network in English. The purpose of Bridges TV is to build a dialog between 300 million Americans and 1 billion Middle Eastern & South Asian people. The network accomplishes this by entertaining and educating America and the World like never before.

You thInk we have it bad? Check out the EU!

The EU does not have the financial system to support this growing collapse. Under normal circumstances the EU can't agree on much and under a crisis that involves huge sums of money they can't agree on anything and certainly not with the speed the US has responded with. Even mighty Russia is sinking fast. They were pretty cocky 2 years ago when oil was so expensive, they mortgage their future on oil staying high... doh! Cheap petro for me!

Read this article though, it will give you a good understanding of the extent of this crisis. 

WSJ: Obama's Rhetoric Is the Real 'Catastrophe'

WSJ: Obama's Rhetoric Is the Real 'Catastrophe'

President Barack Obama has turned fearmongering into an art form. He has repeatedly raised the specter of another Great Depression. First, he did so to win votes in the November election. He has done so again recently to sway congressional votes for his stimulus package.

AP

In his remarks, every gloomy statistic on the economy becomes a harbinger of doom. As he tells it, today's economy is the worst since the Great Depression. Without his Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he says, the economy will fall back into that abyss and may never recover.

This fearmongering may be good politics, but it is bad history and bad economics. It is bad history because our current economic woes don't come close to those of the 1930s. At worst, a comparison to the 1981-82 recession might be appropriate. Consider the job losses that Mr. Obama always cites. In the last year, the U.S. economy shed 3.4 million jobs. That's a grim statistic for sure, but represents just 2.2% of the labor force. From November 1981 to October 1982, 2.4 million jobs were lost -- fewer in number than today, but the labor force was smaller. So 1981-82 job losses totaled 2.2% of the labor force, the same as now.

Is This Not The Dumbest Thing Ever

Making Work Pay Credit: The bill provides a $400 credit per worker and a $800 credit per dual-earner couple. The full credit would be paid to people making $75,000 or less ($150,000 per dual-earner couple). A partial credit would be paid to those making above those amounts but no more than $100,000 ($200,000 for couples).

The credit would also be refundable, which means that even very low-income families who don't make enough to owe income tax would be able to claim it.

For most working individuals, the credit will be paid over time at roughly $15 per period, assuming 26 pay periods in a year. Estimated cost: $116 billion.

We're paying $116 billion so that everybody can have an extra $15 per paycheck.

This shows how out of touch Washington is. Even when I made $5.35 an hour, $15 wasn't jack shit.

Everything in this is stupid: http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/13/news/economy/stimulus_individuals/index.htm

What Barack should have said...

Commentary: Obama should have told us the whole sad truth

What Barack should have said...

"Friends: This thing is a lot worse then I thought. Just like many of you, we are way over our budget. Some of you bought houses you couldn't afford. Many of you spent more money than you made and put the stuff you couldn't afford on your credit cards. The banks were irresponsible, and Wall Street was greedy, but I have to admit to you, the guys and gals over in the Congress have been spending at record rates, too. And they still have a bunch of pet projects they want to spend on, too. That's why this bill got bloated.

"And, oh, by the way, the $800 billion that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid want to spend is money we don't have. The U.S. is broke just like you are, and the banks that I have to borrow from are thousands of miles away in China. We are going to spend $1 trillion-plus more than we take in this year in revenue, and next year it will be $2 trillion. That's on top of the $10.8 trillion that we owe in national debt.

"And if you don't think the banks have any money, the Federal Reserve is loaning them trillions."

"Together, we are going to get out of this thing!"

Instead this is what we got:

He was glib, rambling, a little long-winded and very defensive. But he is a talent and very likeable even when he is being serious. And he had plenty to be serious about.

On numerous occasions, he made sure reporters and the millions tuning in knew that he had inherited a mess, the Republicans weren't helping him at all, and things were tough.

After spending hundreds of millions of dollars and traveling thousands of miles over the past two years running for this office, did he think he was going to get the big plane, the big house, the box at the Kennedy Center and Camp David without the heavy lifting? Well, maybe not this heavy a load.

HIV & Stem Cells

Man appears free of HIV after stem cell transplant

Stem cells have the potential to cure HIV... That's pretty much a christian fundamentalist nightmare right there.

12 Solutions for Jobs and Prosperity

12 American Solutions for Jobs and Prosperity

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus.  With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.
   
   
2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.
   
   
3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate.  Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.
   
   
4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.
   
   
5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget.  This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.
   
   
6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud.  Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.
   
   
7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.
   
   
8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.
   
   
9. Protect Our Right to Vote in the Workplace. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union.
   
   
10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley.  This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups.  Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.
    
    
11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.
    
    
12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.

- thanks to Lawson for the link, couldn't agree more... 

The Anti-Vegas President

Casinos and gaming companies have already been explicitly excluded from bailout money [1], despite Las Vegas being one of the hardest hit cities in this recession. We have one of the highest unemployment rates (over 8% and climbing) and highest foreclosure rates [3].

Today Obama made comments that companies receiving bailout money should not have conferences or corporate events in Vegas even though Vegas is often cheaper than other cities because of the cheap hotel rooms and availability of convention space. [2]

As of this posting, four large corporations (one of which did not receive bailout money) have canceled their Vegas corporate events for this year. Vegas makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year off of events like this, and the people depend on them to pay their mortgages.

Why doesn't he throw other cities under the bus? So it's OK to spend taxpayer money going to New York, but not Las Vegas? The hotel rooms in NY are way more expensive.

People in Vegas depend on the tourism and gaming industries and Obama seems to think that we're less important than people who make shitty cars in Detroit, or people who don't work at all.


[1] http://www.onlinecasinoadvisory.com/casino-news/land/casinos-denied-stimulus-aid-42543.htm
[2] http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/02/10/sin-city-mayor-wants-obama-retract-outrageous-vegas-trips-quip/
[3] http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/sep/12/nevada-holds-nations-highest-foreclosure-rate/

If you haven't seen this yet... Julio Osegueda

Osegueda, a 19-year-old student at Edison State College and a four-year employee at McDonald's, asked Obama a question about employee benefits.

This is who we are bailing out?! This is where my tax dollars are being spent!

A rocky first few weeks

Obama sputters out of the gate -- but don't fear yet. 

By Camille Paglia (uber-liberal who I happen to agree with more than I would like)

Some highlights:

Money by the barrelful, by the truckload. Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump. Scrounging packs of politicos, snapping, snarling and sending green bills flying sky-high as they root through the tangled mass with ragged claws. The stale hot air filled with cries of rage, the gnashing of teeth and dark prophecies of doom.

...

President Obama was ill-served by his advisors (shall we thump that checkered piñata, Rahm Emanuel?), who evidently did not help him to produce a strong, focused, coherent bill that he could have explained and defended to the nation before it was set upon by partisan wolves. To defer to the House of Representatives and let the bill be thrown together by cacophonous mob rule made the president seem passive and behind the curve.

...

Speaking of talk radio (which I listen to constantly), I remain incredulous that any Democrat who professes liberal values would give a moment's thought to supporting a return of the Fairness Doctrine to muzzle conservative shows. (My latest manifesto on this subject appeared in my last column.) The failure of liberals to master the vibrant medium of talk radio remains puzzling. To reach the radio audience (whether the topic is sports, politics or car repair), a host must have populist instincts and use the robust common voice. Too many Democrats have become arrogant elitists, speaking down in snide, condescending tones toward tradition-minded middle Americans whom they stereotype as rubes and buffoons. But the bottom line is that government surveillance of the ideological content of talk radio is a shocking first step toward totalitarianism.