WHITE HOUSE EMAILS--QUESTIONS ABOUT PRIVACY RIGHTS

JUST BEFORE I WAS READY TO POST THIS ARTICLE, I CHECKED MY HOTMAIL ACCOUNT. THERE WAS AN EMAIL FROM FRANK STELLA, AN AFT REPRESENTATIVE. HE FORWARDED TO AFT MEMBERS DAVID AXELROD'S EMAIL . WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE. THINK ABOUT IT.

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The flap between Major Garrett and Obama Press Secretary Robert Gibbs extends right into my home. Coincidentally I happened to be listening to the news conference live when Garrett asked his question. I received that day the same unsolicited email that Garrett alluded to and that Gibbs ingenuously questioned—publicly impugning Garrett’s honesty. Gibbs doubted that such a thing could happen. IT DID.

I’ve got a lot of questions, but here are a basic few:


1. How did the White House get my email address?
2. Why is the White House sending me emails? I didn’t sign up for them.
3. Since the White House cannot purge emails because of federal regulations, into what kind of “file” have I been relegated?
4. Since this email is no more than SPAM, why didn’t my hotmail filter send it immediately to Junk Mail?
5. What right has the White House using these email addresses as an advertising tool to spread propaganda? I specifically use the word propaganda because of the content of the email which I will copy and paste on this post so you can see what David Axelrod, Obama’s political advisor and sometime spokesman is up to.
6. And maybe in the bigger scheme of things, this is the most important question: Since the White House, Congress, and much of the media is complaining that the Town Hall meetings are attended by people who are organizing against healthcare (just as they said about the Tea Parties), what would they call this behavior????

If this isn’t organizing on a big scale, what is it? And unlike the websites that suggest people show up at meetings to voice their opinions an TO WHICH INDIVIDUALS GO OF THEIR OWN VOLITION, this organizational effort is unsolicited, unwanted, and at least in my case, against my will and A BASIC INVASION OF MY PRIVACY.

This tactic is being perpetrated on us by the same people who objected, as an invasion of privacy, to finding out who was checking out library books that describe, among other things, how to construct bombs. You’ve got a right to learn how to build bombs, apparently, but no right to voice your opinion if it’s not in line with the Obama administration. Gives one pause to think.
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PS LOOK AT THE SALUTATION. I AM NOT DAVID AXELROD’S FRIEND!

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Dear Friend,

This is probably one of the longest emails I’ve ever sent, but it could be the most important.

Across the country we are seeing vigorous debate about health insurance reform. Unfortunately, some of the old tactics we know so well are back — even the viral emails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions.

As President Obama said at the town hall in New Hampshire, “where we do disagree, let's disagree over things that are real, not these wild misrepresentations that bear no resemblance to anything that's actually been proposed.”

So let’s start a chain email of our own. At the end of my email, you’ll find a lot of information about health insurance reform, distilled into 8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage, 8 common myths about reform and 8 reasons we need health insurance reform now.

Right now, someone you know probably has a question about reform that could be answered by what’s below. So what are you waiting for? Forward this email.

Thanks,
David

David Axelrod
Senior Adviser to the President

P.S. We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on. Check it out:



8 ways reform provides security and stability to those with or without coverage
1. Ends Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions: Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.
2. Ends Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays: Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.
3. Ends Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care: Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.
4. Ends Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill: Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.
5. Ends Gender Discrimination: Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.
6. Ends Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage: Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.
7. Extends Coverage for Young Adults: Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.
8. Guarantees Insurance Renewal: Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full. Insurance companies won't be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick.
Learn more and get details: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/health-insurance-consumer-protections/

8 common myths about health insurance reform
1. Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it: It’s a myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.
2. We can’t afford reform: It's the status quo we can't afford. It’s a myth that reform will bust the budget. To the contrary, the President has identified ways to pay for the vast majority of the up-front costs by cutting waste, fraud, and abuse within existing government health programs; ending big subsidies to insurance companies; and increasing efficiency with such steps as coordinating care and streamlining paperwork. In the long term, reform can help bring down costs that will otherwise lead to a fiscal crisis.
3. Reform would encourage "euthanasia": It does not. It’s a malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors. For seniors who want to consult with their family and physicians about end-of life decisions, reform will help to cover these voluntary, private consultations for those who want help with these personal and difficult family decisions.
4. Vets' health care is safe and sound: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget significantly expands coverage under the VA, extending care to 500,000 more veterans who were previously excluded. The VA Healthcare system will continue to be available for all eligible veterans.
5. Reform will benefit small business - not burden it: It’s a myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses, provide tax credits to help them pay for employee coverage and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.
6. Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform: It’s myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform will improve the long-term financial health of Medicare, ensure better coordination, eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies, and help to close the Medicare "doughnut" hole to make prescription drugs more affordable for seniors.
7. You can keep your own insurance: It’s myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.
8. No, government will not do anything with your bank account: It is an absurd myth that government will be in charge of your bank accounts. Health insurance reform will simplify administration, making it easier and more convenient for you to pay bills in a method that you choose. Just like paying a phone bill or a utility bill, you can pay by traditional check, or by a direct electronic payment. And forms will be standardized so they will be easier to understand. The choice is up to you – and the same rules of privacy will apply as they do for all other electronic payments that people make.
Learn more and get details:
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck
http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck/faq

