Monday, July 11, 2011

Racism being paid for by O and employment numbers just keep getting worse

Your Tax Dollars At Work: Stimulus Money Used For Far-Left Propaganda

This was supposed to somehow “stimulate” the economy:

The Omaha Public Schools used more than $130,000 in federal stimulus dollars to buy each teacher, administrator and staff member a manual on how to become more culturally sensitive.
The book by Virginia education consultants could raise some eyebrows with its viewpoints.
The authors assert that American government and institutions create advantages that “channel wealth and power to white people,” that color-blindness will not end racism and that educators should “take action for social justice.”

James Taranto notes:

Unemployment [in January 2009] was 7.6%, and Obama’s economic advisers warned that it could rise as high as 8% without the stimulus. With the stimulus, it rose as high as 10.2% in October 2009. Last month’s rate was 9.2%, still 1.2 points higher than the level the stimulus was supposed to prevent us from ever reaching.

O has doubled the cost of this program

The Food Stamp Crime Wave

Fire it up

AP Graphics

By JAMES BOVARD

Millionaires are now legally entitled to collect food stamps as long as they have little or no monthly income. Thirty-five states have abolished asset tests for most food-stamp recipients. These and similar "paperwork reduction" reforms advocated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are turning the food-stamp program into a magnet for abuses and absurdities.

The Obama administration is far more enthusiastic about boosting food-stamp enrollment than about preventing fraud. Thanks in part to vigorous federally funded campaigns by nonprofit groups, the government's AmericaCorps service program, and other organizations urging people to accept government handouts, the number of food-stamp recipients has soared to 44 million from 26 million in 2007, and costs have more than doubled to $77 billion from $33 billion.

Another close call

Passengers Subdue Saudi on Board Jetliner

Fire it up

The unruly passenger who caused a commercial jet flying from Chicago to Germany to divert to Cleveland Friday is facing federal charges.

The FBI said Monday that Saleh Ali S. Alramakh, aka Saleh Ali S. Alramaleh, age 21, of Riyadh Saudi Arabia, has been charged with interference with flight crew members and attendants.

The incident caused United Airlines Flight 944 -- en route to Frankfurt -- to divert to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport at about 5:30 p.m.

According to the FBI, Alramakh went into the plane's bathroom and used an electronic device while the plane was taxiing in Chicago. He allegedly refused to follow the flight attendant's directives that he immediately turn off the device and return to his seat, but eventually returned to his seat...

Eat Your Peas! ...From Paris

You? You have to eat your peas ! Why? Because we said so. Me and Michelle? We'll eat what ever we want to.

Pre-infected computers imported into the U.S.

Confirming years of warnings from government and private security experts, a top Homeland Security official has acknowledged that computer hardware and software is already being imported to the United States preloaded with spyware and security-sabotaging components.

The remarks by Greg Schaffer, the Department of Homeland Security's acting deputy undersecretary for national protection and programs, came Thursday during a tense exchange at a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The panel is considering an Obama administration proposal to tighten monitoring and controls on computer equipment imported for critical government and communications infrastructure.

http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/07/08/7043349-us-official-says-pre-infected-computer-tech-entering-country

Liberal cellphone company targeting Bachmann

Credo Mobile, a liberal cellphone company, is always on the lookout for ways to poach left-wing customers from AT&T. This year, what could be better than a grinning Michele Bachmann?

So Credo put the Minnesota Republican Congresswoman and 2012 presidential candidate on a flier highlighting her tea party ties and AT&T’s contributions to conservatives in Congress.

With 110,000 mobile customers, Credo, which resells services it buys from the Sprint network, cannot hope to rival telecom giants AT&T and Verizon. But through shrewd marketing and the support of a re-energized liberal grass roots eager to combat the tea party, the company has secured a niche in the cellphone market and in the progressive community.

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/57_4/Credo-Mobile-Sells-Anti-Michele-Bachmann-Phone-207138-1.html?pos=hbtxt

556 horsepower station wagon

Someone at GM decided that what the world really needs is a CTS-V Wagon because, you know, a 6.2-liter supercharged V-8 good for 556 horsepower is just what you need for running to Costco.

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2011/07/cadillac-wagon/?pid=932

Eat your peas

Mommy government wants you to take your medicine, accept higher taxes, and eat your peas.

"I've been hearing from my Republican friends for some time it is a moral imperative to tackle our debt and deficits in a serious way," Mr. Obama said. "What I've said to them is, let's go."

The president said today he would not accept a smaller, short-term deal. "We might as well do it now," he said. "Pull off the band aid. Eat our peas."

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20078418-503544.html

Demagoguery, Obama style

Demagoguery, at its best, requires good oratory and charisma — which is why Jimmy Carter was such a dismal failure at it, despite his half-hearted demonization of three-martini lunches and private yachts at a time of a record misery index that saw high unemployment, out-of-control inflation, and usurious interest rates, coupled with a neutralist foreign policy that had led to Russians in Afghanistan, Communist takeovers in Central America, and American hostages in Teheran. Carter’s mock-serious delivery was so droll, his presence so wooden, that his fist-pounding against “them” turned into caricature.

