GraniteGrokgran·ite n. 1. A common... hard igneous rock... used in monuments and for building. 2. Unyielding endurance or steadfastness: a will of granite.
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Sarah Palin in Laconia, NH (GG file photo)
Wow! Wonder what this means? And the timing-- biggest holiday weekend of the summer? I hope that nothing is wrong with Sarah Palin, shining star of the GOP. Our buddy John Hawkins-- taking time out already from his vacation--speculates on five possibilities over at RightWingNews.com. I'm pulling for reason number one...
The more one learns about Kelly Ayotte, the more worrisome the prospect becomes of her gaining the GOP nomination for the crucial Senate seat being vacated by present Senator Judd Gregg. Following the initial stumble (as first reported in this GraniteGrok exclusive) when the New Hampshire Attorney General reneged on her acceptance of a keynote speaker's gig at a prominent GOP function-- which insiders claim was at the request of Governor Lynch himself-- the most recent "buzz" surrounding her potential candidacy is a mixed bag at best. Given the far-ranging damage being wrought by President Obama and the Democratic majority in Congress, New Hampshire needs a Republican that can get elected, and, more importantly, that can be counted upon to go to Washington and undo the destruction as quickly as possible. With John E. Sununu and former Gov Merrill both out of the picture, it’s questionable-- from a conservative point of view-- as to whether Ms. Ayotte becomes the next best choice, despite what some are saying...
"But Doug, look at today's polling-- SHE CAN BEAT DEMOCRAT HODES! Surely you want to win, right?" Whoa, there now. While I certainly note that the UNH survey shows Ayotte the only Republican beating likely Democratic nominee Paul Hodes in hypothetical "trial heat" matchups, I agree with the authors of the survey in that we are still a long ways off, and only a small number of Republicans have made up their minds, given the wide open nature of the upcoming primary. And don't fail to account for the fact that Ayotte, while certainly a savvy player with regards to how she performs in an appointed position free of the usual politics and muckraking, has yet to stand up to the scrutiny and open commentary a political campaign will no doubt bring. Despite the initial knee jerk exuberance on the part of some Republicans at the prospect of a young, female candidate with little to no political track record, there are a few items that others, giving this a little thought, view as potential problems for a candidate Ayotte down the road.
First of all, conservatives and Republicans seeking real "change" with regards to the present economic situation that understand all of the problems built into the so-called "stimulus" package and what it will do to us down the road, ought to put great care into who they pick to take Judd Gregg's place. Do they want a Republican in the mold of Mainers Olympia Snowe or Susan Collins, both of whom VOTED FOR THE STIMULUS stinker, turning their backs on fiscal sanity and party? Of course they don't! Most true conservatives I know DESPISE these constant Republican traitors from the Pine Tree State. That is why they should take note of who is among the so-called Party bigwigs promoting Kelly Ayotte…
In an exclusive story found today at James Pindell's NHPoliticalReport.com, it being reported that Ayotte has been talking with Judd Gregg, Sen John Cornyn, and, SUSAN COLLINS about a possible run for the NH seat. Yes- THAT Susan Collins. I challenge ANY good conservative to tell me that Collins has done anything good for the cause lately, or even ever. I am skeptical of anybody that, given the present times of economic upheaval and the rise of the Tea Party movement, is associated with the likes of stimulus-backer Collins. This could spell trouble in lost enthusiasm for a base seeing little difference between a squishy moderate in the mold of a Susan Collins versus a Paul Hodes. I know I would rather vote for nobody, given that option. Why endure the heartache and heartburn of entrenching such a Republican empowered with incumbency status forever? Is it not better to work on the up and coming prospects for the NEXT opportunity?
Then there's the Lynch connection. The sign at the June 24 Concord Tea Party said it all:
I'm sure that, given his latest stretch of broken campaign promises and a lack of effective leadership through the perilous economic straits, many Republicans now agree that John Lynch is indeed, when you look at the lasting damage he has allowed, the worst governor ever. What should be made of the fact that Kelly Ayotte was reappointed to the Attorney General position by this governor? As the state's top lawyer, she has been defending his programs and policies, including the present debacle involving the JUA funds some say have been "stolen" to balance the not-so-frugal state budget.
Pindell's aforementioned exclusive story also reports that
Continue reading "Do Republicans, Granite Staters really want a Lynch protégé for the US Senate?" »
New national bird to replace Bald Eagle?
As we prepare to celebrate yet another Fourth of July, I cannot help but feel a bit melancholy as I review and contemplate the Declaration of Independence, and think about the birth of this “great experiment”, known as America. Have we reached the end of the line, as far as our belief in and adherence to the principles upon which this Nation was founded? When reading the beautiful and eloquent words as created and agreed to by the Founding Fathers, how can you not feel a sense of distance and unfamiliarity when comparing them against the realities we see today.
