Deep Thoughts About Lost Tonight

It started out "Eh, so so."

Then it kicked in a "Whoa."

And ended with a "NOOOO!"

Paul Krugman Defines How Death Panels Will Work Under ObamaCare

UPDATE: Linked by Carol's Closet.

Now that ObamaCare is the law of the land, Paul Krugman can be honest with what was in the bill.



The key quote from Krugman:

The Advisory Panel which has the ability to make more or less binding judgments on saying this particular expensive treatment actually doesn't do any good medically and so we are not going to pay for it. That is actually going to save quit a lot of money. We don't know how much yet. The CBO gives it very little credit but, but most, most of the health care economists I talk to think that's going be a really, uh a really major cost saving.

Or as Sarah Palin called it, 'Death Panels'.

Cross posted at Conservatives 4 Palin.

This Is Easily Explained

He was there recruiting for the big tent.

Once on the ground, FEC filings suggest, Steele travels in style. A February RNC trip to California, for example, included a $9,099 stop at the Beverly Hills Hotel, $6,596 dropped at the nearby Four Seasons, and $1,620.71 spent [update: the amount is actually $1,946.25] at Voyeur West Hollywood, a bondage-themed nightclub featuring topless women dancers imitating lesbian sex.

No, I'm not going to do a joke about a tent in his pants either.

Charlie Crist Flips Flops On ObamaCare

The Winds of Change are in the air and Florida Gov. Charlie Crist just wet his finger and stuck it in the air to find out what position he needed to take today.

Back in February, Gov. Charlie Crist expressed what could only be support for ObamaCare, saying that “There may be parts of it that you don’t have to scrap."

Now the 'moderate' Republican has changed his mind. In his debate with Marco Rubio last Sunday, repeal suddenly sounded like a good idea to him. “What we need to do is go ahead and repeal this thing,” said Crist bluntly. “Let’s start over.” Transcript here.

Not sure if he meant that as "start over" with a meddling plan that Republicans designed or not.

Suffice it to say, Rubio has been against ObamaCare from the start.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

For When The Narrative Trumps All

A couple of events happened this past week helps demonstrate how the Democrats in Congress react with life.

During the Code Red last week, a handful of members from the Congressional Black Caucus accused the protesters of calling them 'n#ggers'.

Picture of lying douche-bag thanks to Gateway Pundit.

It's highly doubtful that it happened seeing how Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. videotaped the entire ordeal. If the word was actually said, it would have been the lead story on every MSNBC and CNN news show for a week solid. So despite a plethora of video tape available to the contrary, the CBC threw the lie out there knowing the liberal press would lap it up. Nary a word has been said about the so called 'incident' since.

Even Andrew Breitbart put money on the fact that the word wasn't said. $100 large to be donated to United Negro Fund if someone could find proof. A very safe bet for Breitbart.

Cut to Friday. Several large companies announce that ObamaCare cost them in the long run. Caterpillar, Verizon and AT&T were among the few.

How do the Democrats in Congress respond? By sending threatening letters to the CEO's of said companies for not going along with the CBO's make believe numbers. Henry Waxman is opening up Congressional Hearings on the matter.

Power Line has a copy of one of the letters.

All for their ideology and to protect the narrative. One case they ignored the mountain of evidence against what they say happened and the other they will the force of Congress to beat down dissenting voices. But yet, I'm considered an extremist if I called their behavior fascist.

For Palm Sunday

A Good Nine Inch Nails Song, Surprisingly Enough, They Are Out There

I've never been much of a NIN fan but I've started to dig this tune.

With A Name Like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club They Had Better Not Be Pansies.

Bittersweet Cartoon Clip For The Weekend

Kiwi.

Yeah, About That "Obama Derangement Syndrome" . . .

It's more like accuracy in labeling.

When polls have results like this:

67 percent of Republicans (and 40 percent of Americans overall) believe that Obama is a socialist.

It's because Republicans have been listening to Sen. Max Baucus (Democrat, Noted supporter of tax paid programs to give Viagra to convicted pedophiles) and other Democrats say things like this on the Senate floor (audio at the link):

Too often, much of late, the last couple three [since Democrats have had control of Congress] years the mal-distribution [read, redistribution] of income in America is gone up way too much, the wealthy are getting way, way too wealthy, and the middle income class is left behind. Wages have not kept up with increased income of the highest income in America. This legislation will have the effect of addressing that mal-distribution [again, redistribution] of income in America. [Editorial mine]

The mask has more than just slipped.

RELATED: Liberal talker Ed Schultz advocates censorship.

When It Comes To The Main Stream Media

Verify elsewhere and never trust.

AKA, Palling around with extremists?



Thanks to noted Senior Fellow Smitty at The Other McCain Institute.

Video Flashback: What Candidate Obama Said And What's In ObamaCare Now

This clip has an entirely new perspective.



With respect to this in the ObamaCare bill(PDF File). Starting on page 1312:

SEC. 430. ESTABLISHING A READY RESERVE CORPS.

Section 203 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 204) is amended to read as follows:

SEC. 203. COMMISSIONED CORPS AND READY RESERVE CORPS.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Service a commissioned Regular Corps and a Ready Reserve Corps for service in time of national emergency.

(2) REQUIREMENT.—All commissioned officers shall be citizens of the United States and shall be appointed without regard to the civil-service laws and compensated without regard to the Classification Act of 1923, as amended.

(3) APPOINTMENT.—Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall be appointed by the President and commissioned officers of the Regular Corps shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.

(4) ACTIVE DUTY.—Commissioned officers of the Ready Reserve Corps shall at all times be subject to call to active duty by the Surgeon General, including active duty for the purpose of training.

(5) WARRANT OFFICERS.—Warrant officers may be appointed to the Service for the purpose of providing support to the health and delivery systems maintained by the Service and any warrant officer appointed to the Service shall be considered for purposes of this Act and title 37, United States Code, to be a commissioned officer within the Commissioned Corps of the Service.