8 Reasons We Need Health Insurance Reform Now
1. Coverage Denied to Millions: A recent national survey estimated that 12.6 million non-elderly adults – 36 percent of those who tried to purchase health insurance directly from an insurance company in the individual insurance market – were in fact discriminated against because of a pre-existing condition in the previous three years or dropped from coverage when they became seriously ill. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/denied_coverage/index.html
2. Less Care for More Costs: With each passing year, Americans are paying more for health care coverage. Employer-sponsored health insurance premiums have nearly doubled since 2000, a rate three times faster than wages. In 2008, the average premium for a family plan purchased through an employer was $12,680, nearly the annual earnings of a full-time minimum wage job. Americans pay more than ever for health insurance, but get less coverage. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hiddencosts/index.html
3. Roadblocks to Care for Women: Women’s reproductive health requires more regular contact with health care providers, including yearly pap smears, mammograms, and obstetric care. Women are also more likely to report fair or poor health than men (9.5% versus 9.0%). While rates of chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure are similar to men, women are twice as likely to suffer from headaches and are more likely to experience joint, back or neck pain. These chronic conditions often require regular and frequent treatment and follow-up care. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/women/index.html
4. Hard Times in the Heartland: Throughout rural America, there are nearly 50 million people who face challenges in accessing health care. The past several decades have consistently shown higher rates of poverty, mortality, uninsurance, and limited access to a primary health care provider in rural areas. With the recent economic downturn, there is potential for an increase in many of the health disparities and access concerns that are already elevated in rural communities. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/hardtimes
5. Small Businesses Struggle to Provide Health Coverage: Nearly one-third of the uninsured – 13 million people – are employees of firms with less than 100 workers. From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. Much of this decline stems from small business. The percentage of small businesses offering coverage dropped from 68% to 59%, while large firms held stable at 99%. About a third of such workers in firms with fewer than 50 employees obtain insurance through a spouse. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/helpbottomline
6. The Tragedies are Personal: Half of all personal bankruptcies are at least partly the result of medical expenses. The typical elderly couple may have to save nearly $300,000 to pay for health costs not covered by Medicare alone. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction
7. Diminishing Access to Care: From 2000 to 2007, the proportion of non-elderly Americans covered by employer-based health insurance fell from 66% to 61%. An estimated 87 million people - one in every three Americans under the age of 65 - were uninsured at some point in 2007 and 2008. More than 80% of the uninsured are in working families. Learn more: http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/inaction/diminishing/index.html
8. The Trends are Troubling: Without reform, health care costs will continue to skyrocket unabated, putting unbearable strain on families, businesses, and state and federal government budgets. Perhaps the most visible sign of the need for health care reform is the 46 million Americans currently without health insurance - projections suggest that this number will rise to about 72 million in 2040 in the absence of reform. Learn more: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/assets/documents/CEA_Health_Care_Report.pdf





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SEE FOR YOURSELF THE WHITE HOUSE REQUEST FOR YOU TO INFORM ON YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS

JUST IN CASE YOU THINK THE NEWS IS EXAGGERATED, LOOK AT THIS VIDEO RIGHT OFF THE WHITE HOUSE BLOG. ONE IMPORTANT POINT IS THAT THIS BLOG IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/

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READ THIS AND WEEP--U.S. RELEASES IRAQI LINKED TO FIVE GI DEATHS

When you read this article remember who our commander-in-chief is. Then weep.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31183312/ns/world_news-conflict_in_iraq/from/ET

Please also remember that President Bush did not support al-Malaki to begin with, but the Iraqi people voted for him as Prime Minister (hmmmm...the people voted in the wrong man who is leading the country down the wrong path--gosh, that sounds familiar)

The "militant" released allegedly has ties to Iran and to the "cleric" Mutada al Sadr. The Iraqis bill this "catch and release" as part of a "wider reconciliation plan." The militant's group will hand over heavy weapons at some point as the reconciliation continues. Also some British hostages will be released. Yeah, right. When do they get their milk and cookies?

So let's get this straight--a terrorist responsible for killing one GI on site and taking four others to a remote site and killing them, who was captured in 2006 when Bush was commander-in-chief, will be released by the U.S. in 2009 when Obama is commander-in-chief to the Iraqis who will free him as part of a reconciliation with the very people who want to bring down the Iraqi government. Does that sound like a good plan to any thinking person? And fowhat did those five GIs give their lives?

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Mark Levin is Priceless

You've got to listen to Mark Levin on Al Franken.



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AN OPEN LETTER TO BARBARA BOXER THAT TELLS IT ALL

If you were as appalled as I over Babs Boxer's insulting treatment of Brigadier General Michael Walsh of the Army Corps of Engineers, you will appreciate this letter from a very excellent publication, Family Security Matters.

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/id.3572/pub_detail.asp

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OBAMA CONTINUES TO DIS OUR NATION'S FRIENDS

Today Israel is holding a nationwide air raid drill. Simulated fire power destruction litters the Israeli countryside. Children in schools are practicing for the worst. News commentators suggest that the amount of destruction far exceeds that which would occur from the rockets--relatively less lethal--that continue to bombard Israel from the north and the south. The demonstrated destruction of this drill is more like the destruction wrought by a bigger warhead--the kind of which Iran boasts. Commentators suggest that this drill demonstrates that Israel is in a state of readiness to react to a strike on them from Iran. They also suggest this is a statement to President Obama--a reaction to America's change in support.

It is frightening to watch these air raid drills on television. It is frightening to hear the suggestion that a strike from Iran could create another massive loss of Jewish life--another REAL attempt at GENOCIDE. We're only a bit more than 60 years from the last attempt to wipe Jews off the face of the earth.

