Geithner May Resign

Over the course of his eight years as President, I’m sure the number of senior-level (cabinet also) staff members who departed for whatever reason was easily in the double digits. People have lives, the pace of working for a President has to be staggering, and often times a better deal comes along (K Street?)

President Obama has just crossed over the 2.5 year point and the number of senior-level staff members has already passed into double digits. Today we learn the Sec of Treasury Tim Geithner is considering departing the Obama Administration. The list of departures is long, but one area was particularly hard hit; Obama’s economic team. Council of Economic Advisors Chairman Austan Goolsbee is scheduled to leave later this summer Goolsbee replaced Christina Romer left last year. Other members to depart were Lawrence Summers and Peter Orszag, who also left last year. This is a complete turnover of the Obama economic team.

Click here for more information on the devastation unleashed by tax cheat Geithner and his boss.

Rats from a sinking ship?

(via Drudge Report)

Court Favors Obama Care

To me, this decision is just dang scary. The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the most controversial part of Obama, the mandate that basically forces people to purchase health care, as constitutional.

What makes this so worrisome for me is the now the door is open to a completely repressive government telling you what you can and cannot do. Congress could conceivably use the Commerce Clause to mandate anything they wish. Even going as far as overturning other amendments. You want to purchase a gun? No, sorry, you already have one. You want to purchase a bag of M&Ms? Don’t think so because you had a candy bar last week. You want to drive your car to visit your parents? Nope, we, the federal government, deem it is better that you ride the train or bus.

Jewish Voters and Donors turning Against Obama?

File this under it’s about dang time. For as long as I can remember, democrats have not exactly been the best of friends with Israel, yet Jewish-American voters still voted for them in overwhelming numbers. But it appears that the tide is beginning to change.

Obama Vs. Bachmann, A Quick Study In Bias

The media has really been hammering Michelle Bachmann for her John Wayne born in Waterloo gaffe. I thought it might be a good idea to show you a little video that is posted on Glenn Beck’s website.  In this video, Glenn takes you through a series of Candidate/President Obama gaffes that might not have received a lot of air time on the mainstream media networks.

Click here for the video.

The double standard is astounding.

A Reader Comment

“You are a douche”

This simple four word comment to a post entitled “America’s Fall?” was left in my “awaiting moderation” inbox earlier today by “Anonymous”. I have been debating about whether or not to post the above comment. Up until now, nearly all of the comments left on my blog have been positive and supportive of my viewpoints. This one, while utterly lacking specifics as to why I’m “a douche”, is certainly not supportive. And to top it off, the comment was left by anonymous. Ah, the wonderful world that is the world-wide-web.

When I first put this blog together (with high hopes and dreams that I’d change the world), I also put together a very brief paragraph on comments (here, scroll to the bottom, or read the whole thing). The intent was to have dialogue that wasn’t poisoned by name calling. I like people who offer opposing viewpoints, it makes me think.

I also like to engage. Over the course of my many years my viewpoints on some topics have changed or moderated. Take the environment for instance. Many years ago I was completely opposed to any form of environmental regulations. But I have spoken with many people who I would call tree-huggers and my views have moderated somewhat. I really do think we should take care of our environment. After all, God only gave us this one earth; we should do our best to take care of it. But He also put us on the earth to reign over everything. So while He has left us in charge, so-to-speak, that doesn’t mean we should be stupid about it. Humankind comes first, but we should do our best to take care of the rest.

New Erik Scott Update

New update on the Erik Scott case at Confederate Yankee.

Briefly:

The inquest in the Scott Case created an uproar among the Las Vegas population, which in turned forced Metro to implement a more rigorous inquest process that is meant to be more formal. It seems that head of the union is taking about rank and file police officers not cooperating in this new process. Mike makes a great case about how unprofessional this stance is and that it could very well backfire on them.

Archives here if you have not been keeping up to date.

Gay Pride Parade Float Damage

Most of you are aware that I am not a fan of gay marriage and the military’s attempt to indoctrinate the straight servicemember into accepting a lifestyle they may not agree with due to the strongly held moral beliefs.

But in no way can I condone this. Violence against any member of our society is just plain wrong. If you don’t agree with the lifestyle, protest in a peaceful manner, don’t act like a bunch of knuckle dragging idiots.  This is just plain stupid.

California Pensions and Worthless Recovery (UPDATE)

A couple of posts worth a read over at one of my bloggers-in-arms, Doug, at Director Blue.

The first one is school administrator pensions being paid by the state of California to public school administrators. See more information on the state of spending in California at "UPDATE" below.

When I first look at the post, my eyes went directly to the chart. The thing that stood out to me was there were several retirees who are actually earning more in retirement than they earned while actually on the job.  Come to find out, once I read the text, that this situation is not uncommon: one third of the retirees are earning more than while employed.

I just hope that when this all comes crashing down, we all aren’t going to be held responsible for bailing out these ridiculous pension plans.

Make sure you click through the link to the full story provided by Doug. I have to give props to the Sacramento Bee, a notoriously left leaning publication, for running this expose.

