Porkulous Package!
The $1.17 trillion stimulus bill passed by House Democrats on Wednesday bears little resemblance to the bill originally proposed by President Obama, with less than 5 percent of the funds now going to repair America’s deteriorating infrastructure.
GOP critics point out the bill is loaded with tens of billions for items ranging from Amtrak subsidies to sexually transmitted diseases to the National Endowment for the Arts -- much of which won’t actually flow into the economy until long after economists expect the current economic crisis to subside.
Obama Treasury chief presided over Wall Street collapse as regional Fed president
While the nomination of Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner generated plenty of heat because of his failure to pay income taxes for five years, almost unnoticed amid the controversy is the fact that he presided over the failure of some of the largest banking institutions in the world – institutions he was charged with overseeing and regulating as head of the New York region of the Federal Reserve Bank.
No Republicans voted for Bailout
Angry Republican senators vowed Thursday to put up a fight against President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill after the package passed the House of Representatives with no opposition support. The senators denied they were indulging in political games against Obama, insisting that the 819-billion-dollar stimulus bill would prove a colossal waste of money without a greater emphasis on tax cuts and targeted investment.
Rush Offers Bailout Compromise
Rasmussen finds that 59% fear that Congress and the president will increase government spending too much. Only 17% worry they will cut taxes too much. Since the American people are not certain that the Obama stimulus plan is the way to go, it seems to me there’s an opportunity for genuine compromise. At the same time, we can garner evidence on how to deal with future recessions, so every occurrence will no longer become a matter of partisan debate. Fifty-three percent of American voters voted for Barack Obama; 46% voted for John McCain, and 1% voted for wackos. Give that 1% to President Obama. Let’s say the vote was 54% to 46%. As a way to bring the country together and at the same time determine the most effective way to deal with recessions, under the Obama-Limbaugh Stimulus Plan of 2009: 54% of the $900 billion — $486 billion — will be spent on infrastructure and pork as defined by Mr. Obama and the Democrats; 46% — $414 billion — will be directed toward tax cuts, as determined by me. Then we compare. We see which stimulus actually works. This is bipartisanship! It would satisfy the American people’s wishes, as polls currently note; and it would also serve as a measurable test as to which approach best stimulates job growth.
Pelosi: Birth control will boost economy
In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) defended huge sums of money for "family planning services" tucked into President Obama's proposed economic stimulus package, claiming contraception will reduce government costs. "Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services," Stephanopoulos asked Pelosi, "how is that stimulus?" "Well, the family planning services reduce cost," Pelosi answered. "They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."
Mother of 12 shares photo journal from National March for Life
Becoming frustrated with the lack of media coverage of the National March for Life, writer and mother of 12, Barbara Curtis decided to create a photo journal on her blog to document the nearly 300,000 people defending the rights of the unborn. The Virginia-area mother has released 477 photos displaying the diverse races, ages and religions of the pro-life movement on her blog website. “The annual March for Life is the most under-reported event in the nation,” she explains on her blog. “This is my fourth year redressing the lack of Dinosaur Media coverage with an online photo journal. If a picture says a thousand words, then people can see the truth about Pro-Lifers here: a dazzlingly diverse movement filled with youth, vitality and joy.”
Thine Eyes – See it for yourself
More truth about the numbers at the National March for Life! The greatest event never told by the media!
Obama’s First Formal Interview? Muslim Television!
President Obama has sat for his first formal TV interview with the Arabic cable TV network Al-Arabiya, ABC News has learned. The interview was taped this evening and is set to air at 11 pm ET, as Mitchell is in the air and on his way to the region. Based in Dubai, Al-Arabiya estimates that it has a potential audience exceeding 23 million in the Gulf region.
Mandate could force gas stations out of business
Dozens, and potentially hundreds, of gas stations around California are choosing to shut down rather than comply with a state mandate that would require owners to purchase new equipment to reduce vapor emissions at the pump. The requirement, known as Phase II in the state's Enhanced Vapor Recovery Program, is set to go into effect in April. It requires gas station owners to individually purchase tens of thousands of dollars of equipment designed to prevent harmful vapors from escaping into the air when gasoline is pumped.
But smaller retailers say that the requirement puts an unfair burden on businesses that don't sell enough gasoline to offset the extra cost.
Bill Clinton made millions from foreign sources – Now Hillary head of State Dept!
Financial documents filed by Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton show that her husband earned nearly $6 million in speaking fees last year, nearly all of it from foreign companies. The documents obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press indicate that $5 million of the former president's reported $5.7 million in 2008 honoraria came from foreign sources. They included Kuwait's National Bank, a Hong Kong-based company, and other firms and groups in Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Mexico and Portugal.