Meanwhile, President Obama is heading to the mideast. He is visiting several countries in the area---BUT OBAMA IS NOT VISITING ISRAEL. I watched the news conference when the President sat with Netanyahu. He never looked at him. He talked at him, not with him. The essence of that talk was to warn Israel to stop building on the West Bank and to agree to the two-state solution--without first requiring the Arabs to agree to Israel's right to exist.

Remember, too, that Obama gave huge sums of money to Gaza after the recent battle with Israel--one that began as Israel tried to stop the barrage of rockets launched into towns like Sderot. Before the smoke cleared, the "Palestinians" were smuggling more rockets into the area via tunnels from Egypt. Israel was to blame for the damage?????? Israel is warned to change????

In the same way that my post on merit (one post prior) points to Obama's disregard for merit in favor of political expediency, his actions in this case point to his lack of respect for our allies around the world. He demonstrated this in his treatment of Poland early in his still-short-but-far-too-long-for-me administration, his dvd gift to Gordon Brown as well as his iPod gift to Queen Elizabeth a short time later, and recently his complicity by not immediately insisting that Queen Elizabeth be invited to the Normandy ceremonies. She, the only ruler still living who lived through WWII and who worked in England's gallant war effort, was not invited by the French. Incredibly gauche.

On this trip, the President will stop over in Germany and visit Auschwitz. It is a political stop for him, objected to even by Obama's uncle, part of the American militiary that freed the Auschwitz victims. His uncle rejects the idea of using this site for gaining political cash; Obama can't see the horrific irony of using it while throwing our only mideast ally, Israel, under the bus. What ISN'T going on inside Obama's head is, at once, astounding and problematic.

While Obama will kow tow and make a "major address to Muslim nations," he has no qualms about insulting those other Americans hold near and dear.

Let me note that while the slobbering love affair with Obama's onscreen personality (or onteleprompter) continues, HE HAS YET TO CONVINCE ANYONE TO CHANGE THEIR BASIC STANCE AND SUPPORT US MONETARILY OR MILITARILY. He has, in fact, failed to impact any problem in any positive way; he continues to bamboozle the American public.

While Congress has at least begun to question some of what is going on, the question remains whether they or the American public will wake up and rub their knuckles hard against their eyes to get them to open after a way-too-long sleep.

politics commentary politicians Obama president Israel Netanyahu Palestinians Gaza Germany Auschwitz genocide Sderot "Not+with+a+Whimper"

OBAMA, GITMO, AND THE NEWBURGH TERRORISTS

At the same time President Obama is vague on his plans for closing Gitmo and dealing with its dregs-of-humanity-prisoners, he has been rebuffed by Congress in his attempts to grab another bunch of billions of dollars. They insist on an exit strategy first. Finally!

Obama is still so convinced of his popularity that he sees no reason to be transparent, forthcoming, or honest with the American public, and it looks like Congress, anxious about the next round of elections, is beginning to take note. Obama is a “show me the money” guy and probably a very poor chess player. He cannot see the consequences of each move nor think several moves ahead. Chess strategy competence would be useful as long as the president realizes that combating terrorists is not a political game.

Hopefully the country will hear the wake-up call of this Wednesday's failed homegrown-terrorist plot to use explosives to destroy a synagogue and community center in Riverdale, Bronx, New York. They also planned to use Stinger missiles to down military planes at Orange County’s Steward International Airport. We need to remember 9/11 and to understand that the war on terror—domestic as well as international—is not over.

Particularly frightening is the birth of this homegrown plot. Only one of the four men was born outside of the country and a Muslim by birth. The other three were thugs from Newburgh, New York. They converted to Islam in prison where the four became friends and hatched the plot. Finalized plans emanated from a mosque in Newburgh, New York. An informant notified authorities. Thank goodness for that informant and thank goodness that the FBI and State Police Swat teams were prepared and ready. What if there had been no informant?

Let’s look at the bigger picture.

1. Our prisons are a fertile breeding ground for recruiting proven violent people to act out their psychopathic disregard for human life, laws, values, and customs. ARE THESE PLACES TO SEND THE GITMO DETAINEES AND GIVE THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPREAD THEIR POISON IN THE “BLAME AMERICA FIRST” TRADITION?

2. Will the Obama administration—indeed, the entire anti-Bush contingent—after unrelenting and unremitting attacks on methods used to foil homeland terrorist plots admit to the success of those methods and retain them or, as in the case of Gitmo where even the New York Times reports that seven out of ten released detainees return to terrorist activities, continue to rail and abandon successful methods?

3. At the expense of our country’s safety will Obama loyalists downplay the importance of these attempts and try to paint the participants as bungling idiots as they did with the Ft. Dix plot terrorists and the terrorist plot in Florida?

Already the Associated Press quotes Sen. Chuck Schumer as saying, “the group was relatively unsophisticated, penetrated easily and not connected to any outside group.” The idiocy is not on the part of the plotters. The idiocy is on the part of self-serving politicians who surmise that unsophisticated people cannot find ways to manufacture bombs. Just look on the internet. Hijacked aircraft took down the World Trade Center.

WABC news reported that the alleged suspects did not appear to have the ability to execute the plot. Perhaps they suggest we wait to see if they did. Pull back our experts and intelligence to level the playing field.

Returning to the Gitmo detainee connection, one has to wonder how these haters and murderers will fare once under the jurisdiction of Federal judges and the slew of lawsuits (probably ACLU) I prophesize will deluge the courts demanding swift trials, no isolation (cruel punishment), right to confront their accusers, government classified documents as evidence, etc. Will they be freed into society? They cannot be deported. No country will take them. (France took one person) Who will support them? Your tax dollars.