The second post is a great summation of just how wonderful of an economic president Obama has turned out to be. NOT!

Many links provided that show just how bad this guy has done leading us out of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, and how his policies have actually stunted the recovery.

Quick look:

-Our debt will be 101% of GDP by 2021. This is Greece-like.

-By 2035 our interest payments will 9% of the entire economy, currently 1%. Where are the cuts or additional revenue going to come from? Talk about a killer to the economy.

-The glitch in Obama that adds 3 million middle class to the roles of Medicaid. I blogged about this the other day. I guess we have found out about the bill now that it is passed.

-The collapse of Medicare and Social Security. You know, a few years ago, President Bush looked at privatizing Social Security and was slammed by the liberal press and democrats. I wonder if people are starting to relook this. Yes, it is true that private investments are not a guarantee, but are you going to collect SS in 25 years if things don’t change?

-The continuing downturn in the housing market. The nest egg that people were counting on has nearly disappeared.

-Job creation has been pathetic. Here is a story from my local area. So many jobs have been lost since the start of this recession that it will take years to recover. Normal recoveries have a growth near 9%, we current stand a little less than 2%, which does not grow jobs.

I really hope the folks that vote this time around finally get their heads out of their rear ends and send this president packing. He is over his head and is not good for America, at least not a growing America.

UPDATE

Sister Toldjah has a great little post about how state employees continue to feed at the trough of taxpayer money despite the current financial crises besieging the state of California. Good video!

Why Do We Oppose Amnesty

If the liberals and progressives ever wanted to know why there is such strong opposition to illegal immigration amnesty from conservatives the story here tells it all.

Is it any wonder why there are so many of us are so opposed to amnesty? A story like this only reinforces the feeling that these folks really don't have a desire to be American citizens. IF (a really big “if" IMO) those attending the game were, as the author pointed out, "naturalized citizens" (did he card check them all as they came in?), why were they not cheering for their home country side. They are no longer Mexicans, they are Americans. I am of Irish heritage and proud of it and I have been known to root for the "green" on occasion. But I would never root for the Irish over America.

I also have to agree with goalie Tim Howard. He was probably very frustrated with the loss and let his mouth run a little more than he should have. But having the ceremony in Spanish was a little too much. If all of these folks were American citizens, then there was no reason why the ceremony needed to be in Spanish.  After all, don’t we speak English in this country?

Obama and the Military, Not A Great Relationship

President Obama is not a favorite among the rank and file members of the military. We instinctively know when someone truly has our best interests at heart. He just can’t seem to get past his disdain of the men and women who defend our freedoms. But what do you expect from a guy who attended Harvard and Columbia, notorious for their hatred of all things military.

Most recently he screwed up a speech when he referred to a Medal of Honor winner while giving a speech to the Army’s 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York. The trouble was he mentioned the MOH recipient as if he were still alive. Jared Monti was awarded the MOH posthumously. Couple this with the “corpseman” flub and a picture of a guy who doesn’t really think highly of the honorable choice of defending this nation begins to take shape.

TSA Does It Again

In an effort appease, the Transportation Security Administration is going to great lengths to avoid profiling those people who are determined to do us harm (young, male, muslim). The latest fiasco involved a 95 year old wheelchair-bound woman who is dying of leukemia. During the search, the TSA requested the woman’s daughter remove the elderly woman’s adult diaper so the search could be more thorough.

I do understand the need for TSA to be sure to spread out to whom they search invasively. But I really so think that nearly strip searching a 5 year old kid and 95 year old great grandmother might be taking this a little too far. Yes, TSA needs to be sure the enemy doesn’t try to exploit weak areas in their search patterns. But when was the last time a muslim terrorist group used a 95 year old white woman to blow up a plane? And despite these efforts, muslim men continue to board planes and make attempts to blow them out of the sky.

Early 2012 Election News

Some early 2012 election news from Iowa sent to me by a fellow blogger sitting on the ramparts. PACNW Righty’s added comments are in yellow.

The results of the Ames Auction:

Ron Paul, first place (no surprise, he has a big war chest and isn’t afraid to use it).

-I know Ron Paul is going to do well in these early political “actions”. But I am concerned how well a Libertarian can do against an established democrat opponent. The dems have the political know-how to run a nationwide election, but the Libertarians don’t have the apparatus in place to compete. Couple this with the mainstream media’s treatment of him (Matt Lauer called him a “fringe candidate” right to his face), and I really think it will be an uphill battle for Paul.  Will I vote for him? Of course!

Malkin Takes on Illegal Immigration

Here is a must read column by Michelle Malkin on the current state of affairs with illegal immigration, the DREAM Act, and the snot-nosed illegal immigrant reporter from the Washington Post.

The links in the lead-in to the column and the links within the column itself are well worth a gander. Don’t read them if you don’t want to be educated on the current efforts by the Obama Administration to instantaneously increase democrat voters by over 2M.

As she so forcefully puts it: What part of no doesn’t the open-borders lobby understand?