Consider what is unquestionably the most famous part of the Declaration:
“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness…”
Are there any “self evident truths” and “unalienable rights” here in the new Age of Obama, or are these things just merely quaint, outdated ideas from a bygone era? Do these words somehow mean the “Creator” gives a woman the right to “terminate” pregnancies? As she exercises “choice,” what about the unborn child’s right to “life?” President Obama has famously declared that that he wouldn’t want his young daughters “punished” with a pregnancy. So much for the unalienable right to life for his grandchildren-- Such a fine example set by our “dear leader.” What part of the Fourth does he honor?
In our supposed enlightened age, how many Americans even acknowledge some sort of “Creator,” anyway? While many claim to believe, they willingly turn a blind eye as the rights given us by the Creator are systematically stripped away—even to the point of a knowing chuckle or two at those who suggest that much of what our present government does is immoral. “What old-fashioned notions,” they say. “Don’t be so melodramatic.” One must conclude that if they actually believed in a God as a giver of rights to begin with, they would be more vehement in the defense of such. Think about that—why would a person go to the mat for something he or she doesn’t believe in?
Does “pursuing Happiness” give a person the right to the fruits of the labor of others? I suppose one could be happy with getting an extra “slice of the pie” that somebody else has paid for. But what if you happen to be the person that actually earned the “pie?” How happy will you be at the prospect of watching more and more of your just due taken and distributed to others? Is this not what’s happening on a grand scale all around America today? No matter where you look-- whether it’s the federal, state, county, or local government—it’s all the same: all are poised to take an even greater share of the fruits of our labors through taxation. They say money can’t buy happiness, but it sure does help. No matter what consists of “happiness” for a person in 2009, the fact is, it’s going to cost more.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors, and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners; men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay, and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots. It's not much to ask for the price they paid.
I hope you will show your support by sending this to as many people as you can, please. It's time we get the word out that patriotism is NOT a sin, and the Fourth of July has more to it than beer, Picnics and baseball games.
(H/T: Tim)
"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his father's has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association--'the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it.'"
-Thomas Jefferson
(Concord) According to a report released today by the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, the legislature has so far passed 38 tax and fee increases costing $318 million. The number of tax and fee increases has risen dramatically in recent years from a low of nine increases in 2003-04.
The report, "A Rising Tide of Taxes and Fees" found that the number of tax and fee increases has grown in each of the last three budget cycles. According to Center president Charlie Arlinghaus, "A study of the total number of tax and fee increases over the last decade shows a consistently high number with the exception of the 2003-04 legislature. The current total so far is 38, nearly double the 19.5 average of the four previous budget cycles."
The report shows the number of tax and fee increases declined from 20 in 2001-02 to 9 in 2003-04. Since then, the number has increased to 20 in 2005-06, 29 in 2007-08 and 38 this year, with more to come in the next 18 months.
Arlinghaus delineates the 38 tax and fee increases passed this year and the budgeted cost of each. Over two years, the budget cost is $318.64 million.
The Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy is a free market think tank based in Concord, New Hampshire.
Read the full report by clicking here.
For what this stinker will do to us, should it ever become law, Carol Shea Porter should be called to task again and again and again. Guinta appears to be the guy that wants to do it...
Here is a new ad from Team Guinta:
Great band. Great song from a classic album. And a fine sitcom the likes of which hasn't been seen on TV for many years. Apparently, this particular clip is not included in reruns...
[H/T Kevin N]
According to a story by Gail Ober in today's Citizen newspaper, area "leaders" and law enforcement officials knew that a real bad actor recently came to town...
[New Hampton] Selectmen have known since early May that convicted child murderer Raymond Guay is living in their community, but when they discussed the matter officially, they did so in a closed-door session.
Minutes of the May 7 selectmen's meeting say that Police Chief Merritt "Doug" Salmon "asked selectmen to consider a nonpublic session to discuss an issue ... brought to him by the U.S. Probation Office regarding the locating of an individual on probation."
According to Town Administrator Barbara Lucas, the nonpublic session was at the recommendation of town counsel.
Salmon said Wednesday he has received about 10 phone calls from concerned residents since the news of Guay's move to New Hampton was made public. He said he could not release any information about Guay or his "host" family.
Raymond Guay's residency in New Hampshire has been the topic of nearly constant controversy since he was released from a federal prison in September of 2008 and ordered by a California court to serve his three-year supervised release in his home state — New Hampshire, said the chief of U.S. Probation and Parole in New Hampshire Thomas Tarr.