All senior officials in the Obama administration are required to complete a detailed disclosure of their personal finances, including spouse and children, which is updated yearly.
Obama Mideast Envoy Pick Worked for Dubai Ruler
George Mitchell, President Barack Obama’s special Middle East troubleshooter, was chairman of a law firm that was paid about $8 million representing Dubai’s ruler in connection with a child-trafficking lawsuit.
Timeline shows Bush, McCain warning Dems of financial mess
Let’s take a historical look at the reasons behind the financial mess. And yet the American public allows socialism to take place in our on Country. Sounding the alarms of the financial meltdown? The Republicans. It takes Canadian news to set the record straight.
Obama Debt Plan: Borrowing from Peter to Pay Paul
President Obama is predicting that the stimulus package will create three to four million new jobs in America. But critics of the legislation argue that it will do nothing to stimulate the economy and contains provisions completely unrelated to creating jobs. Brian Riedl, an economist at The Heritage Foundation, says Congress is promising a pain-free solution to the recession that does not call for sacrifice.? "People believe that the government has some magic wand to magically pass a stimulus bill and make the economy grow. All this is really is the Obama debt plan," he contends. "All Congress is going to do is add $800 billion to the national debt. They're going to borrow $800 billion from one part of the economy, give $800 billion to people in another part of the economy, and then somehow tell us we're richer."
Is it Possible to Restore Constitutionalism?
Right now, if you mention the Founders in the general culture, the response is likely to be something like "dead white male slaveowners." The administrative state will steamroll the Constitution until that response is something like "dead white male slaveowners who were really smart people wise in the ways of human nature." How to get there? Those who can write and speak in a fashion accessible to a popular culture need to do so as loudly and as often as they can. That is not my strength; I am in the academy precisely because I am an academic. There are surely, however, many people who believe in the Constitution who can propagate a fable--a noble, essentially truthful fable--that can cross the cognitive barriers of rational ignorance and public choice. It is possible, of course, that things have moved so far that there is no way to recover the cultural foundations for a constitutional constituency. But it seems wrong to give up without a fight.
Obama Advisors included in Blago Subpoenas
Sweeping federal subpoenas of Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration include requests for records involving David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisers to President Barack Obama.
Eggs for Sale
These days, more men and women are trying to survive the bad economy by selling their sperm and eggs. According to the Northeast Assisted Fertility Group , the number of women filling out applications to donate eggs has doubled. The number of women asking about donating their eggs has jumped by about 30 percent at some egg-donor agencies. The women make as much as $10,000 after their eggs are retrieved.
Adult Stem Cells help MS Patients
Stem cells transplanted into early-phase multiple sclerosis patients stabilized, and in some cases reversed, the debilitating neurological disorder, according to a study published Friday. The immune systems were then replenished with so-called haemopoeitic stem cells -- extracted from the patient's bone marrow -- capable of giving rise to any form of mature blood cell.
Kansas Legislator Proposes Abortion Bill to Allow Women to See Ultrasound First
A Kansas legislator has proposed a new bill that would allow women considering an abortion to first see an ultrasound of her unborn baby. When used in pregnancy centers, ultrasounds persuade most women to keep their baby and Rep. Lance Kinzer hopes the same will happen in abortion facilities. Kinzer introduced the legislation, billed as the “Woman’s Right to Know & See” proposal, in the Kansas state House along with 38 co-sponsors. It says women must be given information about the ultrasound 24 hours prior to the abortion. The bill also requires an abortion practitioner to provide the woman with a list of places where she can obtain a free ultrasound and that any ultrasound done at the abortion center must be completed 30 minutes prior to the abortion. Kinzer, a Republican from Olathe, told the Capital-Journal newspaper that the legislation “promotes a woman’s physical and psychological health and advances the state’s important and legitimate interest in protecting fetal life.”
Obama Pledges to Fund Pro-Abortion UN-FPA
Now that President Barack Obama has fulfilled his promise to overturn the Mexico City Policy and fund groups that promote and perform abortions in other countries, he is laying out additional pro-abortion plans. In his statement accompanying his executive order, Obama says UN-FPA funding is next. Funding United Nations Population Fund has long been a controversial topic and President Bush annually withheld the $40 million in taxpayer dollars the UN group had typically received. He did so because a State Department investigation found the agency was working hand-in-hand with Chinese officials who instituted its one-child population control policy. The Chinese policy prohibits couples from having more than one child and violators are punished with forced abortions, sterilizations, and are subjected to numerous human rights abuses. "I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund," Obama said Saturday.