Obama: Unions Above Job Growth (UPDATE)

The Obama Administration continues to pay back their union benefactors. A new set of rules begin proposed by the Department of Labor and NLRB are decidedly anti-business and heavily pro-union.

The Department of Labor (DOL) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) each proposed regulations which many I the employer community believe will make it easier for unions to organize, while harming the ability of workers to make an informed decision to join a union.

The first came on Monday from the DOL’s Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS), which proposed a regulation mandating that anyone giving advice to an employer during a union election must submit a disclosure to the Department.

Government Wants to Control Your Food

This story might be worth your time. Nanny government is soon to bring about regulating what you can eat. The program is supposedly designed to help with health care costs. Since the democrats have a goal in mind of a single-payer government run health care system, I guess they think the next logical step is to invade your home and kitchen.

The federal government has a growing interest in the eating habits of Americans for the same reason it has an interest I tobacco consumption, said Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

The reason is money, because three-quarters of medical-spending is driven by chronic diseases, such as obesity and tobacco-related diseases, she said. (Source: The Daily Caller)

Will the progressive’s attempts to take over our lives ever end? 2012 will tell.

America's Fall?

I truly believe that America is headed for a fall.  When history looks back at the United States they will look at the amazing rise of the Original Thirteen Colonies into most likely was the greatest power ever. History will also look at the fall ad it will surprise many how quickly it all came apart

(UPDATE: Click here to see my reponse to a reader's comment Somebody doesn't like me).

As with all great powers, a point is reached when that power begins to ebb and then erode entirely. Most often, this occurs over several generations. From the point of peak power and influence to the point where the nation’s or empire’s authority no longer matters is a drawn out process. While the fall certainly takes less time than the buildup, the fall is still a process that takes some time to occur.

Not so with the US. We reached our peak of power during the end of the previous century. We were the determining factor in the outcome of two world wars, our innovation lead the world and ushered in the age of the middle class. Our manufacturing capabilities and the can-do spirit that was a hallmark buried the rest of the world. We built cars and ships and consumer goods that were the envy of the rest of the world. We were an economic, military, and political juggernaut that so influenced the world that it runs on our currency and our language.

Jobless Claims Rise "Unexpectantly"

During our supposed period of recovery we continue to see news that just doesn’t support the contention that our economy is in fact recovering. The most recent news is jobless claims which rose unexpectedly (of course) last week by 9,000.

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits climbed by 9,000 to 439,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday.  Economist had expected claims to come in at 415,000.

The claims report, which covers the survey period for the government’s closely watched data on non-farm payrolls for June, came a day after the Federal Reserve gave a downbeat assessment of the economy.

Terrorism Plot Hits Close to Home

Another Terrorism plot foiled in the PACNW. From The Seattle Times:

The Justice Department says two men have been arrested in a plot to attack a military recruiting station with machine guns and grenades.

Seattle resident Abu Khalid Adbul-Latif, also known as Joseph Anthony Davis, and Walli Mujahidh, also known as Frederick Domingue Jr. of Los Angeles were arrested Wednesday night.

…

Investigators say the two men planned to attack a station in Seattle where military enlistees are processed.  The building, on East Marginal Way, also houses a day care. (Source: Seattle Times via AP)

Interesting there is no mention of any Islamic terrorist connection. I wonder if Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh are just names they made up to cover their tracks, kind of like Joe Smith.

Illegal Immigration End Game?

I have blogged several times about the illegal immigration issues in our country and how the Obama administration is going to try and circumvent the immigration laws (select “illegal immigration” from the Labels column on the left of this site).

It sure looks like the end game is near. Michelle Malkin has the full story. A memo recently released is basically telling ICE agents to go through a series of qualifiers to determine whether an illegal immigrant should be processed for deportation. After reading through the list of qualifiers, it looks like unless the illegal immigrant commits a significant crime, they get to stay. I thought breaking or immigration laws would be considered a significant crime. Not according to the Obama administration.

2012 cannot come soon enough.

Stirring Up A Hornet's Nest

Good grief, I stirred up a hornet’s nest over at Huffington Post. Earlier today I blogged about a blog post over at HuffPro and my subsequent comment. I cannot believe how much trouble I caused. By the end of the day, I had received at least 22 comments on my comment. As you might imagine, given that HuffPro leans left, most of the comments were not terribly favorable.

One commenter said that he always hears from conservatives about how the media is liberal but no one ever provides proof. So I provided it to him although the 250 word limit did cut back on how much proof I could provide to him.  Here is my response.