(b) ASSIMILATING RESERVE CORP OFFICERS INTO THE REGULAR CORPS.—Effective on the date of enactment of the Affordable Health Choices Act, all individuals classified as officers in the Reserve Corps under this section (as such section existed on the day before the date of enactment of such Act) and serving on active duty shall be deemed to be commissioned officers of the Regular Corps.

(c) PURPOSE AND USE OF READY RESERVE.—

(1) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Ready Reserve Corps is to fulfill the need to have additional Commissioned Corps personnel available on short notice (similar to the uniformed service’s reserve program) to assist regular Commissioned Corps personnel to meet both routine public health and emergency response missions.

(2) USES.—The Ready Reserve Corps shall—

(A) participate in routine training to meet the general and specific needs of the Commissioned Corps;

(B) be available and ready for involuntary calls to active duty during national emergencies and public health crises, similar to the uniformed service reserve personnel;

(C) be available for backfilling critical positions left vacant during deployment of active duty Commissioned Corps members, as well as for deployment to respond to public health emergencies, both foreign and domestic; and

(D) be available for service assignment in isolated, hardship, and medically underserved communities (as defined in section 399SS) to improve access to health services.

(d) FUNDING.—For the purpose of carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Commissioned Corps under this section, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to the Office of the Surgeon General for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014. Funds appropriated under this subsection shall be used for recruitment and training of Commissioned Corps Officers.

Quote For The Week: Bottom Line For ObamaCare

So let's ask the question the left never asks: how is it possible for an insurance company to pay for these giant medical bills? What makes it possible is a whole set of statistical calculations. For every person who needs open-heart surgery or chemotherapy, there have to be a certain number of other people who are paying their premiums but haven't gotten seriously ill. If the insurance company has gotten its calculations right, the expenses for any one person's catastrophic care are balanced out by the premiums other people pay "just in case."

You can see how Obama's demands undermine this whole system. To ask insurance companies to cover a patient after the tumor is diagnosed is to ask them to take on a known expense. Combine that with another Obama demand: that insurance companies can't charge higher rates for those who are at higher risk of getting sick. So if insurance companies have to take on a known expense and can't charge a higher rate for it, how are they going to pay for it? By raising everyone else's rates, redistributing their wealth to the new freeloaders.

This isn't insurance, it's welfare. And that's the whole point.

One Fine Afternoon In The White House

LINKED:  From over at American Power.  

White House Intercom: Bart Stupek to see you sir. Again.

Barack Obama: [mumbles under breath] Ah, crap. [Out loud] Sure, send him in.

Bart Stupek: Mr. President, sir. I don't mean to bother you again but it's about that Executive Order you promised me.  A week ago.

Barack Obama:  Hmmmm.

Bart Stupek: [awkward pause]  Aaaand I couldn't help but notice that there's some paper on your desk with the official letterhead on it.  I could use the political cover in my district.

Barack Obama:  Uh huh.

Bart Stupek:  I have an election coming up and I can really use that Order to show my constituents that I am serious about being a Pro-Life Democrat. 

Barack Obama:  I see.

Bart Stupek:  So, if you don't mind that is, can you go ahead and sign that?  I couldn't help but notice there is some official letterhead in the printer.  Is there any way you can print that out and sign it for me? 

Barack Obama: Yes, it is. But you see, Bart. I am fresh out of pens. It's not a real Executive Order without my signature on it. I used up my supply of them last Tuesday at the signing ceremony.

Bart Stupek: But I brought a pen with me. Right here in my pock--

Barack Obama: But it's not a official Presidential pen, is it? It's a respect for the integrity of the office sort of thing.

Bart Stupek: Respect?  But you're sitting in the Oval Office in a Bob Marley tee-shirt, cut-offs and a month's worth of fingernail clippings piled on the Resolute Desk.

Barack Obama:  Respect is what I say it is.

Bart Stupek:  Of course it is, Mr. President.  But about that Executive Or--

Barack Obama: Let me be perfectly clear. I will sign that Order as soon as we get those pens delivered.

Bart Stupek:  Those pens will be here soon?

Barack Obama: It's the Oval Office. We have to have pens here to operate.  Anyway, we did hit a slight snag with the Presidential pens.  They've been back ordered. 

Bart Stupek:  Back ordered?  But you're the only person in the world who uses that kind of pen.

Barack Obama:  Well, not necessarily back ordered.  We've hit our credit limit with the Chinese and they're not accepting our checks either.

Bart Stupek:  So what are you going to do?

Barack Obama:  I'm having pay up front for them.  I've wired the money yesterday.  We'll be getting our shipment in about 2 to 4 weeks.

Bart Stupek: [Sounding dejected] Okay. Will you let me know whey then get in?

Barack Obama: Why don't I do this? I'll send Rahm by your office the moment they arrive.

Bart Stupek: Uhh, on second thought. I'll wait. You still remember your pinky promise to me about it, right?

Barack Obama: Absolutely. You don't trifle with something like that.

Sure The Government Takeover Of Health Care Was A Kick To The Teeth

But enough sunlight was shone on the process the Democrats used that it exposed Chicago style politics at it's dirtiest. If this was a sausage factory, the sausage that was being made contained dryer lint, rat droppings and parts of Rahm Emmanuel's own mother.

• Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak and the Executive Order promise about federal funding of abortions. Even though Stupak claimed earlier that he was going to vote for it regardless, Obama promised to sign the Order. Any day now. Oh, and Bart's district received a grant for some airports.
• Democratic Congressmen Dennis Cardoza and Jim Costa from California were bribed with water rights. Apparently the protected Delta Smelt fish is less important than the Government Takeover of Health Care.
• Democrat Congresswoman Suzanne Kosmas in Florida represents the Kennedy Space Center. Guess what she asked for in exchange for her votes (buried toward the bottom of the article)?
• Democrat Congressmen Bart Gordon and John Tanner, both of Tennessee have had the carrot of NASA administrator and Ambassador to NATO dangled in front of them, respectively. Both are retiring from Congress this year.
• And Democrat Congressman Dennis Kucinich (Coast to Coast). He had his moment in the spotlight and milked the attention for all it's worth. Also his wife, Elizabeth (Pictured below. Unbelievable, I know, that a tall, good looking red head can hook up with someone who looks like a garden gnome without the beard) will team up with Michelle Obama in telling people what and how to eat. Because they know better than you.