Obama should have learned a lesson after de-classifying enhanced interrogation documents. The backlash about releasing the photos (which I bet will be “leaked” anyway) caused problems. Then he denied the release of the documents outlining enhanced interrogation successes which Dick Cheney requested. He seems incapable of thinking ahead. Obama has to learn, before it’s too late, that when you put the cart before the horse, you aren’t going anywhere.

politics commentary opinion politicians Obama Gitmo detainees prison Newburgh "home-grown terrorists" terrorists plots Riverdale synagogue bombs FBI SWAT mosque Islam Muslim Congress Schumer WABC "enhanced interrogation" taxes elections Bronx "New York" missiles Bush York Times" "Ft. Dix" Florida France "Not With a Whimper"

This is a very important Washington Post article.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/24/AR2009042403339.html?referrer=emailarticle

politics opinion "Washington+Post" CIA security commentary "Porter+Goss" al-quaida "Kahlid+Sheik+Mohammed" 9/11 interrogation terrorists "Not+With+A+Whimper"

CHAVEZ TO OBAMA: THE DIS-GIFT

It’s important to get all the facts—if that’s possible. We’re being fed a diet of partial and edited facts. Saber es poder. Knowledge is power. Let's look a bit more closely at the progress made by President Obama with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and others.

We do know that on March 29, 2009, Chavez said this, “the least I can say is that he's (President Obama) a poor ignoramus; he should read and study a little to understand reality…."

We do know that the book Chavez gave President Obama is "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent" by Uruguayan author Eduardo Galeano. This book is an extension of the March 29th remark, and it is his condescending way of “educating” his American counterpart. His gift is merely the gift of public humiliation.

This book is a favorite of the left. Let me quote Jake Tapper, ABC News’ Senior White House correspondent. Read this to see the intent of this “gift.” (The emphasis is mine)

“The division of labor among nations is that some specialize in winning and others in losing," the book begins. "Our part of the world, known today as Latin America, was precocious: it has specialized in losing ever since those remote times when Renaissance Europeans ventured across the ocean and buried their teeth in the throats of the Indian civilizations. Centuries passed, and Latin America perfected its role."

Galeano writes that while the era of "lodes of gold" and "mountains of silver" has passed, "our region still works as a menial laborer. It continues to exist at the service of others' needs, as a source of oil and iron, of copper and meat, of fruit and coffee, the raw materials and foods destined for rich countries which profit more from consuming them than Latin America does from producing them."

At another point in the book, Galeano writes: "Our defeat was always implicit in the victory of others; our wealth has always generated our poverty by nourishing the prosperity of others."

The book also criticizes the U.S. for "spreading and imposing family planning. ... In Latin America it is more hygienic and effective to kill future guerillas in the womb that in the mountains or the streets."

There was no way for Mr. Obama to avoid accepting the book, and it was indeed gracious of him to joke about it. He was caught by a man shrewder than he and far savvier about the machinations of power. BUT, and this is a big but, we the people have been led to believe that our President is making inroads though his apologizing and, as I see it, groveling at the feet of foreign powers. That’s doesn’t really seem to be true, and our media is not reporting it. We have to search for the world’s reactions even as we shake our own heads in disbelief.

President Sarkozy of France had no hesitation, as reported by the Times on April 17th, of cracking jokes about Europe’s Obamamania, and even said about Mr. Obama’s planned visit to Normandy in June for the D-Day anniversary,

“I am going to ask him to walk on the Channel, and he’ll do it.”

He had no hesitancy in calling our President weak. He said, again according to The Times,

“Mr Obama was inexperienced and indecisive…Obama has a subtle mind, very clever and very charismatic,” the French President said. “But he was elected two months ago and had never run a ministry. There are a certain number of things on which he has no position. And he is not always up to standard on decision-making and efficiency.”

Obviously I’m neither a fan of Chavez (I don’t buy Citgo gasoline) or of Sarkozy. I think France has always needed a severe attitude adjustment. But I am a fan of the U.S.A. and I don’t see us in the way our President or some of the rest of the world sees us.

I want a President who is going to tout the good things we do. I didn’t hear any of that from him. I want him to stop talking as if all our problems began during the George W. Bush adminstration. I’d like to move our country forward as it was designed; I’m not interested in a “new foundation.” We’ve got a good foundation; let’s use that strong base to be better.

Obama Sarkozy Chavez gift books ABC "Jake+Tapper" France Normandy Bush USA politics commentary opinion politicians

Taliban Ops Chief was at Gitmo

This Associated Press article is worth reading:

http://www.military.com/news/article/taliban-ops-chief-was-at-gitmo.html?col=1186032310810

He's not the first of these "innocents" to be released and return to trying to kill our soldiers. It makes me wonder about Congress' measure of value in the world. Apparently the "rights" of these terrorists is more important than the rights, lives, and protection of Americans or the lives of our military.

Congress doesn't care about bringing these terrorists to the U.S. where they will be accorded the privilege of our justice system in which the way evidence is obtained becomes as important as the evidence itself. In this case, it means spilling the beans about techniques, informers, and other intelligence techniques, thereby weakening what data collection we have to help protect us from, among other things, another 9/11. These are things the intelligence community CAN'T reveal. American justice is geared toward "after the deed is committed" as opposed to planning and/or being a force to commit a heinous act. Differs from Sharia law, doesn't it?