“So you would like a little proof? How about when Rather completely fabricated the Bush story a few years back? Or how about when Sawyer called Rand Paul a “fringe candidate” right to his face? How about ANYTHING written by the press (other than Fox) about Palin? What about the fact the over 85% of the main stream media votes democrat? Or that the editorial panel of the NY times favors liberal 10 to 1. Or the fact the main stream media won’t report the shooter at Fort Hood last year, and the dude found in front of the Pentagon two days ago were muslim. Or that NBC “forgot” part of the pledge of allegiance­. The NY Times blasting Romney for his “I’m unemployed­” remark while completely skipping Obama’s “not shovel ready” comment. Or how about when the media almost completely ignored when Maxine Waters and Maurice Hinchley called for government takeover of the US oil industry? The media has ignored the controvers­ies surroundin­g “climate-g­ate” and other instances of data fudging (or blatant lies) until the conservati­ve blogospher­e and Fox News has forced them into coverage. And let’s not forget the media would “recoil in horror” if Palin were elected.

Do I need to do more? One last point, just because you agree with the cover tilt from all the alphabet media outlets doesn’t mean they aren’t biased. I don’t believe I have said Fox News wasn’t biased, but I am at least aware they tilt to the right.”

It did not take long for him to respond back:

People report on Palin because they know stories about her get viewers, so of course they would. That is simply a smart business practice.

NY Times? I apologize, when I said MSM I was thinking of cable news. I couldn't care less what a news paper reports.

As for fort hood, i found articles on fort hood from abc, nbc, cnn, msnbc, and fox. So they obviously DID report on it, don't lie. I also found clips from coverage from those stations about fort hood on youtube. Try doing some research before making a claim.

The pledge from NBC was obviously not intentiona­l because they would not logically alienate all religious people, considerin­g they are a corporatio­n so their main priority is money. Do you always see conspiraci­es in every corner?

Is the MSM sensationa­list? Of course. Liberal? Hardly. Progressiv­e? Not even close.

Next time, try to actually explain how they are "insert adjective about left leaning ideology here".

I would like to ask if the media’s near immediate blame of Palin for the Arizona Tragedy is a good business practice. Not sure why he doesn’t care about the “newspaper of record”. What he failed to mention is that many of those stories were late in coming to the obvious conclusion the Fort Hood shooter was a muslim. NBC skipping one line in the pledge an honest mistake, not likely when you consider the source. As I pointed out to him earlier, just because you agree with their point of view doesn’t mean the point of view doesn’t lean left.

Oh boy, did I have some fun today.

Dang that Global Warming!

Snow fell in the mountains of Colorado yesterday, a sure sign that global warming is going to doom us all.

Loophole to Add to Costs of Obama Care

During the “debate” over Obama care Nancy Pelosi infamously said “we have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it.” Never have truer words been spoken. OK, that is an exaggeration. Lots of people have said truer things, but I don’t think anyone has said anything quite so stupid while at the same time being so amazingly prophetic.

Well, it looks like now that the bill has been passed, we are finding out more and more about what an absolute disaster this bill is going to be. It seems that a loophole would allow middle-class families to receive a provision of Obama care for free.

A Look at How the Left Views the Wallace-Stewart Interview (Update)

Over at the Huffington Post there are several articles about Chris Wallace’s interview with Jon Stewart. As you might guess when you consider the source, the majority side with Stewart. Many of these posts and related comments say that Wallace was schooled by Stewart and that Wallace was out of his league. Not sure which interview they watched, but it sure didn’t seem like Wallace got schooled by Stewart. It was a good interview, with give and take on both sides.

I will have to say that one area that Wallace trumped Stewart was in the bias department. Stewart just couldn’t seem to come to grips with the overwhelming evidence that the main stream media, outside of Fox News, is tilted significantly to the left. But I think that is one area where the left and the right truly do differ. We can see bias from both sides. We know that Fox News has a right leaning tilt, and that is why we watch it. But the liberals don’t seem to see the liberal bias from the rest of the media at-large. To their thinking, if they agree with the reporting, then it isn’t biased

There was one post at the Huffington Post that caught my attention for both the blatant bias take on the interview as well as the writing style. Steven Weber is an (former?) actor turned blogger for HuffPro. In his post he goes on about how badly Stewart pulled the wool over Chris Wallace’s eyes. After reading Weber’s post and others like him a conclusion was cemented in my mind. The left is just weird. Oh, and they hate Fox News with a blind passion. Actually, I have had this opinion for quite some time, this just reinforces it.

Gingrich Campaign Takes Another Hit

I don’t think I ever thought Gingrich really had any chance at being the Republican nominee for President of the United States. In a few of the interviews I saw with him he was either kind of “oh well” about it or he was very combative. Neither of these approaches is going to win you many votes or get you very much money. Plus, when you are attached at the hip with the likes of Nancy Pelosi and denigrate Ryan Paul’s budget plan, you are not only digging a hole, you are burying yourself in the hole.

Now this news has come forth. It seems that his financial team has also jumped ship.  This comes on the heels of his advisors also calling it quits after some serious disagreement with how to run the campaign.

Gingrich is a conservative icon, developed when he, and the Congress he lead, was able to pull Clinton more to the center. He had a major role in getting the budgets balanced and even getting the government in the black for the first time in many years.

Obama Email

I received this in an email the other day.  I have added some links so you can burnish your knowledge. According to Fact Check.org several of these statements are either false of twisted. You’ll have to do your own research to determine their veracity.