That's just the deals we know about. As the other details pan out, it's up to us to keep the pressure on Senators like Tom Coburn to keep his promise about holding up federal jobs that have been promised to Democrat Congresscritters.

With any luck, the bastards that sold their votes will have a big hole in their parachute when they are out of a job next year.

Thanks to Ace for most of the links.

Cross posted at The Richmond Liberty Alliance.

The Push Back Starts

With Virginia State Law to help back A.G. Ken Cuccinelli up.

[T]he Virginia General Assembly has passed a bill that is expected to get the signature of the state’s governor.

By an 80-17 vote, the Virginia House of Delegates passed HB 10, sponsored by Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-13th District), which states that no resident of the commonwealth shall be required to obtain or maintain individual insurance coverage. All 17 “nay” votes were cast by Democratic delegates.

Gov. Bob McDonnell, a Republican, has already said he would sign the bill into law, making Virginia the first state in the nation to challenge any mandates that could be handed down from Washington, D.C.

For The Signing Of Health Care Takeover

I'm trying to be optimistic about this and this is the best I can do:



Or for the more apocalyptic approach:

Video: Why The Stimulus Isn't Working

From The Other McCain.

Update Regarding Moron Felix Ortiz

New York Assemblyman, Felix Ortiz, introduced a bill banning salt in all restaurant food preparation about a week ago.

Fortunately, someone must have educated him on how real life works.

Assemblymember Felix Ortiz backed off his controversial anti-salt stance to a more moderate anti-shaker, pro-recipe position, according to a recent press release put out by his office.
[. . .]
Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg came out against the rogue assemblyman, calling the bill impractical on John Gambling’s WOR radio show, even though the bill follows Hizzoner’s own proposal to reduce restaurant’s salt content by a quarter by 2014.

Ortiz defended his anti-salt offensive, saying that the removal of salt will reduce health care expenditures by $32 billion. The bill doesn’t make allotments for pre-sodiumized ingredients and dishes.

His sudden change of heart is obvious — the dogged assemblyman hopes that softening his bill will convince voters he is, well, worth his salt.

Maybe he can try to outlaw death next. As Henry Gibson explains, death affects us all even more than salt.

How Did This Happen?

UPDATE: They aren't Canadians and I'm pretty sure their last names aren't McKenzie but both Bob and Doug linked to here.

PREVIOUSLY:

To borrow a metaphor, it was a perfect storm that brought us here.

And Philip Klein summed it up better than I could:

The question conservatives should be asking though, is how did we get in this position in the first place? How come, over the course of two elections, Democrats were able to take back the White House and amass substantial majorities in both chambers of Congress, allowing them to enact this sweeping legislation with no Republican votes – and huge defections in their own party? How could a generally right-of-center nation be taken over by liberals from Chicago and San Francisco?

The answer, of course, is that none of this would have been possible without George W. Bush -- or more broadly speaking, Bush era Republicanism. While they were in power, Republicans squandered an opportunity to push free market health care solutions. When they did use their power to pass major legislation, it was for policies like the big government Medicare prescription drug plan, which was (until today) the largest expansion of entitlements since the Great Society. They took earmarks and doled out farm and energy subsidies. They earned a reputation for fiscal recklessness and corruption and incompetent governance. President Obama ultimately forced through the health care bill in spite of the political consequences to his party because he’s ultimately a true believing liberal. But it was only because of the failures of Bush-era Republicanism that an ideological liberal with little experience was able to capture the presidency on the abstract notion of change.

But let's not spend all of our time reflecting on what happened. Time to look ahead as to what's next. This was a touchdown for the other team and the clock has run down but a referee is looking to throw a flag on the field too.

By the way, the initial report from the CBO about the Health Care Takeover? Think of it as food bins filled with sand with a scattering of grain over the top to make them look full.

This shouldn't be a time to despair. Look at it this way, ObamaCare was supposed to be passed in the middle of last year. It was delayed and delayed until last night when the Democrat Leadership in Congress couldn't push back the hot potato any longer. The Tea Parties and others who helped pressure Congress did some good.

On January 20, 2009, when Obama took office, and then again in April when Arlen Specter jumped ship, did any one of you think we could hold off Obamacare beyond July?

In August and September, did you think we would make it to the end of the year, and then in early January 2010, did any of you (other than me) think Scott Brown could win and we could prevent a Democratic super-majority?

Your hard work has paid off, even if the end result was not what we wanted. But trust me, without you it would have been much, much worse.

And there's this to take solace in. Obama is losing the voting center. About time they woke up.

Thanks to The Other McCain for some of the links.

A Big Show Of Thanks. . .

To Heidi Joy for emailing me the pictures of the very impromptu Tea Party last Saturday. Who made her Blot Talk Radio debut last night in fact. You can listen to the replay of it here.

Sorry I forgot the hat tip from earlier.

So It's Come To This

As an economic system, fascism is socialism with a capitalist veneer. The word derives from fasces, the Roman symbol of collectivism and power: a tied bundle of rods with a protruding ax. In its day (the 1920s and 1930s), fascism was seen as the happy medium between boom-and-bust-prone liberal capitalism, with its alleged class conflict, wasteful competition, and profit-oriented egoism, and revolutionary Marxism, with its violent and socially divisive persecution of the bourgeoisie. Fascism substituted the particularity of nationalism and racialism—“blood and soil”—for the internationalism of both classical liberalism and Marxism.

Live Chat For 'Kill The Bill'

Over at The Other McCain's Blog.

Quote For The Week: Questions For The Partisan Edition

It truly amazes me that the left-wing of the Democratic Party, which foams at the mouth at the thought that the NSA might intercept a phone call from someone in the U.S. to a known al-Qaeda operative in Pakistan, is so willing to hand over to the government the power to control the most personal aspect of our lives.