Congress doesn't seem to give a rat's tail about being party to aiding and abetting the Taliban in killing Americans. But each terrorist released back into the wild is part of their disregard. Thank you Sen. Murtha and your ilk and your kith and kin.

Obama Congress politics politicians opinion Taliban Gitmo Murtha 9/11 war Afghanistan soldiers Americans

$410 BILLION IN PORK--BUT NOT EVERYONE IS GRABBING. FIND OUT WHO ISN'T CHASING PIG

Listen carefully folks. While you’re drowning on CHANGE (and this you can believe in), and you hope someone comes to the rescue, you better pray it’s your audiologist and your old English teacher. You’ve got to parse every word you hear from our government officials or you won’t know where you’ve sprung a leak in your savings, your future, and your children’s future. Remember that this “mandate” we keep hearing of came about with a 52% win of the popular vote. That number doesn’t become a synonym for landslide!

This monumental budget President Obama introduced will help him keep his campaign promises by plunging us into inconceivable debt. This budget was ready to present last summer (with Obama’s co-sponsored earmarks; see http://a-big-bang.blogspot.com/2009/02/obama-removes-his-name-from-pork-barrel.html ), but Nancy Pelosi held it up waiting for the new administration. The result of all this spending will be that the middle class, which really came into existence after the Second World War, will be destroyed by tax increases. Maybe income taxes will rise “slightly” (depending on your definition of the word “slightly”), but we will be taxed in other ways—energy usage, loss of deductions for mortgage insurance, charitable donations, etc. The net result will be higher costs for everything!

I’m not surprised about the charitable donation change. When the numbers came out during the election, I was shocked to learn that I donated a higher percentage of my income than Barak Obama—and to a wider range of charities. Joe Biden’s charitable contributions were at best negligible. How telling. These are people who eschew personal responsibility toward others. They are not their brother’s keepers. They want government to take the responsibility. Scary. They’ll decide to whom we should be charitable.

Chuck Schumer says the American people “don’t care” about earmarks—those little bits of personal vote-buying tidbits officials bring home and hand out to thankful donors. It’s a perverted pay it forward: government to representative, representative to businessman, etc.

I can’t totally blame Democrats for the 9,000 pieces of pork, earmarks, special projects or whatever the name of choice is these days. The Democrats account for 60% of the barrel. The Republicans get 40%. So much for principle. But I listened to the President’s campaign speech when he said he was going to get rid of earmarks. I watched the President’s budget speech. I heard him say there were no earmarks in this budget, and I watched Pelosi, sitting behind him, break into that stiff botox-driven grin. They really do think we’re stupid. And some of us obviously are!

Those non-existent pieces of pork will cost us $410 billion. That's a lot of something for nothing! LOL I guess that number is considered inconsequential these days when our President pooh-poohs things that cost trillions. But the dollar I don’t contribute to the government is the dollar I get to keep, and $410 billion in a country with a population somewhat over 300 million means I get to hold on to some dollars for which I worked. I like that idea! Too bad my holding on to MY money doesn’t seem important to President Obama.

There is still some integrity in Congress. There are some Congressmen and Senators who do not take pork. This year all were Republican except for four Democrats who stood up to the broken campaign promise.

The people with anti-pork barrel integrity are (and not in any particular order): Flake, Boehner, Cantor, Campbell, Nunes, Westmorland, Kline, McCoud, Jones, Hensarling, McHenry, Foxx, Burton, Price Shadegg, Ryan Pitts, Jenkins, Lance, Pence, Chaffetz, Cooper, Waxman, Hunter, Rooney, McClintock, Coffman, DeMint, Coburn, Feingold, McCaskell, Burr, and McCain. That’s all, folks.

Kudos to these representatives. Go online and email them. Thank them for their integrity. Maybe if they know we know of and appreciate the right thing….

Know, too, that Rep. Jeff Flake (R. AZ) attempted to introduce a measure to have the House Ethics Committee investigate the relationship between earmarks and contributions. His measure was tabled—in other words, killed. All but two Republicans and 17 Democrats voted for the measure.

Terrible, huh? But what did you expect?

politics opinion politicians Obama Congress taxes stimulus recovery pork earmarks ethics Pelosi budget Flake Boenher Cantor Campbell Nunes Westmoreland Kline McCaul Janes Hensarling McHenry Jenkins Lance Hunter Rooney McClintock Coffman Foxx Price Ryan Burton shadegg Pitts DeMint Coburn Feingold McCaskill Burr McCain

REAL IDENTITY THEFT! TAXPAYER MONEY TO PAY CREDIT CARD BILLS???!!!

You can’t make this stuff up.

In Houston, the mayor proposed taking taxpayer money to pay off the credit card debt of individuals so that they could up their credit scores thus enabling them to qualify for mortgages. Apparently governments all over have caught the Obama bug and in their delusional state have come to see the taxpayers’ money as their own to hand out to whomever they choose.

In this case, up to $3,000 would go to pay off credit card debt or loans such as car loans. No matter that these people got themselves into credit score trouble buying things they couldn’t afford or buying that nice, big SUV or, since this is Texas, a truck instead of a Ford Focus. There’s the rest of us to bail them out. We can just cut back on our own spending, despite the fact that we are living within our means and paying our bills on time.

In America, apparently, paying your bills on time is definitely un-American.