If any other of our presidents had doubled the National Debt, which taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one, would you have approved? (Link) The amount of debt is all in how you read it. If one were to compare year to year, then the statement is partially true. What really is not in dispute is the level of spending is something we have never seen.

If any other of our presidents had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved? (Link). While not 100% true, it is only a matter of a few billion dollars.

If any other of our presidents had criticized a state law that he admitted he never even read, would that he is just an ignorant hot head? (Link) Could not really find anything that said Obama hadn’t read it, but two advisors, Napolitano and Holder had not read but were supposedly “briefed.”

Climate People Caught Manipulating Data (Yet Again!)

For all you climate change denier deniers out there, take a look at this. Still think the data for global warmer and man-caused climate change isn’t fixed? The folks that are still pushing this scam to gain control of everything we say and do have a lot of explaining to do. No longer will saying “the data supports the trend” be valid. Cheating, lying, and just plain being wrong have cost the climate changers all of their respectability.

True, the amount added to the sea level data is miniscule, but it all boils down to being truthful. What else are the climate changers fudging? We know NASA manipulated temperature data. Everyone has read or heard about the climate-gate emails. Now screwing around with sea level data. Do these people have any shame? To answer that question all one has to do is look at OwlGore.

Obama Proposed CAFE Standards (And More)

President Obama owes much of his political success to the extreme left of the democrat party; the so-called progressives. Because of this, he is beholden to the progressives and their radical attempts to reshape America. One of the groups that have their hands in his pockets is the environmentalists. Obama has been on record many times (do some research on your own) stating that he wants our economy to be green-based. He claims that a green-based economy would create jobs. Spain has experienced something quite different.

Obama’s latest foray into satisfying the progressive’s green agenda is his Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) proposal. Under this proposal is the mandate that vehicles get an average of 62 MPG by 2025. This could prove mostly costly to the job market and our pocket books.

The Detroit News dogged David Shepardson has unearthed a study by on the of world’s most respected automotive research firms that reveals that President Obama’s radical CAFÉ mandate that vehicles average – average! – 62 MPG by 2025 ‘could force vehicle prices up by nearly $10,000, reduce sales by 5.5 million vehicles annually, and eliminate more the 260,000 jobs.”

Slow Blogging

Dear Readers,

Sorry about the slow blogging the last few days, been very busy. Need to get some of my chairs and a lover seat finished up soon.  They are almost done. If you haven't been by before, please take some time to read through the previous posts.  Not all of them are necessarily news, several of them are commentary on on-going events.  But most of all, if you do read a post, please leave a comment.  I often respond in the comments section, so don't forget to come back.  BTW: unless the comment is profane or a personal attack, it gets posted.

Should be back at blogging in the next day or so, so please stay tuned.

v/r

PACNW Righty

Winer Grows Up, Does the Right Thing

It had to happen. Rep Anthony Wiener has finally decided to step down. After all the scandal and all the lying, it was inevitable. There was no way he could lead effectively with the cloud of the scandal hanging over his head. Couple the sexting with the bold-faced lies he told, there was no way he continue to represent the people of his New York district.

Low Sunspot Activity = A Mini-Ice Age?

Another quick note for tonight:

Over at American Thinker there is a short little post about decreased sunspot activity and the possible impact on our climate. In times past, low sunspot activity has resulted in what has been termed a “mini-ice age”.  Since the same people who touted global cooling in the 1970s are the same people who are now screaming global warming, more than likely the same voices will be raised when the earth’s climate changes yet again, just like it has done over the years, is doing now, and will do for the foreseeable future.

It certainly didn’t take long for those scientists who have staked their reputations on the whole global warming scheme to come up with a counter-point.

The temperature change associated with any reduction in sunspot activity would likely be minimal and may not be enough to offset the impact of greenhouse gases on global warming, according to scientists who have published recent papers on the topic.

“Recent solar 11-year cycles are associated empirically with changes in global surface temperatures of 0.1 Celsius.” Said Judith Lean, a solar Physicist with the US Naval Research Laboratory.

Subaru Succeds Without the Unions

Great post over at Director Blue on how to keep the unions at bay. Subaru is an uncommon success story in the American automotive industry. And they did it all without the union’s “help”.

Erik Scott Update

As some of you are already aware, I have been tracking the Erik Scott case via Confederate Yankee.

QUICK BACKGROUND: Erik Scott was shot and killed by three Metro police officers outside a suburban Las Vegas. Scott was carry a concealed firearm legally

(Click here for the full archives)

Mike has posted his latest installment. The civil case against the Las Vegas PD and other entities has finally started the slow process through the court system.  It is only at the very beginning stages and will most likely be drawn out for quite a while.

For how much longer will people in the lower income bracket going to continue this president? His policies continue to be anti-middle class. His health care bill is going to force many people into the government run health care system at a higher cost than they are paying now. If they don’t wind up on the government rolls, then private insurance will go up as they will be forced to cover procedures not everyone needs. Several companies are already on record as stating they are going to drop employer sponsored health care coverage. This will force those employees into Obama Care (which I think is the progressive’s plan all along).