What if Barack Obama were not President, and Democrats did not control Congress. Would liberals be so willing to give the federal government this sweeping power?

The answer to that question is so plainly obvious that it should give pause even to those so infected with Obamamania that they have lost the ability to reason.

Liberals shouldn't wish too hard for the mandate, because they just may get it. Freedom, once relinquished, is very hard to get back.

More From Code Red In DC Today

EARLIER: From this morning.

This morning as things are getting started.

The Capital building still recovering from winter. You would think that Karl Rove can rally up a few more Astroturfers for the crowd.

The crowd was chanting "Read the constitution", "You work for us" and "Naaaaancyyyy!"

Notice the size of the gun the officer is carrying?

If I Had To Use A Movie As An Analogy For ObamaCare

There was a movie a while back with Kelsey Grammer called Down Periscope. It wasn’t that great of a movie, rather average actually. It couldn’t decide if the movie wanted to be slapstick or more of a realistic military comedy.

The basic plot was about Grammer’s character, Tom Dodge, had one last chance to prove himself capable for a command of a ship. He is given command of an old diesel submarine for a War Game scenario and all he needed to do is avoid detection. The officer in charge of the War Games gave him a live torpedo and told him that there was a mock up ship in the harbor and if he torpedoed it, he will be considered for promotion for a ship.

I don’t think I’ll be giving anything away by telling the ending. On his final approach trying to sneak into Norfolk Harbor, he finalizes a firing solution onto the ship ready to be scuttled and let’s loose his torpedoes. Soon after, he is detected and ‘Killed in Action’. Exercise over, he lost except for the fact that he was able to blow up the ship he was aiming for. He completed his mission, thereby earning his chance at a command.

This is Barack’s plan with the Government Takeover of the Health Insurance System. It won’t matter if he’s not elected to a second term or if the entire House and 1/3 of the Senate is voted out. The bill will be passed and have a slim to none chance of it being repealed. 1/6th of the economy will be under the control of the Federal Government.

Sounds rather. . . Fascist doesn’t it?

Economic freedom is individual freedom. The more money people have, more choices are available for them. Instead using food stamps to buy Pop Tarts for dinner, they can go out to Outback, McDonalds or the local BBQ shack with the stack of hickory wood on the back deck. It affords people more choice in life.

When the individual is burdened by mandated costs of living imposed by the government – be it federal, state or local – they have less and less say in where their money goes. That means less economic freedom to do, as Dave Ramsey likes to say, ‘Stuff’.

There is the qualified plan that the public will be forced to buy if the takeover of health insurance happens. For a government program that will only go up in costs. Like every other government entitlement; the cost to run the program will rise. More and more people will enroll needing more and more administrative staff. Corruption will happen and the call for more levels of bureaucrat oversight will go out.

Then the higher energy costs that will happen if Cap and Trade passes the Senate. Cap and Trade will only affect someone if they drive a car, buy something that was delivered on a truck or have anything plugged into a wall outlet. Even homeless people will suffer from it. Bottles of Maddog 20/20 do not appear on the liquor store shelves by magic.

That’s not counting the towering costs of the yearly budget, the cost of the stimulus, Social Security handing out IOUs and the Bail Outs.

Someone will need to pay for all of this. And it will fall onto the middle class. After all, the need of the masses will outweigh the needs of the individual.  To put such an economic burden on the rather independent middle class, they’ll eventually turn into wards of the Federal Government.

The focus should be the torpedo on the economy that’s about to be launched right now. The ship needs to stay afloat if there is any hope for an independent middle class and a functioning economy.

Worry about who fired the torpedo after it’s been destroyed.

Cross posted at the Richmond Liberty Alliance.

Where Are You Today? Updated!

Latest picture will be at the top as the day goes on. From my Washington DC source who is in the field today.

Do They Not Screen The Names That Sign Up On Their Email List?

I signed up for the Health Care For America Now! (or 4 years later like the bill specifies but why quibble over details?) email blasts under the name 'Harry Nutsack'.

Today, I received this email:

Harry:

The vote is tomorrow. Today is your last chance. It's time to pick up the phone on behalf of Regina Holliday.

Regina's husband was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer, but their insurance company forced them out of the hospital into hospice care after only four weeks of treatment

[Blah blah blah, anecdotal sob story, phone number to my Representative, more blah blah blah. . . ]

After 100 years of fighting, after more than a year of debate, the time has come. Let's win this thing!

To your health,

Jason Rosenbaum
Health Care for America Now

It's a numbers game. HCFAN can say they have X amount of people on their mailing lists. Which they can spin and say that the same amount of emails addresses support their cause.

Friday Night With The Kinks

Thought this song was kind of fitting seeing what's coming up this weekend.

Cos when I see that union man walking down the street
He's the man who decides if I live or I die, if I starve, or I eat
Then he walks up to me and the sun begins to shine
Then he walks right past and I know that I've got to get back in the line

Friday Full Metal Jacket Round Up

And also a chance to post links I've been saving up that needed to be posted but ran out of time.

In a need to channel my inner Ayn Rand.

David Brooks has nothing on Doc Zero.

Slow boil. Is the US already a police state? I think it's closer than most people would like to think.

This has been the most horrible use of Twitter I think I have ever seen. She even did a video to explain herself.

California legislator demonstrates why there is a mass exodus from that state.

Doug pulls a twofer. With a picture of the day week month year and the audio clip to go along with it. Because when you have lost Howard Stern, you've lost the Easily Amused With Tales Of Bestiality Crowd.* It's a start.

"Everything for the state, nothing outside of the state, nothing against the state."

Part 3,345 in a series of 'What If Bush Did This?'

Yeah, lets expand the Nation's largest law enforcement branch even more.

Sorry, Carol and Carol. It's going to be Michigan State.

Two more notes about Health Care Takeover and what it means for the middle class. And how any costs, real or imaginary, will be blown out of the water with Illegal Immigration reform.