It appears that, when you look at this man's record, the concern is well founded. While Gail reports that the lead parole overseer in the state acknowledges has served all of his sentences in full, he
Continue reading "Nice. Everybody knew... well, not EVERYBODY" »
Well, I'm getting to the age when my doc and I get to see each other more often than when I first saw him 24 years ago. Thankfully, a decent report (and he smiled as he saw a bit of the weight gone from the last time). I also learned something! Next time, ask your doc how THEY are doing - sometimes they get a wee bit flustered as they are not used to that at all, especially when they figure out you really mean it.
Anyways, I just HAD to ask - "So, what do you think about healthcare reform?" (he knows about the website and the radio show but I doubt that he reads the 'Grok or listens to the show as I believe he tends non-political). His answers were a bit vague as:
However, he did allude to:
His emphasis seemed to be that something HAS to be done - it is getting too unreasonable from his point of view. However, I think it was more of "Hope and Change" - the devil for me is WHAT change? I ran a couple things past him - he agreed with a couple, struggled with a couple of my answers but smiled as we parted ways. Methinks I will ask him again - after all, the docs, whether they like it or not, are going to be greatly affected by whatever happens in the political arena.
In the mean time, I've been putting my own ideas together. Next post...
It has been a while since I've noted anything "different" from the world of jet powered stuff-other-than-planes. So, when this showed up:
Gizmodo reports:
John Carnett modded brand new Polaris RZR 2-seater ATV with a grey market, 40-year-old turbine. The result is a 114db joystick-driven vehicle that spews out 1300°F exhaust to achieve around 60MPH. And it sounds glorious.
Also, from the Pop-Sci site, there's a video after the jump(take a while to load)...
in reference to Obama's latest "Joe the Plumber" type utterances concerning Universal Healthcare, this imaging sprang to mind:
Yup, just as silly. Dukakis is a pacifist to the core - even thought his handlers knew he had to "man up" his image, not even they counted on how silly he looked (and at the time during the Presidential Debate, he completely lost EVERYONE buy not advocating the death penalty for a hypothesized rapist / murderer of his wife). Wimpiness all around!
The true damage is that he spoke the truth - the veil was pierced and a glimpse of the true Mike Dukakis was revealed. He got buried in the election.
The ABC Obama infomercial last Wednesday may well turn out to be another one of those moments as Obama claims that Universal Healthcare is fine for all of us, but he'll get the best care he can for his family outside of it (he wants us to languish under what he thinks is the Manchurian Medical plan, yet he has no problem in telling the rest of us that he would spend what is necessary outside of that program for his family.
After all, that's what elitists do - fine for thee but not for me (and mine). They truly believe that they know what's best for all of us, but decline to restrict themselves to that which they wish to restrict the rest of us to.
Sorta like Congress - a set of rules for us that they do not have to follow or embrace.
Thanks to Steve for the Photoshop!
Guest post by Fred Tausch
LIKE MOST Americans, I’ve always believed hard work, self-reliance and integrity are all you need to succeed in America. We don’t believe government owes us a living, just the opportunity to succeed or fail by our own initiative, hard work and talent.
We want a government that shares our convictions; that does its work, not ours, and does it competently; that manages its budget as responsibly as we manage our own budgets; a government that doesn’t play favorites or use our money to reward the failures of others; a government that earns our trust by trusting us and leveling with us about the cost and performance of its programs.
All we ever seem to get, though, is a government that increases its own prerogatives and power rather than the liberties and opportunities of the people it serves; a government with little accountability and less transparency; a government that tries to do things it was not intended to do and has no idea how to do. And many of the things it must do, it does not do well.
The Republican Party is the party of fiscal discipline, the party that trusted Americans to make their own decisions about how to use their money to build their dreams. But, when Republican leaders lost their way, they lost me. I voted for George Bush in 2000 because I believed he would be a careful steward of our prosperity. Instead, he and Republicans in Congress turned a budget surplus into a huge deficit. They cut taxes but didn’t make the spending cuts necessary for the government to live within its means. They spent record sums on a bailout of the financial industry that I knew from the outset would be an expensive failure, without giving us any clear idea what the money could be used for and how it would be paid back.
Barack Obama promised to change that, and I hoped he would. He promised to put government on a budget that didn’t exceed its revenues, to be as careful with our money as we are and to take the best ideas from both parties and offer new solutions to the challenges of our time. But as soon as the applause at his inauguration subsided, he began to break his promises.
Former US Senator John E Sununu (GG file photo)
In an emailed statement, Senator John E. Sununu announced today that he will not run for office in the 2010 election cycle.