During the campaign he famously said that “electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” His Cap and Trade program was designed to force companies to retro-fit their natural gas and coal fired electricity, which would increase generating cost, which would have to passed along to the consumers. Fortunately, the majority in the Senate listened to their constituency, and the bill died a slow death. Well, leave to dictator Obama. Rather than following the constitutionally mandated way of controlling the American people, he decided to use the EPA and act unilaterally. The EPA installed regulations on gas and coal burning plants will begin to take effect over the next few years and will drive up electricity costs an estimated 40-60 percent.

Read the full story over a Weasel Zipper. (h/t: Doug at Director Blue)

Oil In Israel

I have heard talk about oil in Israel for several years, but I always took it with a small grain of salt.  Sure, there existed the possibility of oil in Israel, heck, they are surrounded by oil producers. But all of the sources I saw seemed like hucksters, the take your money and run type of reports.  But it looks like those possibilities are now coming true.

Sister Toldjah touched on the economic possibilities if these oil fields are able to produce oil in significant quantities. But being the pessimist that I am I am seeing troubles to go along with those wonderful economic possibilities. Can you image how the jihadists will react if Israel is able to become an economic power? The knot in their knickers is going to be huge. Not only will Israel be a thorn in their sides just due to Israel’s existence, but now they will be a player on the world stage because of this oil.

No longer will the world view Israel as that country that displaced the Palestinians due to United Nations actions, but as a source of oil. How long do you think it will be before China comes knocking at Israel’s door, looking for a piece of the action? How long do you think it will be before other nations of the world suddenly stop seeing Israel as the “bad guy” and begin to tell Hamas and the other groups to go pound sand?  When that first drop of oil hits the barrel, Israel is going to be everybody’s best friend.

1.9 Million Jobs Not Created

So, we are nearly a year into the recovery.  Are you feeling the recovery? I know I am not.  I think there are a lot of people out there not feeling the recovery. A lot = 1.9 million. 1.9 million is the number of jobs lost since Feb 2009. 1.9 million is the number of jobs lost despite the US government spending $800 billion in supposedly “shovel ready” jobs. So far the Obama administration and the recently departed democrat control Congress have spent over $400,000 of our tax money to create one job.

The economy cannot create jobs fast enough to keep pace with layoffs and recent high school and college graduates seeking employment.  If the trend continues, as (Larry) Summers notes may happen, the economy will suffer further in the future as college graduates delay entry into the labor force, reducing their lifetime productivity.

“Beyond the lack of jobs and incomes, an economy producing below its potential for a prolonged interval sacrifices it future,” argues Summers. “Huge numbers of new college graduates are moving back in with their parents this month because they have no job or means of support.”

As both Summer and the BLS data make clear, the economy is not creating new jobs fast enough to make up for layoffs and new graduates, calling into question Obama’s oft-repeated claim that the economy is recovering and creating jobs. (Source: CNS News)

As long as Obama is President, the business community is not going to unleash the $1.8 trillion dollars that is held in reserve or making money in the markets. Too many business people are fearful of higher taxes on business profits and the new health care bill. Until this uncertainty is removed, our “recovery” will be stagnant. Will that be when Obama removes his head from his backside, or when the voters remove him from office in 2012?  Let us hope he is a one-term President.

Electric Vehicles, Not So Green

The Obama administration is seriously considering throwing billions of dollars to the auto industry to develop and build electric and low emission vehicles like the Chevy Volt. There are already incentives being given to purchasers of the Volt to the tune of $7,500.00. There are countless other green technology projects going on around the country that are centered around a vehicle that supposedly will be a key factor from saving us from non-existent man-caused global warming/climate change.

A new study done in Great Britain is showing that these so-called green vehicles might not be so green after all.

The study was commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership, which is jointly funded by the British government and the car industry. It found that a mid-sized electric car would produce 23.1 tonnes of CO2 over its lifetime, compared with 24 tonnes for similar petrol car.  Emission from manufacturing electric cars are at least 50 per cent higher because batteries are made from material such as lithium, copper and refined silicon, which require much energy to produce.

Many electric cars are expected to need a replacement battery after a few years. Once the emission form producing the second battery are added in, the total CO2 from producing an electric car rises to 12.6 tonnes, compared with 5.6 tones for a petrol car.  Disposal also produces double the emission because of the energy consumed in recovering and recycling metals in the battery. The study also took into account carbon admitted to generate the grid electricity consumed. (Source: The Australian / h/t Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin)

As I have said many times before, the technology is not there yet for us to make the switch. The power grid is not ready for the demands and may take over $1T to prepare it. Charging stations are few and far between. Charges only last a few miles in many cases, turning a routine trip into an ordeal. And global warming was a money making scheme hatched by OwlGore to make money over his Internet.

Nissan Takes A Swipe at Chevy Volt

Absolutely awesome dig from Nissan on the Chevy Volt.