That should do it until next week.

*I would listen to him from time to time when I lived in Michigan and had to be in the Detroit area. The last time I purposefully listened to him was when he had a caller on talking about having sex with a dog. Howard didn't approve but he enabled the guy by having him on the air. So I enabled myself to turn his show off.

So Much For That Laser Like Focus On Jobs

Focused like a flashlight with dying batteries.

Why do I think he's never been about real jobs -- and not government jobs -- for America? Because of his actions like this. Banning offshore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico for domestic use.

Offshore oil production makes economic sense. It creates jobs and helps fulfill America's vast energy needs. It contributes to the gross domestic product and does not increase the trade deficit. Higher oil supply helps keep a lid on rising prices, and greater American production gives the United States more influence over the global market.

It's not about the environment, it's about handicapping the economy and keeping people at the behest of their government.

"If You Don't Tie Our Hands, We Will Keep Stealing"

Tom Perriello was being surprisingly candid here. He's caught telling the truth about Social Security, Medicaid and other entitlements that are in supposed 'Lock Boxes'.

To Bring You Up To Date

In about 90 seconds.

Step 1: CBO Scores Huge, Costly Bill. Step 2: ??? Step 3: Savings and Jobs Galore!

IT FLIES FAST SOME DAYS: Now the official report is out.

TOP OF THE POST UPDATE: Not even a minute after posting I receive this:

Ranking Republican Paul Ryan responds to an NRO query about the news this morning: “The Congressional Budget Office has confirmed that there is currently no official cost estimate. Yet House Democrats are touting to the press — and spinning for partisan gain — numbers that have not been released and are impossible to confirm. Rep. James Clyburn stated he was 'giddy' about these unsubstantiated numbers. This is the latest outrageous exploitation by the Majority — in this case abusing the confidentiality of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office — to pass their massive health care overhaul at any cost.”

PREVIOUSLY:

The final report hasn't been released yet. Only this from Democrat Steny Hoyer.

Keep in mind, the CBO can only score a bill from what Congress gives it. If Congress has a bill that will create tadpole storm clouds, the CBO will have to score the amount of frogs will fall from the sky. They can only work within the parameters they are given.

For a visual reminder of what a Trillion Dollars looks like, this can help. A million here, a billion there. Soon they are talking about real money.

ALSO: Gabriel at Ace of Spades has the latest whip count as of last night.

Cross posted at The Richmond Liberty Alliance.

In News Other Than Health Care

Call this unprecedented.

CBS’ Mark Knoller reports that Barack Obama has set a new record for adding to the national debt, smashing the old one set by George Bush:

The latest posting from the Treasury Department shows the National Debt has increased over $2 trillion since President Obama took office.

The debt now stands at $12.6 trillion. On the day Mr. Obama took office it was $10.6 trillion.

President George W. Bush still holds the record for the most debt run up on his watch: $4.9 trillion. But it took him over four years to rack up the first two trillion dollars in debt. It has taken Mr. Obama 421 days.

But the Obama Administration routinely blames the Bush Administration for inheriting a budget surplus and turning it into years of record-breaking deficits and debt — and then leaving it on the doorstep of the new president.

Unfortunately, both CBS and Obama get this one wrong. Deficits don’t come from Presidents. They come from Congress, which passes budgets and sets tax policy. While the White House proposes budgets, Congress actually debates, modifies, and then passes them, usually with some resistance from the President.

Going back to the spending under Bush 43 help to set the catalyst to the Tea Parties. For far too long our government has been acting uncountable to the people. Partly that's the general population's fault as well and not voting incumbents out of office enough. And partly due to the fact that this is how Congress has been making laws for years and it's finally being seen by more and more people who want something different from the status quo.

The Myth Of Choice And Health Care

There’s been some talk about what types of choices you might have with Obama Care. Not much unless you want to give up the any independence you have and become a serf of the government.

Some arguments have gone out about people having to buy electricity and phone service is mandatory as the justification for mandating health care coverage.

That’s simply not true.

Homes everywhere are set up with solar panels and other sorts of devices to help generate electricity. Many of them generate enough that the meter will run backwards, in effect selling electricity back to the utility company. At most they are billed a couple of dollars a month.

Many people don’t use natural gas to heat their homes. Some use wood stoves for warmth. It’s a bit labor intensive and involves a bit more planning with buying and cutting firewood from downed trees but it a very viable option.

Depending on where some people live, they have their own well so they won’t be dependent on city water. There are townships right outside of Lansing Michigan where the many homeowners choose to be on well water. Septic as well so they can be free of the municipality plan. They might have to move away from a more urbanized area to a rural house in order to do so but it is their choice to do so.

Phones are fairly optional in today’s world. Going strictly wireless is always an option if they want to be someone who can always be reached. Or piggyback a line off of their internet service using VOIP (Voice Over Internet Provider). It’s rare but some people can get by without a phone. Even some go so far to use a company provided cell phone as their main line if their job allows for that.

With this Government Takeover of the Health Care System, you will be mandated to buy coverage for you and yours unless you give up any independence you would like to have and be a ward of the State.

Title To Blog Posting About Random Video

Link to site that had the original posting of said video.

2,309 Pages Long

Oh. My. Damn (PDF File). It's a bit like Three Card Monte as I understand it.

Once the bill gets approved (likely Monday), Democrats will send this phantom bill over to the Rules Committee, where it will be stripped, and then they'll insert in all of the actual changes that they've negotiated.

Why all of the theatrics?

Well, under the reconciliation rules in last year's budget, any reconciliation bill would have to have been submitted to the Budget Committee by October 15, 2009. It just so happens that earlier versions of health care legislation cleared the Ways and Means and Education and Labor Committees last year. So Democrats just dusted that legislation off, and are using that as the vehicle to begin the reconciliation process. That's why, for instance, if you look through the 2,309 page bill that was released Sunday night, you'll find a public option, which leadership has indicated would not actually be in the final bill. (Interestingly, the student loan bill is also tacked on at the end.)