Under a more skilled practitioner such as Barack Obama, the arts of demagoguery have become somewhat more refined in our time, but they nevertheless follow the same old patterns:

1) The use of an incendiary, but otherwise unimportant, example to whip up anger against the so-called establishment classes.
2) The demagogic rejection of demagoguery.
3) The evocation of anonymous straw men, sometimes referred to as “some” or “they”.
4) First-person nausea.
5) Inconsistency of position, predicated on the (always changing) perception of 51 percent majority opinion.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/271410/demagogic-style-victor-davis-hanson?page=2

Real Life does not look like George Clooney

Travelling salesman becomes real-life George Clooney by clocking up a record breaking 10million air miles

Clocking up the miles: The travelling salesman has become a record-breaker

Bearing striking similarities to the character played by Clooney, right, in the film Up In The Air, car salesman Thomas Stuker, left, from Chicago, has flown almost 6,000 flights in the past 29 years - clocking up a mileage that would circle the Earth 400 times. His flights have seen him reach 10 million miles - all on board just one airline.

EU Budget Woes

German 'Nein' leaves Italy and Spain in turmoil

Italian and Spanish bond yields soared in a fresh day of credit turmoil.

Economic pain grows in Italy

Divisions at the heart of government are costing Italy the confidence of the world, says James Walston.

Early Buzz on Harry Potter is good, see below from Rotten Tomatoes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011)

Average Rating: 8.2/10
Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 28 | Rotten: 2

No consensus yet.

No Score Yet...

Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 4
Fresh: 4 | Rotten: 0

audience

want to see
User Ratings: 125,520

Can anyone name one negotiation O has ever completed?

'It Takes Two To Tango'

Boehner accuses Obama admin of being unserious about debt reform

Boehner says 'president is in re-election mode,' not spending enough time on economy

Ford Raptor Frames Bending?

Are Ford Raptor frames too weak for off-roading?

When a group of 14 Ford Raptor owners took to the desert for an off-road run in the spirit of what has become the quintessential hot-rod pickup, ten came back with bent frames. Is the Raptor too weak to play in the desert

http://jalopnik.com/5820104/are-ford-raptor-frames-too-weak-for-off+roading

Actually a good idea. Same for Social Security. But make it 68 or 70.

Obama Puts Medicare Age in Play APAmid calls from Democrats to exclude entitlement programs from deficit-reduction talks, Obama offered to raise the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 67 in a weekend meeting, sources say.

Irony Dept

Beware the government-media complex, says … NPR’s Nina Totenberg?

Someone Left The Irony On Department.

Be careful when you lecture.

Michelle Obama Orders 1,556-cal Meal at Shake Shack

Michelle Obama orders 1,556-calorie meal at Shake Shack

First lady Michelle Obama ordered a whopper of a meal at the newlyopened Washington diner Shake Shack during lunch on Monday.

O on fast and Furious and Raising Taxes

FLASHBACK VIDEO: Obama Directly Linked To "Project Gunrunner"

Holder Flashback: 'Too Many Weapons Are Flowing from the United States and Into Mexico ... We Will Take Responsibility for What Is Happening'

Obama: I Want to Raise Taxes After I'm Re-elected, Not Now

Truth wins out.

CHANGE: “Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on Monday appeared to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq as part of the war against al-Qaeda … an argument controversially made by the Bush administration but refuted by President Obama and many Democrats.”

Dogs are good for you… (Ok, cats too.)

Pets benefit the lives of their owners, both psychologically and physically, new research shows.

The Truth About Cats and Dogs: Pets Are Good for Mental Health of 'Everyday People'

ScienceDaily (July 11, 2011) — Pets can serve as important sources of social and emotional support for "everyday people," not just individuals facing significant health challenges, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

In this study, 217 people (79 percent women, mean age 31, mean annual family income $77,000) answered surveys aimed at determining whether pet owners in the group differed from people who didn't have pets in the areas of well-being, personality type and attachment style. Several differences between the groups emerged, and in all cases, pet owners were happier, healthier and better adjusted than were non-owners.

A second experiment, involving 56 dog owners (91 percent of whom were women, with a mean age of 42 and average annual family income of $65,000), examined whether pet owners benefit more when their pet is perceived to fulfill their social needs better. This study found greater well-being among owners whose dogs increased their feelings of belonging, self-esteem and meaningful existence.

Obama Imposing the Same Race-Based Loans That Brought On 2008 Collapse

It took a collapse of the housing market that brought the entire economy down with it, but at least we learned our lesson when it comes to forcing banks to make bad loans on the basis of race — or did we? The madness inflicted by the Community Reinvestment Act is now enforced by gunrunning terrorist supporter Eric Holder's Department of Justice:

In what could be a repeat of the easy-lending cycle that led to the housing crisis, the Justice Department has asked several banks to relax their mortgage underwriting standards and approve loans for minorities with poor credit as part of a new crackdown on alleged discrimination, according to court documents reviewed by IBD.

Prosecutions have already generated more than $20 million in loan set-asides and other subsidies from banks that have settled out of court rather than battle the federal government and risk being branded racist. An additional 60 banks are under investigation, a DOJ spokeswoman says.