Not a supporter of the electric vehicle. The infrastructure is not in place, the cost is too high for the vehicle, the size of the vehicle is not designed for a family larger than four (the kids need to be young, or short) and the distance from a plug is miniscule compared to gas power vehicles. But I do like Nissan’s attempt to highlight that fact that the Chevy Volt is a hybrid, nothing more.

Weekend Links

Sorry about missing the last couple of weeks. No real excuses because they all sound lame.  I attempt to do better in the future. Of course, like many of the weekend links I have posted in the past, this one is getting posted Monday night.

LOCAL:

1. The struggles within the Settle Public Schools continues. Over the past couple of years, a vacant school building has been for sale. A private school made an offer of $9.7 million but was turned down in favor of an offer from the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was millions less and taxpayer subsidized.

Feminist Holding on to Wiener

This story from Dana Loesch writing at Big Journalism is a little sad.  Seems that the feminists who work to protect the rights of females only do so if the female is not causing trouble for a democrat politician. Anthony Wiener is everything women of this type should abhor, but they don’t because he votes for things they like, like unfettered access to abortion.

All of the women mentioned in the linked article excuse Wiener’s actions for a variety of reasons, but they all pretty much sound the same. “He’s our guy, he votes how we like, and because he votes how we like he can doing anything to any woman he wants.”

The head of the Brooklyn/Queens chapter of National Organization for Women said she could separate Wiener’s sexcapades from the liberal track record that earned the group’s support.

“I wasn’t happy to discover that my congressman is a 14-year-old boy,” said Julie Kirshner, president of the NOW chapter.

“But he happens to be one of the best politicians out there, so we’re in a bad position.  We’re trying to give him the benefit of the doubt.” (Source: Big Journalism)

Ms. Kirshner, can I ask you a question? What do you think about the bold-faced lying he did for a week? Are you giving a liar the benefit of the doubt or are you giving a cyber-cheating husband the benefit of the doubt?

Feminist Amanda Marcotte…called the reporting of a congressman’s lewd photo scandal “new standards” of which we should all fear [and]… asserts that investigation into or reporting on Wiener’s acts constitutes a “violation of sexual privacy.” (Source: Big Journalism)

So when the press was reporting on the Larry Craig scandal and trying to bring down a Speaker of the House during the Clinton Administration that wasn’t a set of “new standards”, but if you of your boys gets his butt in a sling, then it troubles you. You ma’am are a hypocrite.

Then we have everyone’s favorite horrible actress, Janeane Garafalo:

During an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Janeane Garofalo said, “Anthony Wiener deserves to be supported and hopefully he will be the mayor of New York one day.  I’m serious. He is a Democrat [who] actually fights for the things liberals and progressive and rational people care about.” (Source: Big Journalism)

So Ms. Garafalo, is treating women like sexual prey something “liberals and progressives and rational people” care about?  What about lying?

I really do think that a lot of progressive women will protect a person like Wiener because he has fought for so-called abortion rights. For feminists, the right to terminate a pregnancy is issue number one and that crowds out everything else. The abortion issue crowds out telling the truth when called to do so and crowds out treating women with respect.

Has anyone ever wondered why a male politician would nearly fall on his sword to protect the “right” for women to have abortions on demand? I have given this some thought from time to time and have come up with my own theories.

Theory number one is pretty simple and clear. They are digging for women voters. They really don’t care one way or another about the issue of abortion; they just want the progressive female vote. Women do vote more for democrats than Republicans and abortion might be one of those reasons.

My other theory is a little more insidious. Maybe guys like Rep Wiener support abortion because they view it as a form of birth control. As far as we know, Wiener was not actually having physical sex with any of the women he had contact with. But what if he had decided to take it a little further and actually meet up with one of these women. Lisa Weiss, a Las Vegas blackjack dealer, appears to have been more than willing to have a physical relationship with Wiener according to the transcript of their Facebook conversations (the transcript language is vary graphic) posted at Radar Online. Seeing that Wiener is a married man (for now), if Miss Weiss had gotten pregnant during a possible liaison, would he want that option available so it could be kept quiet?

It is very sad that these women continue to support a congressman who obviously has a different viewpoint of women than many of these feminist have of themselves.

More Wiener Photos Appear

Will this photo finally force Rep Anthony Wiener to resign? For anyone not living under a rock, the story trace is well known so I won’t rehash here. What makes this photo interesting is that it looks to have been taken in the House Gym, which adds a whole new dimension to the scandal.

The pressure is mounting for him to step down after the gym photos showed up. The photos shown at TMZ at cellphone photos, one with a towel around his mid section.

In a potential career-ending twist, they also appear to have been taken in the House of Representatives gymnasium, said the report, which suggested this could be the final straw that forces his resignation.

After lying point-blank about his x-rater Internet liaisons for days, even suggesting that hackers had infiltrated hi Twitter account, Wiener called a nationally televised press conference on Monday and made a tearful admission.

He said he had been sending pictures online and sexting with six women, but refused to stand down as a New York congressman, saying he had not met any of the women, not had he had a physical relationship outside his marriage.