Just a "simple up or down vote," remember?

All of these shenanigans because of one person. Scott "41" Brown was elected.

Hot Air has more about the bill and a something that sounds suspiciously like a "Death Panel".

MORE: Mighty brave of Nancy Pelosi asking for House members to fall on her sword for Barack's legacy. 35 Congressional Districts in swing states oppose the bill.

Contact your House members here.

Going Old School With Fishbone

With one of my favorite genre's of music. Ska.

After The Third Marriage Starts To Fall Apart, Chances Are It's Not The Other Person

Both Ace and Robert Stacy have the story on 'Jihad Jamie'.

On Sept. 11, she suddenly left Leadville, Colo., a small town in the Rocky Mountains, for Denver, then for New York, to meet and marry a Muslim man she connected with online, her family says. Ms. Paulin-Ramirez, who is 5-foot-11 and blonde, phoned her mother and stepfather in Leadville, providing them with an address in Waterford, Ireland, they say.

Now, she is in the custody of the Irish police, along with six other individuals, arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder, according to officials familiar with the case.

Sudden Jihad Syndrome?

Ms. Paulin-Ramirez is the second American woman to be linked to an alleged plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who made fun of the Prophet Mohammed. An indictment was unsealed this week against Colleen R. LaRose, 46, a suburban Philadelphia woman who authorities said used the Web alias "JihadJane."

Ms. LaRose was accused of plotting to kill the cartoonist and attempting to recruit jihadis via the Internet.
[. . .]
Ms. Paulin-Ramirez had married several times over the years—some of her relatives estimated she was married four times.[Emphasis mine]

I can understand and am willing to give a little leeway to someone who is divorced once, maybe twice. But when the third marriage starts to dissolve, they need to do some soul searching on who to look for in a mate.

Besides, you can never get ahead in life by division.

Been Out And About For A While

For His Next Bill, Felix Ortiz Will Ban High Tides

Ortiz, because he's looking out for you, has introduced a bill banning salt in any sort of food preparation done by restaurants in New York. Naturally, he's a Democrat.

His reasoning behind the bill? "It's time for us to take a giant step. We need to talk about two ingredients of salt: health care costs and deaths." By fining restaurants $1000 per violation.

For some context, I make pancakes from scratch. One day I forgot to add in the teaspoon of salt to the mixture. They were the blandest pancakes I ever had. Salt is needed to make food.

I'm still having trouble believing this. That a grown man, college graduate, would try to push forward such asinine bill. Like I said, he is a democrat.

So to get beyond the idiocy of the bill, you need to ask what is the real reasoning behind it. Control. Under the guise of controlling the health of the populace, he wants to dictate what and how people eat their food. Trans fats was the first feather in his cap. His sites are set on salt next.

UPDATE: Teach me to post something late at night. Spelling and some verbiage fixed.

Anyway, bills like this might also be a test balloon. Float this out there and gauge the public reaction only to float something else out that doesn't sound as bad by comparison. Say, reasonable limits on sugar in deserts. As noted with the Trans Fats ban, it has worked before.

Never underestimate a Democrat and his desire for power and control of what people do from day to day.

Marco Rubio Responds To The Issues That Matter

Which Charlie Crist happens to think is getting a back wax.

Is there any wonder why Crist is behind by 30 points in some polls?

Video via Freedom's Lighthouse.



Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.

Chuck Norris Turns 70 Today

One caveat. You don't tell him how old he is. He tells you.

I couldn't believe the age myself. The guy looks damn good for his age.



This should help answer the question of who can beat up Chuck Norris. Bruce Lee. Sadly, he's passed away. So that means now that no one alive today can beat up Chuck.

Can You Say "Death Panels"?

This should be a very simple concept to grasp. A handful of government employees produce a manual saying that drug A can only cover for X, Y and Z ailments. So when an average citizen becomes sick and can be treated by drug A but his ailments are W, he's out of luck. It's no longer a matter between him, his doctor and his insurance provider but with a government bureaucracy as well.

Via Hot Air.

Kent Pankow lives in Edmonton, in a province and a country that is trying to either kill him or bankrupt him.

No sense mincing words.

Suffering from brain cancer, Kent Pankow was literally forced to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for lifesaving surgery — at a cost to family and friends of $106,000 — after the health-care system in Alberta left him hanging in bureaucratic limbo for 16 crucial days, his tumour meanwhile migrating to an unreachable part of the brain, while it dithered over his case file, ultimately deciding he was not surgery worthy.

Now, with the Mayo Clinic having done what the Alberta Cancer Board wouldn’t authorize or even explain, but with the tumour unable to be totally removed, the province will now not fund the expensive drug, Avastin, that the Mayo prescribed to keep him alive and keep the remaining tumour from increasing in size — despite the costs of the drug being totally funded by the province for other forms of cancer.

Kent Pankow, as it turns out, has the right disease but he has it in the wrong place.

Had he lung cancer, breast cancer, or colon cancer, then the cost of the drug — $4,555 per treatment, two times a month — would be totally covered by Alberta’s version of OHIP.

Be sure to read the rest and then ask yourself if there really are 'Death Panels'.

Two Heartbeats Away From The Presidency

Via Ace and Jammie Wearing Fool.

And Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said this:

You’ve heard about the controversies within the bill, the process about the bill, one or the other. But I don’t know if you have heard that it is legislation for the future, not just about health care for America, but about a healthier America, where preventive care is not something that you have to pay a deductible for or out of pocket. Prevention, prevention, prevention—it’s about diet, not diabetes. It’s going to be very, very exciting.

But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy.

One would think that being members of Congress, they would have some sort of inkling as to what went in the bills to begin with.

As for what she meant by prevention and diet and how it will be exciting, anything will be speculation on my part on how she thinks she can control the dietary choices people make.

The 'Two Heartbeats Away' is a bit inaccurate. I should have said a heartbeat and a brain aneurysm away. That's the safe money bet.