Settlements include setting aside prime-rate mortgages for low-income blacks and Hispanics with blemished credit and even counting "public assistance" as valid income in mortgage applications.

Here's an example of the authoritarian outrages perpetrated by our banana republic rulers:

[T]he government has ordered Midwest BankCentre to set aside almost $1 million in "special financing" for residents living in predominantly black areas of St. Louis. The program includes originating conventional home loans at fixed prime rates for African-American borrowers "who would ordinarily not qualify for such rates for reasons including the lack of required credit quality, income or down payment."

What? Cheating is never understandable. By teachers it should be criminal.

Atlanta's educators and the cheating scandal blame game

Teachers and pundits claim that education stakes are so high that cheating is understandable

You can not do anything unless you are willing to tell the truth.

AP Blasts Democrats: Obama Refuses to Admit He Wants to Raise Taxes

"...saying almost anything to avoid the politically toxic pronouncement that they want to increase taxes."

Big Truck

Wow, Heavy Duty pickups just keep getting bigger and bigger

A brand-spanking-new Ram 3500 Mega Cab awaiting endurance testing at the hands of PickupTrucks.com next to what must be — given the truck's base curb weight of 7,821 lbs. — a Clydesdale horse.

WSJ: Obama Wants $1 Trillion in New Taxes on Top of ObamaCare's New Taxes

Wall Street Journal editorial, Taxes Upon Taxes Upon . . .:

Obama wants $1 trillion in taxes on top of what he's already signed.

So the fondest Washington hopes for a grand debt-limit deal have broken down over taxes. House Speaker John Boehner said late Saturday that he couldn't move ahead with a $4 trillion deal because President Obama was insisting on a $1 trillion tax increase, and the White House quickly denounced House Republicans for scuttling debt reduction and preventing "the very wealthiest and special interests from paying their fair share." ...

We think Mr. Boehner is making the sensible choice. No one wants to reform the tax code more than we do, but passing a $1 trillion tax increase first on the promise of tax reform later is a political trap. ...

Keep in mind that Mr. Obama has already signed the largest tax increase since 1993. While everyone focuses on the Bush tax rates that expire after 2012, other tax increases are already set to hit the economy thanks to the 2010 Affordable Care Act. As a refresher, here's a non-exhaustive list of ObamaCare's tax increases:

A 3.8% Medicare tax increase: application of the 2.9% Medicare tax to investment income (including dividends, interest, and capital gains), plus an additional 0.9% for singles who earn more than $200,000 and couples making more than $250,000

A 2.3% excise tax on medical device manufacturers and importers

A new annual fee on "branded" drug makers and importers

Raising the floor on allowable medical deductions to 10% of AGI (from 7.5%)

A 40% "excise tax" on high-cost health insurance plans

A new annual fee on health insurance providers

There are numerous other new taxes in the bill, all adding up to some $438 billion in new revenue over 10 years. But even that is understated because by 2019 the annual revenue increase is nearly $90 billion, or $900 billion in the 10 years after that. Yet Mr. Obama wants to add another $1 trillion in new taxes on top of this.

Again, would you ask Lindsey Lohan for sobriety advice?

In his own mind, he’s the only reasonable person: “It also was a rewrite of history. A completely irresponsible president who just months ago proposed a budget with devastating deficits, repeatedly demanded that the deficits and debt be dealt with now, without any delay. Where has he been for two years? . . . It was a good press conference, for Obama, because he was largely unchallenged, and was permitted to frame the issue for the 2012 campaign. In other words, Obama was able to deal with his own failures without acknowledging any of those failures.”

ANOTHER UPDATE: Boston Globe: Spin Meter: Obama, Dems skirt issue on tax hikes.

FOR ONCE I THINK HE’S RIGHT: “Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says many Americans will face hard times for a long time to come.”

AP: Obama 'Recovery' Weakest in 60 Years

AP Graphic

WASHINGTON (AP) - The job market is defying history.

A dismal June employment report shows that employers are adding nowhere near as many jobs as they normally do this long after a recession has ended.

Unemployment has climbed for three straight months and is now at 9.2 percent. There's no precedent, in data going back to 1948, for such a high rate two years into what economists say is a recovery.

The economy added just 18,000 jobs in June. That's a fraction of the 90,000 jobs economists had expected and a sliver of the 300,000 jobs needed each month to shrink unemployment significantly.

The excruciatingly slow growth is confounding economists, spooking consumers and dismaying job seekers. Friday's report forced analysts to re-examine their assumption that the economy would strengthen in the second half of 2011.

Obama Loses 30 Percent of Hispanic Support

President Barack Obama is hosting a White House meeting for Hispanic advocacy groups Monday, just a week after a Gallup poll of Hispanic voters revealed potentially lethal news for his reelection chances.

The Gallup poll showed that Obama's support among Hispanics fell almost a third in the last 18 months, down from 73 percent in December 2009 to 52 percent in June 2011. That's very bad news for Democrats, because Obama's re-election strategy depends on a Hispanic landslide in swing states such as Florida and Virginia.