Here’s the link to the Houston Chronicle article when this bill was billed. Read it and weep.

politics opinion taxes Texas Houston debt "credit+cards" stimulus recovery Obama

"I WON" = WE PAY

Someone ought to teach this Democratic Congress how to get a horse to stop (pull in the reins and say “whoa”) or how to stop a car (press on the brakes) or a runaway train (pull on the break lever). Someone ought to get a competent Chesley Sullenberger-type to land the broken “jet-of-state” safely. We are like lemmings heading to the edge of a cliff and getting closer everyday. We are like turkeys with our heads up and our beaks open during a sudden downpour.

We are on the verge of disaster, and when confronted by House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) about giving tax credits to people who don’t pay taxes, our new President Barak Obama says, “I won. So I think on that one I trump you.” Huh???

Exactly how to fix our broken economy seems still to be unclear to all experts, but last I looked, the word “stimulus” means “something that arouses and excited to activity.” As I said earlier

(http://a-big-bang.blogspot.com/2009/01/will-bush-bashing-remain-our-press.html),

the proposed stimulus package put together without any Republican input (not that they've shown more sense; they voted for the first package) contains so much pork that Congress ought to add that to the fart bill they’ve suggested for cows!!!!! I’m not sure who is passing that murderously horrific gas, and I think it’s coming from Pelosi, Reid, & Co.

I have one question about several aspects of the bill. HOW DO THESE PROPOSALS STIMULATE THE ECONOMY TO RESTORE NATIONAL FINANCIAL HEALTH?

$726 million for afterschool snacks
$50 million for the NEA (National Education Association)
$200 million for work on the National Mall—including grass
(deemed too expensive during the boon years)
Many other millions for contraception, Medicare, Head Start, nurse training, student loans.

I AM NOT SAYING THESE ARE NOT WORTHY CAUSES; I’M SAYING THESE DO NOTHING TO JUMPSTART THE ECONOMY.

The original package was supposed to deal with the base problem—the mortgage crisis. Where’s the money for that? And how is that money being spent?

The American public is being DUPED AGAIN so that President Obama can say he got a lot done in his first one hundred days? What is this Congress thinking?

politics politicians review opinion Washington Congress Obama Pelosi Reid Cantor stimulus "stimulus+bill" "I+won" Medicare snacks contraception Mall grass nursing NEA loans housing "financial+crisis" Democrats Republicans "100+days" bills

REPEATED WARNING ABOUT FUEL TAXES

Go back to June
(http://a-big-bang.blogspot.com/2008/06/gas-taxes-is-governments-cash-cow.html)
and July http://a-big-bang.blogspot.com/2008/07/more-on-our-gas-woes-dont-expect.html
when I warned about Congress and states working themselves into a lather about raising gas taxes. They just didn't have the nerve during the election period.

Now that Obama is safely awaiting his inauguration and gas prices have stopped causing holes in our government-evaluated deep pockets, they feel it's time to act. It will come quickly.

BTW, the fall in gas prices coincided with George Bush's pronouncement that we SHOULD drill offshore. AFTER that announcement came the news about a change in our driving habits.

My biggest problem is that it appears I underestimated the extent to which the government is willing to steal from us. $.10 doesn't quite meet their needs, so we should start buying those little jars labled "gas money." Start saving now.

Not only that, there is the move to put GPS devices in cars to tax us additionally on milegage. Several states are considering it now. But here's the scoop: They will decide it is too much invasion on privacy because your destinations might be tracked. How to get around that? When you have your car's yearly inspection, a tax will be levied on the odometer readings. The ACLU will breathe a sigh of relief and we will follow like lemmings to our financial demise thinking the government is looking out for our rights.

And a final note. Thank you Gov. Corzine. The gas stations on the Jersey Turnpike are Lukoil--Russian owned. Nothing like supporting U.S. Yeah, nothing.

JUDGING DEMOCRATS: ONE MORE BLUNDER AS BILL RICHARDSON TRIPS UP AND OUT

The news about Bill Richardson's withdrawal as the Secretary of Transportation calls for some serious thinking about how to judge Democrats.

1. Remember the transistion from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush. The Clintons themselves ransacked the White House taking with them everything they wanted that wasn't nailed down. Their staff wrecked the computers, stealing the W keys, and carving obsene messages in the desks. The offices were a mess and had to be redone--AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

George W. Bush, on the other hand, created a Transition Coordinating Committee. Security Clearance was started months ago so that key positions could be filled ASAP. Remember that as late as 9/11, some Bush appointees had not been cleared. Apparently President Bush will conclude his terms as President with the respect the office deserves. Character counts when we judge a person.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

2. Barak Obama, haunted, if only by saavy voters, by his associations, continues to be shielded by the media as his appointees and past label him a political opportunist. Fighting his lack of experience, he choses Bill Richardson as Transportation Secretary. Here's a double whammy: experience and Hispanic. BUT Richardson is embroiled in a Federal investigation of his own, and the press has once again chosen sides.

There is no widespread reporting that the company that donated $100,000 normally donated to Republicans so was less likely to suddenly shift to donate to Bill Richardson-affiliated organizations. Nor are there reports that the multi-million state contracts went to this company--Los Angeles based. I'm sure the taxpayers of New Mexico are pleased with that.

3. Perhaps we should consider ourselves lucky because more important than this Federal Investigation is that Richardson was in the running for President. Once again a politician has publicly proven that personal gain is far more important than public good.

4. Harry Reid, our leading Senator, doesn't like the smell of tourists in the summer. He represents us smelling, nosy, folk!