I Never Thought I Would Be Thankful For Dennis Kucinich

Seriously.

And the title is one sentence I never thought I would write.

Thanks to Doug.

What Dan Rather Has Said About Barack Obama

Not my words but Dan 'Courage' Rather's.

New Trailer For Iron Man 2

I enjoyed the first one. I'll be there for this one.



And Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? Right on!

Via Ace.

Monday Morning Progressive Report

Sometimes when stuff like this happens all at once, it's almost by design to overwhelm the average person.

The latest on the Government Takeover of the Health Care System is that it's not going anywhere just yet. As soon as the Democrats will whip up the votes, the Senate version will be moved to the floor of the House for a vote. Then it can go straight to the White House for a vote. Scott '41' Brown and reconciliation will be rendered moot at that point.

As it is, there is a bipartisan effort in voting 'No' against the bill (One of the few times I like that word, 'bipartisan'). If any of the standouts are names you recognize, please call and tell them to keep holding fast to their no vote.

Speaking of the Government Takeover of the Health Care System (I'm doing what I can to avoid calling it 'Health Care Reform' when what it will lead to is a government ran system. My own personal War with Words.), if this isn't illegal, it should be. At the most, unethical. Or as it's usually called: Chicago Land Style Politics.

Back to being overwhelmed. Republican Bob Corker is helping his BFF Chris Dodd in passing another sort of 'reform'.

To get them coming and going, a new bank tax going into effect. Who benefits? GM, Chrysler, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac who by curious coincidence, happen to be owned -- entirely or with a partial take -- by the US Government.



And finally, jobs loss. . . As being "Really good"?

Who Knew?

I'm not sure what's more surprising. That there was techno raves in The Hyborian Age or that Conan was into them.

When he was asked about what was best in life, he said, "Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, hear the lamentations of their women and a dance club with two turn tables and a drum machine."

New Age Of Fiscal Conservatism Dawns

Or maybe not.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said President Barack Obama's budget would lead to annual deficits averaging nearly $1 trillion for the next decade.

The estimates are for larger deficits than the budget shortfalls expected by the White House.
[. . .]
The Obama administration estimated its policies would lead to an average annual budget shortfall of $853 billion for the next 10 years.

The difference is that Obama’s estimate expects more tax revenue.
[. . .]
The budget office said Thursday the deficit for the first five months of the fiscal year, which starts in October, was $655 billion, an 11 percent increase over the same period in the last fiscal year.
[. . .]
Corporate tax revenues fell by $11 billion because of lower profits and a tax break in the stimulus that allowed companies to use current losses to offset taxes on past year's profits.

The two ways to bring in more cash-flow is to cut back on expenses or increase revinue. Seeing how cutting back is not in this administrations vocabulary, odds are it will be the Government's answer to increasing their cash flow. By raising taxes in the middle of a depression. Which was one of the things that the Tea Parties and 9/12 was trying to warn against.

Or if you are a hard core progressive ideologue, those protests happened because Barack is our first black President and everyone involved is racially motivated.

Cross posted at The Richmond Liberty Alliance.

Quote For The Week: Saying What Needs To Be Said Edition

We need to understand we are all in this together. And you know, all of you know in your heart, what I am saying is true. You all know that these raises that are being given to public employees of all stripes, we cannot afford. You all know the state cannot continue to spend money it does not have. And you all know that the appetite for tax increases among our constituents has come to an end.

And so the path to reform and success is clear. We know what it is. We just have to have the courage to go there. What we are doing is showing people that government can work again for them, not for us. Government has worked for the political class for much too long.

There’s no time left. We have no room left to borrow. We have no room left to tax. So we merely have room left now, to do this. We are all reaching the edge of a cliff. And it reminds me a bit of that part of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid where the had a seminal decision to make. So what did they do? They held hands and they jumped off the cliff.

We have to hold hands at every level of government, state county, municipal, school board. We have to hold hands and jump off the cliff.

Friday Night Video: Sci Fi Edition

I saw the mini series for this several years ago on vacation and was blown away by it. It was dark, fearless and brutal. And never saw the rest of it because of lack of cable at home. Thanks to the series coming out on DVD, I was able finally watch the entire run. The finale was a bit of a let down and I'll have more on that later other than to say that they used deus ex machina a little too liberally for my liking. Yes, it's science fiction and a certain amount of disbelief needs to be left at the door but how they brought Starbuck back from the dead? Please.

Anyway, the soundtrack was one of the standouts of the series. Unique and distinctive in it's own way, it would never be mistaken for some other show.

Pentagon Shooter Was A Tea Party Extremist. Bumped

And by Tea Party extremist I really mean that J. Patrick Bedell was actually a left wing moonbat.

Keep that in mind if the Frank Rich of the New York Times tries to use Bedell to smear the entire Tea Party movement.

UPDATE: And right on schedule from the Christian Science Monitor.

John Patrick Bedell, whom authorities identified as the gunman in the Pentagon shooting on Thursday, appears to have been a right-wing extremist with virulent antigovernment feelings.

UPDATE II: Michelle Malkin has it on good authority that Bedell was a registered Democrat. Shocked, SHOCKED, I say.

. . .And They Say There Is Too Much Violence In The News Today

Via Ken Levin.

Can You Give This Dog A Home?

This last weekend my wife and I went to a greyhound rescue to see their dogs. The organization was called Greyt Expectations. They rescue greyhounds from dogtracks and adopt them out. Most of them have been fostered and profiled for potential pet owners. The dogs are also screened to see how well they are house-trained, get along with cats and, most importantly, how well they get along with children.

They are anywhere between two and four years old when they are retired, depending on their career. And surprisingly enough, greyhounds are very docile animals. Being content to curl up in a bed and hanging out with their owners.

For more greyhounds who need a home, be sure to check out here.

Brad Friedman and Eric Boehlert Keep Tracing The Woodgrain*

Via Dan Collins.

Noted white men Brad Friedman and Eric Boehlert double down on stupidity and hardcore liberal dogma but more than likely a mixture of both.