“Representing New Hampshire in the United States Senate is a great honor, but effective public service is much more than just a desire to hold office. It’s essential that the timing fit both personally and professionally.
This year I’ve made commitments to serve several technology firms, begun working with a number of non-profit policy groups, and continue to serve on the Congressional Oversight Panel for the TARP.
Equally important, campaigns require great sacrifice from family. After running in seven primary and general elections over twelve years, my family still means more to me than anything else. I very much intend to keep it that way.”
Sununu currently serves on the boards of Time Warner Cable, Boston Scientific, and ConvergEx Group. He is a member of the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program. Earlier this month, Sununu led an international delegation monitoring the Lebanese Parliamentary elections. He also serves on the Middle East Working Group for the U.S. Institute of Peace.
Some 1400 years ago, across the arid Arabian Peninsula roamed disparate savage tribes in a constant state of war with one another. Acts of violence, pillage and slave trading were their way of life. Out of necessity and expediency, they refrained from active warfare for only one month a year-the month of Moharam (the forbidden month). Even during this lull in active warfare, the various tribes rearmed and prepared for the next eleven months of bloodletting. Violence of the worst kind and form was their way of life.
Although the ongoing warfare inflicted great suffering and death, it remained the major means of livelihood for the survivors in the harsh desert that sustained little other than the hardy goats, desert-suited camels and the indispensable vehicles of war-horses.
Violent death ruled. The victor had a reprieve for a time ‘til he became the victim.
Then there was a new summons. An orphan from the tribe of Quraish by the name of Muhammad, the son of the late Abdullah, offered the savages a deal they couldn't refuse. He said that they should stop worshiping all the various idols in the idolatry of Mecca and turn to the one and only god, Allah, one of their numerous idols. He said it is Allah who is the creator of the universe and Allah has another world of immense bounty and pleasure. He promised the savages that by embracing Allah, banding together and carrying out his commands they assure themselves of great worldly spoils as well as eternal admission to a glorious paradise.
Muhammad promised further that instead of warring against one another, as they have done for millennia, for pittance of reward, they could venture out beyond the impoverished desert into a world of great wealth and bounties. Muhammad motivated his rapidly growing body of followers to rally around him by proclaiming, (1) if they are victorious they will have the treasures of the infidels as well as their women and children as slaves to hold or sell, (2) if the faithful kill the infidels in doing the work of Allah, further reward awaits them in paradise and, (3) in the unlikely event that they are killed, they find themselves in Allah's glorious paradise for an eternal life of joy and bliss.
The outlandish, frequently confused and often contradictory incoherent rhetoric of Muhammad made the less gullible few question his sanity. They dismissed him as, "Insane Poet." Yet, the generality of the savages found in him their savior -- the one who would lead them to all the good in this world and the next. It was a win-win proposition for them. Win and you are rewarded handsomely, lose your life, and you go directly to heaven. How could they refuse?
Continue reading "Know History: Islam's Victimization of Iran" »
RI.P.?
Guest post by Penny Wise
For decades, Russia’s reserve currency has been the US dollar, but the dollar has recently fallen out of favor. The Russian government is now aggressively moving assets into other currencies, and the US dollar is no longer Russia’s majority reserve currency. This action is part of a profound global trend that will quickly, and perhaps permanently, reduce the standard of living of all US citizens. The cause of this is simple: accelerating federal budget deficit spending by the United States.
The total federal budget deficit for the first eight months of the federal fiscal year that ends in September was $991.9 billion, with a deficit for May alone that was $189.7 billion. The Obama administration estimates that the total federal budget deficit for the fiscal year ending in September will be $1.84 trillion. This compares to a total federal budget deficit of $455 billion for fiscal year 2008.
If the Obama administration estimates are correct, and its estimates have been on the low side, the US federal budget deficit will have increased a whopping 304% in just one year. No matter who is at fault for the deficit, one thing is clear, the federal budget deficit is growing at an alarming rate.
To illustrate how financially disastrous this could be, the US federal government is like a person who decides to run up credit card debt and take out a second mortgage after receiving a pay cut. This leads to a lower credit rating, which leads to higher interest rates, which leads to a further deterioration of financial health. This is a financial death spiral.
In fact, US government bond prices are dropping, pushing interest rates higher because of “the need of the US government to print more money to meet its massive borrowing needs,” according to the Wall Street Journal MarketBeat. Russia, along with Brazil, India, and China, is concerned the US cannot be trusted to repay its debt. Unfortunately, the US desperately needs these countries to continue to finance its massive debt.