5. Harry Reid, our leading Senator, publicly states that the Senate can seat (or not seat) anyone it chooses for no stated reason even if the person meets the Constitutional requirements. How's that for Chutzpah! We'll see how he reacts to Roland Burris.
politics commentary Demorcrats Bush Obama Clinton transition "political+appointee" Richardson Reid Burris Senate Congress government president

DO-NOTHING CONGRESS FINDS SOMETHING TO DO--TOO BAD IT'S THE WRONG THING TO DO

At an August AIDS conference in Mexico City, the U.S. was praised for ending its 15-year-old law banning HIV-positive people from entering the country. But that ban has yet to be lifted by the Bush administration, much to the ire of the usual groups. I’m glad it hasn’t yet been done. The bill had bi-partisan backing—Sens. John Kerry (D), no longer the most liberal Democrat in Congress since Barak Obama arrived on the scene, and Gordon Smith (R) of Oregon. Since then, 58 Dems have written to the President asking him to take “swift action on this issue.”

I guess that’s because the Congress so swiftly reacts to problems facing American citizens-----like the financial crisis brought on by the sub-prime mortgage debacle or the people in the U.S. devastated by Hurricane Ike. (although a bill promptly surfaced to help the people of Haiti)

I suppose the Congress feels HIV should be removed from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance because….That’s where I get stuck. Because….

Granted we know enough to have overcome the unwarranted fears of how HIV is spread, and true, many people innocent of some of the more behavior-prone ways of contracting this horrendous affliction have been infected and may feel unfairly targeted, BUT are we to assume that visitors to this country who are HIV positive will cease being intravenous drug users who share needles, refrain from unprotected sex so they do not spread the disease, tell the people with whom they have relationships that they are HIV positive or refrain from any other kind of behavior that promotes the spread of HIV? Sorry, John Kerry, Gordon Smith, and you additional 58 Congressman. I don’t assume that. I go back to the great line by Felix Unger in The Odd Couple: ASSUME means to make an ASS of U and ME.

We’ve got people in Washington quaking in their boots that someone out there might not like us so they are constantly considering those outside America over the ones they are elected to protect and to serve. Last July 30, President Bush signed into law a five-year $48 billion bill to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. Those are good intentions, but he should have vetoed the bill because it contained this lifting of the ban. Can you imagine the outcry had he vetoed it? Despite the names he would have been called, he should have used that veto power, and Congress should get its act together and put Americans' best interests first.

Bush politics "political+commentary" politicians "John+Kerry" "Gordon+Smith" senators laws HIV Mexico AIDS Congress "communicable+diseases" "sub-prime+mortgages" "Hurricane+Ike" Haiti sex drugs disease "Felix+Unger" "The+Odd+Couple" Washington malaria tuberculosis

DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU ABOUT TAXES!

On July 29th I warned that we would be flooded with news of failing infrastructure. Yesterday, our local rag, The Times Herald Record, screamed loud and clear from its front page that 61 area bridges etc. are in need of repair!!!!! SIXTY ONE. This morning on TV, CNN announced that 25% of the bridges in the country are in need of repair. ONE IN FOUR! All this as we are bombarded with reminders of the horrific bridge collapse about a year ago. That bridge is scheduled to re-open in Sept. This morning there was a news piece on the baby born after his pregant mother survived that collapse. It's all leading up to the same thing--a rise in gasoline taxes.

That as Congress calls it quits for the summer and leaves without any help for Americans. This when independent truck drivers are barely making ends meet. This when many Americans are having trouble getting to work. AT LEAST THE REPUBLICANS PROTESTED THE BREAK AND STAYED, DEMANDING THE DEMOCRATS RETURN AND GET IT DONE. They turned off the mics and lights on the Republicans.

The Republicans demand off shore drilling be included in the bill. The Democrats absolutely refuse. It doesn't matter to them that EVERY POLL INDICATES AMERICANS WANT OFF SHORE DRILLING INCLUDED IN A COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY BILL.

I have two feelings about these actions:

1. The Democrats have forgotten what their job is in Congress. They represent their constituents--not themselves or their party's line. Their constituents want relief, and they want relief in the form of more domestically produced oil.

This is what frightens me about Dems. THEY THINK THEY KNOW HOW WE SHOULD LIVE OUR LIVES, and they are going to cram their ideas down our throats whether we want it or not. THEY THINK WE ARE INCAPABLE OF MAKING DECISIONS FOR OURSELVES so they will gladly make them for us. People like Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid do this everyday when they refuse to allow bills/amendments etc. to even come to a vote where members of Congress can do their jobs. THEY FEEL THEY HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE THE DECISIONS FOR EVERYONE and we citizens haven't even the right for our elective representatives to represent us!

2. Although Obama will come around (because it's expedient) to agree to some kind of off-shore drilling compromise, the DEMS ARE PROTECTING OBAMA FROM HAVING TO ACTUALLY VOTE TO ALLOW OFF-SHORE DRILLING. Talking isn't acting, and that is what Obama is good at doing. Better to take off for the summer, and let the country sizzle.

If Obama is elected and the Dems increase their hold on Congress, we are in big trouble!
politics politicians Obama Pelosi Reid congress senate oil fuel "off-shore+drilling" taxes liberal Democrats Dems Republicans recess summer vacation "Times+Herald+Record" CNN bridges infrastructure commentary opinion "political+opinion"

CONGRESS CONTINUES TO RUN AMUCK WITH OUR TAX MONEY

The Senate's vote on Wed to TRIPLE spending for a much acclaimed program to protect against AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis is a sign that the U.S.A. remains a leader in helping those around the world. We actually deliver what we pledge unlike many other countries in the world. It is the most ambitious health program ever in the history of the United States.