Patterico sweetens the pot by offering Eric Boehlert one hundred dollars ($100) for writing 10 words. In order for Boehlert to write "James O’Keefe posed as a pimp at ACORN." Hell, Donald Trump would write that if offered.

In order to do that, however, Boehlert would admit that he was wrong about O'Keefe. For the record, O'Keefe did pose as a someone who would take money from a prostitute after she performed her services. Now if that isn't a pimp, I'm not sure what is.

As for the 'exoneration' of ACORN in Brooklyn, I think the term is 'Shenanigans'.

I’m on a tangent -- back to the liberal mindset. Friedman, Boehlert, and even Keith Olbermann will never admit they were wrong about O'Keefe. That would violate their self held ideals that they are right in any and everything they do simply because they are liberals. And by being a liberal they are more intelligent and enlightened than conservatives.

Therefore starting the process where they end up circling the mental illness drain.

Because as liberals, they think they are more enlightened than their fellow conservative and their viewpoints don’t need to be challenged. When those views are challenged, they are by people intellectually inferior to them, so it’s not worth their time to bother with the challenged. And so on and so forth down the drain.

Case in point is Andrew Brietbart’s ongoing offer to sit down with Boehlert to watch the full, unedited videos of the ACORN stings. Something Boehlert would never do because that would mean he had acknowledged Breitbart’s argument has footing. Instead Boehlert is back arguing nuances like ‘Did O’Keefe dress like a pimp for the videos’ or ‘Are they racially motivated’. Boehlert and Friedman completely gloss over the fact that at every location, ACORN was more than willing to assist Hannah Giles and O’Keefe in setting up a whorehouse.  Not just any whorehouse but a house with underage, illegal immigrants performing the services.

It’s like someone criticizing Chris Hanson of destroying people’s lives with his To Catch A Predator series.

*The title comes from the book, Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. The character of Han Qing-jao is cured from her genetically engineered obsessive compulsion disorder that she thought was a gift from her gods. Even though she isn't 'compelled' to trace the woodgrain pattern in the floors by the gods after she was cured from her OCD, she's still driven to do so. Because it's her nature.

So It Begins. . .

Reconciliation is a go.

Now we will see just who will put their ego and their job on the line and vote for this bill. It's a waiting game now. If they had the votes for sure, it would have been passed by now.

With the biggest power grab by the US Government over people's lives, of course they aren't going to back down without a fight.

Via Michelle Malkin.

The Guv On The Tonight Show

Via Conservatives for Palin and Palin TV.



Pretty good job overall. She had no issue poking fun at the crib notes on her hand.

Buzz Aldrin. Pilot, Astronaut, Contestant on Dancing With The Stars?

Apparently so.

The second man on the moon will be stepping out onto the dance floor for ABC's hit reality series.

Other contestants who will be joining him are Kate Gosselin, Shannen Doherty, and Pamela Anderson (seen here without and with makeup. A lot of makeup).

Law Of Unintended Consequences Strikes Some Virginia Residents

Thanks to Cash For Clunkers.

When any elected official says they want to do something for the environment, it end up costing the public in general. In this case, it will affect the Personal Property Tax for some residents of Virginia.

If you own a truck or SUV and live in Chesterfield County be prepared. The value of your vehicle could be higher than last year, meaning a bigger property tax bill.
[. . .]
[N]ot all SUV's trucks or crossovers saw a drop in value. Thanks to Cash for Clunkers used gas guzzlers are now a hot commodity.
[. . .]
Chesterfield County bases its values on the NADA used car book. It's been that way for decades. With fewer trucks and SUV's on car lots the value of those used vehicles goes up [Emphasis mine].

To give you an idea of how values have changed for trucks and SUV's, we're going to use a 2003 Ford Truck. In 2008 its value was assessed at $12,000. Last year it was assessed 30% lower, dropping to $8,350. This year the value was driven up to $9,100.

So for whatever reason why you didn't turn in a 'clunker', be it not wanting a new car, taking on new debt in a time of depression or keeping the old truck around because it's still a good truck, chances are it will cost you.

Cross posted at The Richmond Liberty Alliance.

Not Looking Good For Charlie Crist

Considering how the tracking polls have pretty much flipped against him and for Marco Rubio.

Two polls released last week showed Mr. Rubio leading the governor by 18 percentage points in the August primary, a reversal from last summer, when the former Florida House speaker trailed Mr. Crist by 30 points.

The shifting fortunes underscore how profoundly President Barack Obama's slumping popularity is convulsing both parties. The rise of hard-line conservatives and Tea Party activists are eroding support for Democrats and moderate Republicans such as Mr. Crist, who was viewed as a possible vice-presidential candidate in 2008. [Emphasis mine]

Don't forget, most liberals think and want you to think that the Tea Parties are only a vocal minority. Despite the real world results.

There's more.

Mr. Rubio's ascent coincides with a descent in Mr. Obama's popularity in the key electoral state. Forty-nine percent of Floridians disapproved of the president's job performance and 45% approved in a January poll by Quinnipiac University. In February 2009, 64% of Floridians approved and 23% disapproved.

Mr. Crist also has lost about two dozen consecutive county straw polls among registered Republicans, including Pinellas County, where the governor grew up.

Tony DiMatteo, former Pinellas County Republican Party chairman, said he was a "zealot" for Mr. Crist in the 2006 race for governor. But he said he "got a sick feeling" watching Mr. Crist embrace Mr. Obama at the February 2009 rally in Fort Myers and his phone rang "off the hook" for several days from angry Republicans.

"I'm now a big Rubio supporter," Mr. DiMatteo said.

Please be sure to read the entire thing, seeing how I probably used a bit more than necessary on the blogger fair use snippet.

Two obvious reasons why Crist falling fast in the polls.  What can only be taken as support for the Government Takeover of the Health Care System and his ignorance on how jobs are created.  Here's a hint about jobs and the stimulus, Charlie, It Won't Work.

Somewhere, David Frum is crying.

Cross posted at Not One Red Cent.