Bailout Money for Planned Parenthood
On the heels of President Barack Obama overturning a policy to stop taxpayer dollars from going to pro-abortion groups to promote abortions overseas, Congressional Democrats have loaded down the economic stimulus bill to send taxpayer funds to domestic abortion groups. The stimulus plan now includes a measure to send more public funds to the Planned Parenthood abortion business to fund contraception and birth control.
Bailout Money Used for Citigroup Jet Purchase
Beleaguered Citigroup is upgrading its mile-high club with a brand-new $50 million corporate jet - only this time, it's the taxpayers who are getting screwed.
Even though the bank's stock is as cheap as a gallon of gas and it's burning through a $45 billion taxpayer-funded rescue, the airhead execs pushed through the purchase of a new Dassault Falcon 7X, according to a source familiar with the deal. And the kicker is the jet is French-made not even American!
Liberal Govs to Tax Everything!
Golf course owners and some of their customers are teed off at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. So are veterinarians, auto mechanics and amusement park operators.
In California, Schwarzenegger wants to help close a nearly $42 billion budget deficit by taxing rounds of golf, auto repairs, veterinary care, amusement park and sporting event admissions and appliance and furniture repairs. Democratic Gov. David Paterson in New York has proposed levies on MP3 downloads, taxi rides, movies, concerts, sporting events, and personal services such as haircuts, manicures and massages.
DeMint wants GOP to go back to small government roots
As Republicans seek a way forward after two disastrous elections, social and fiscal conservative activists off Capitol Hill are rallying behind DeMint because of his unrelenting style to force his party to return to its small-government, free market roots. DeMint, 57, said in an interview that he’s not dwelling on his previous battles with the GOP leadership and sees areas where his party’s leaders and the Obama administration can work together to solve the country’s problems. But DeMint is less willing to compromise with Democrats than many in his party, and some Senate Republicans doubt his fiery tactics can lead their party out of the political wilderness when the public is seeking an end to legislative gridlock. DeMint’s critics, including senior Republican senators and top aides in the Senate, say his refusal to work within the norms of the body by showing deference to party leaders and chairmen and building support behind closed doors without airing concerns first to the news media undermines his ability to draw support for his cause.
Giuliani’s Safe New York Disappearing Under Bloomberg
While many U.S. cities worry that their economies are deteriorating to the level of the 1930s Great Depression, New York City fears reliving a more recent decade that features strongly in city lore. The 1970s were a low point in city history as a fiscal crisis almost pushed it into bankruptcy, crime rates soared, and homeless people crowded sidewalks as public services crumbled. Almost a million people fled New York's Mean Streets during the decade for the safer, more stable suburbs, a population decline that took more than 20 years to reverse. Then came the policies of tough on crime Mayor and former US Attorney Rudy Giuliani. New York in fast order became one of the safest big cities in the World. Now under the liberal anti-gun leadership of Mayor Michael Bloomberg the once safe town under Rudy is changing.
Gore’s Global Warming Committee Hearing on Ice
Al Gore is scheduled before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday morning to once again testify on the 'urgent need' to combat global warming. But Mother Nature seems ready to freeze the proceedings. A 'Winter Storm Watch' has been posted for the nation's capitol and throughout the Midwest and there is a potential for significant snow... sleet... or ice accumulations.
Florida Benefiting from Prison Privatization
Prison privatization has a long track record of success in Florida and elsewhere, most recently highlighted in a new Vanderbilt University study which shows states can save up to $15 million a year through public-private partnerships in prisons. Rigorous contract monitoring and oversight are essential, and the new OPPAGA report for the legislature offers excellent ideas for improvement. Private prisons are playing a critical role in helping Florida deliver quality correctional services and programming and easing the financial burden on the state - which during this recession and economic crisis is more important now than ever.
An atheist returns to Christ
If you've ever wondered how people make the journey from Christianity to atheism and back again, Anne Rice, author of ‘Interview with a Vampire’ offers some insights based on her own experience. She also has some powerful and moving things to say about what it means to be a Christian in her most recent book, Called Out of Darkness: A Spiritual Confession.
Columnist: Obama is first true American to lead our nation
Every president to hold office has espoused some version of Americanism; the truths that we hold self-evident, even when those truths are not always in evidence. But for all their grand rhetoric and mostly good deeds, none was able to seal the deal on the trifecta of equality, plurality and socioeconomic ascendancy. Obama has. Obama is the more perfect union. He is a house united. Obama is the New Generation and the hot light of a dawn that goes way beyond clever talk of morning in America. Quite simply, quite plainly, just by virtue his being, Obama is America. The first true American to lead our nation.
Dominican cardinal slams President Obama’s new abortion policy
Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez Rodriguez of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) called the decision by President Barack Obama to lift the prohibition against giving federal funds to organizations that promote abortion overseas “embarrassing for the United States.”