Unfortuately, this $48 billion dollar package DOES NOT HELP ANYONE HERE. It all goes to Africa--granted the continent is being decimated by these diseases, internal wars, external wars, corrupt governments, sectarian fighting, genocide, racial strife and practically every other man-made and natural disaster there is. BUT...

1. This is the same Congress that does not pass spending bills to keep our military safe and well-equipped. Replacement truck parts in Iraq, for instance, may be a year in waiting because vendors are unpaid; the newspapers are full of reports of faulty electrical work and shoddy electrical equipment resulting in military deaths and injuries, and Congress keeps screaming about the expense of the Iraq war.

This is the same Congress that complains about a "recession," "bad economy," and the plight of Americans who can't afford to buy the things they need WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING SUBSTANATIVE to control the situation.

This is the same Congress that talks about energy and reducing oil independence to bring down prices but which doesn't legislate consistent tax breaks for people to afford solar or wind energy or who add doors, window, etc. to lessen their individual use of resources or for companies to afford technological development. (Remember that Kennedy and Kerry opposed wind farms that might mar their Massachusetts views of the Atlantic ocean)

This is the same Congress led by that despicable Nancy Pelosi who damns the President with his low approval rating while leading a do-nothing Congress with an approval rating 20 points below President Bush's.

This is the same Congress that WILL BREAK FOR SUMMER RECESS WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING about any of the problems that beset us.

WHAT A WASTE THESE MEN AND WOMEN ARE!!!!

This bill, this latest assault on our wallets, is their own "feel good," global way of looking busy. It goes along with their interest in any possible sports irregularities such as steroid useage--obviously problems of vital national interest. Ha Ha It goes along with their constant supoenas issued to presidential aides, etc., to get headlines for their party while ignoring, with the media's complicity, the wrongdoing of such members as Charlie Rangel with his four rent-subsidized apts.--three to create a spacious home for himself and one as an office, or Chris Dodd's special treatment in getting mortgages, etc. Or my own Senator, Chuck Schumer (photo upChuck) whose comments may have contributed to IndyMac's bank failure. According to NPR,

"Twelve days earlier, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), a member of the Senate Banking Committee, had written to bank regulators warning that "a significant move by IndyMac's depositors to redeem their deposits could leave the firm in a disastrous financial situation." Once those letters became public, Schumer's worst fears were realized.

More ironically is that Schumer, when blamed, quickly pointed out that those pointing fingers at him were using "Bush tactics." DUH!

I know I'm rambling a bit, but launching the biggest health initiative ever--in Africa--at a time when we can't balance our budget, don't adequately fund the military (including Veteran hospitals, etc.), need to develop an energy policy (which will be expensive), seek to lessen the tax burden for our citizens, protect the Homeland (also expensive), rebuild failing infrastructure, and help those damaged by floods, fires, and other recent natural disasters is another example of Congress' misguided thinking, its inability to focus and accomplish anything positive for our country, its self-congratulatory smugness, and its damaging partisanship that puts party above country. Would that we could toss the whole lot out!
Congress politics politicians "political+blogs" Africa AIDS malaria tuberculosis health USA military Iraq recession economy energy Kennedy Kerry Massachusetts Bush Pelosi senate Schumer IndyMac

MORE ON OUR GAS WOES--DON'T EXPECT POLITICIANS TO GIVE UP THE CASH COW

I pointed out at the beginning of June just how much of a governmental cash cow gasoline taxes are. ( http://a-big-bang.blogspot.com/2008/06/gas-taxes-is-governments-cash-cow.html )Don't expect any relief from your elected officials, Democrat or Republican--there's too much money and power at stake here. We will get their gas--hot air--finger pointing--and condescension as they look at us as too stupid to grasp the reality of the situation. New York's Democrat Maurice Hinchey, for instance, talks about the "oil men" in the White House while he either ignorantly or knowingly exploits the situation for his own political advancement.

Here's some truths from WebCPA with studies done by CCH. In the past year, eight states have raised their gasoline taxes with Minn. leading the way with a two cent hike. Additionally, while one side of every politician's mouth blurts outrage over the suffering citizen, the other side has authorized increases allowing sales taxes to increase up to 1% with Indiana, Iowa, and Maryland leading the way. Only Utah dropped its taxes--from 10% to 4.65%. Is it possible that Utah is the only state concerned with its citizens' woes?

Why? Simple. Gas taxes fund highway projects (or at least they're supposed to) when coupled with the Federal Government's matching funds. This oil crisis is a BOON for governments. They've got their sticky fingers on every available taxpayer dime.

So while Russia drills 50 miles off our shores and China drills 30 miles off our shores with certainly less concern for our environment than we have, we cannot drill. We have to be dependent on foreign oil. Because of modern technology and safety features, no oil rig was in jeopardy during Hurricane Katrina. Off the coast of CA it is estimated that oil could be with us within a year, yet our politicians, more concerned with themselves than with us, refuse to allow companies to drill. They claim that oil companies already have leases. True, but the permit process is so cumbersome that it can take decades. NO KIDDING.

Here's an interesting tidbit. Just by President Bush lifting the executive order against drilling and asking Congress to act, oil futures dropped!!!! Want more reasonable energy prices. Get Congress to do its job!!!!

politics "political+blogs" commentary oil gas drilling China Russia Congress Hinchey Bush taxes environment politicians "executive+order" sales "gas+taxes" "sales+tax" Minnesota Maryland Utah