By Friday, it appeared that the congressman may have weathered the worst of the storm uyt it then emerged that had been exchanging private messages, again through the micro-blogging site Twitter, with a 17-year-old girl. (Source: Yahoo News)

Both his democrat colleagues and Republicans have been calling for him to step down.  I agree. I really doesn’t have much to do with the back and forth with the pictures (although I question his morals), but has more to do with the lying straight to our faces. He can no longer be trusted.

Weekedn Update

Weekend Update

1. Anger Level Rising. Just a quick link to  a story that shows Americans are starting to get a little upset at the direction (or may the lack thereof) of our nation. I would venture a guess that behind the anger is a good amount of fear. I don’t think the level of despair is at Great Depression levels, but I have a feeling we are feeling just a tad antsy at what is going on.

2. HR 909, Seems Like a Good Plan. A bill currently making its way through Congress would take a lot from the conservative point of view and meld it with some of the energy source development favored by the progressives. From what I have read, it really does seem like a good idea.

Stop Shouting Will Be On the Radio (And the Web)

If you want to listen in to an East Coast Conservative blogger, that a moment to click here.  You can tune into his radio apperance through the blog site.  If you decide to take the time to listen in, please give me some feedback as I will be working during his broadcast.

New Source of News

Just wanted to let you all know that I have been invited to be a contributor on the Conservative Blogs Central blogsite.  I really think you will enjoy this site.  Just click the link over there on the left "Conservative Blogs Central"

Terrelle Pryor Was Almost A Duck

The Ohio State football program is in deep do-do over out of control players flaunting the rules. The coach has resigned (probably would have been fired), players have been suspended, and finally the star quarterback has bolted after promising to stay. Of course, this little ditty probably hastened Terrelle Pryor’s exit.

There was a time when Pryor was seriously thinking about coming out to the PACNW to play football for the University of Oregon. It really wasn’t all that much of a stretch for him to be here. His style of play would have fit nicely with Oregon’s offense. Imagine what Chip Kelly could have done with Pryor at the reins of Kelly’s high-powered offense. Cam who?

But he decided to go to Ohio State. I am glad he made that decision. It would have forever tarnished the budding reputation of Oregon football. 

Go Ducks!!

I Am A Climate Change Denier, But...

Doing a little catching up on the environmental posts. This story from the USA Today compares those who deny man-caused global warming exists to the birthers.

Late last week, the nation’s pre-eminent scientific advisory group, the National Research Council arm of the National Academy of Sciences, issued a report called “America’s Climate Choices.”  As scientific reports go, its key findings were straightforward and unequivocal” “Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused primarily by human activities, and poses significant risks to humans and the environment.”  Among those risks in the USA: more intense and frequent heat waves, threats to coastal communities from rising sea levels, and greater drying of the arid Southwest.

So Ok, let’s break this down a little. The article calls the National Research Council “the nation’s pre-eminent scientific advisory group”. Well, there might some truth to that, but what might be missing from this description are the ties to progressive agendas, especially those related to climate change. The chairman of the Council is Ralph Cicerone, who has been honored with several awards related to his study of climate change and his “leadership in protecting the global environment”. Furthermore, a key member, Barbara Schaal, has served on President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. I could mention even more, but you get the drift. This “pre-eminent scientific advisory board” is loaded with folks who most likely have a left leaning, global warming is occurring and man is the cause, viewpoint. It’s not like Obama is going to appoint a conservative climate change "denier" to any of his scientific councils.

Cracks Appear In Dem-Enviros Alliance

Looks like there may be some tensions in the alliance between democrats and green advocacy groups.  Last month, a meeting took place between several leading individuals that are directly connected to the green agenda and several high ranking democrats in the Senate.  Apparently there is some disagreement between these two groups on how the green folks are going after democrats who don’t follow the party’s green line.

(Sen Harry) Reid and several of his top lieutenants emerged from a meeting Wednesday night (story first published on 18 May) with top green group CEOs pledging to protect the Clean Air Act against further assaults from Republican and even some moderate democrats.

But behind the scenes, the majority leader and the environmentalists don’t all see eye to eye on whether in-cycle democrats deserve to be the target of ad campaigns when they also help make up Reid’s razor-thin majority.

Driving the debate is a League of Women Voters commercial that slammed Sen Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) after she voted last month to freeze the EPA’s rules for two years.

Sierra Club CEO Michael Brune dragged the issue into the public spotlight Wednesday when he posted on Twitter the premise of the green group’s closed-door meeting with the democratic leaders.

“What do u think about holding D’s accountable for votes to gut the CI Air Act/keep oil subsidies?” he tweeted, referring to the EPA vote last month and Tuesday’s roll call on legislation to repeal $21 billion in oil industry tax breaks. (Source: Politico)

These green groups want the democrats to tow the line, their line. Even though it certainly looks like the whole global warming/climate change issue has run its course, these guys still want tougher environmental laws and regulations in place, not to save the world, but to control the world.