The solution for the US government is no more complex than it is for a person receiving a pay cut: stop additional borrowing immediately and reduce expenses now. The only hope for restoring income lost following a pay cut is from increasing productivity, not increasing borrowing. Running up additional debt at an ever-accelerating pace will lead to unstoppable total financial disaster.
The US is in a difficult situation, but the solution is clear. Even though most American political leaders are unwilling to face the truth and make hard choices, the American people must resolve as a society to protect the health of the nation. This will include hard work and significant sacrifices on their part, but every generation of Americans has made whatever sacrifices were required. It is our turn now.
Politicians, however, often let politics get in the way of solutions that require sacrifice and hard work.
President Obama understands the difficulty of asking the voters who elected him to make the sacrifices needed to save the nation. As Derek Thompson writes at TheAtlantic.com, “Obama might be a revolutionary, but he's not a masochist. So more likely we'll continue to kick the can down the road. The deficit will continue to be the next next issue. And we'll see not the return, but the continuation of America's grand debt-payment tradition: Delay-as-you-go.”
Kicking the can down the road, delay-as-you-go, will only lead to the continued destruction of the American standard of living. It’s time to face facts and make tough decisions, before it’s too late.
This piece first appeared on the STEWARD of Prosperity website and is used with permission.
Other than being the newly crowned fashion queen, what does the President's wife really have to do with anything in the life of an ordinary citizen? Elected to nothing, what business does the First Lady have with legislation and budget and economic issues? And what exactly does she know about such matters, anyway? While I might take sleeveless tunic advice from Michelle Obama, what more does she have to offer a plain 'ole Granite Stater like me? Well, apparently, she has about four and a half million bucks to hand out, actually. From the White House Media Office:
Washington, DC – First Lady Michelle Obama today announced the release of $4,570,592 in grants to community health centers in New Hampshire. The grants will help address immediate and pressing health center facility and equipment needs and increase access to health care for millions in New Hampshire. The money was made available by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and comes as more Americans join the ranks of the uninsured due to the economic downturn and skyrocketing health costs.
“Community Health Centers provide care to the Americans who need it most and their work has never been more important,” said Obama. “These grants will help centers in New Hampshire serve more Americans who simply can’t afford insurance coverage anymore.”
The Recovery Act Capital Improvement Program (CIP) grants will support the construction, repair and renovation of over 1,500 health center sites nationwide. More than 650 centers will use the funds to purchase new equipment or health information technology (HIT) systems, and nearly 400 health centers will adopt and expand the use of electronic health records.
To see a list of Recovery Act CIP grantees in New Hampshire, go to http://transparency.cit.nih.gov/RecoveryGrants/grant.cfm?grant=HRSA_CIP
Health centers deliver preventive and primary care services at more than 7,500 service delivery sites around the country to patients regardless of their ability to pay; charges for services are set according to income. Health centers serve more than 17 million patients, about 40 percent of whom have no health insurance. Community Health Centers are the responsibility of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
The Capitol Improvement grant awards are the third set of health center grants provided through the Recovery Act. On March 2, President Obama announced grants worth $155 million to establish 126 new health center sites. Those grants will provide access to essential preventive and primary health care for more than 750,000 people in 39 states and two territories.
On March 27, HHS also awarded $338 Million in Increased Demand for Services grants for health centers. Health centers are using these Increased Demand for Services grants to provide care to more than 2 million additional patients over the next two years, including approximately 1 million uninsured people.
Yep. This'll sure help what ails the American economy the most: more "socialized" health care that we already can't afford. Thanks a lot Mrs. Obama. THANKS FOR NUTHIN'!
Democrats "studying" the bill...
If there’s one thing the American people should demand of their elected representatives, it’s that’s we should know what’s in bills before we vote on them. Unfortunately, that seems to be too much to ask of the Democratic-controlled U.S. House, which under the heavy hand of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has once again rushed sweeping legislation to passage without appropriate scrutiny or sufficient time for public review.
In February, the U.S. House passed a 1,100-page economic “stimulus” bill that (according to the White House) was supposed to create 3.5 million jobs and keep unemployment no higher than 8 percent. Since that bill was signed into law by President Obama, we’ve lost 1.6 million jobs nationwide, and unemployment nationwide is now 9.4 percent. The so-called "stimulus" has been a disaster in my home state of Ohio, where our unemployment is a record-breaking 10.8 percent.
The House late on Friday, June 26, passed Speaker Pelosi’s new national energy tax – a more than 1,500 page bill that included 300 pages added to it fewer than 24 hours in the dark of night before the final vote. No one – not one single lawmaker – had read the entire bill before voting on it. So I did what I had to do: using my privileges as Minority Leader, I took to the floor and read portions of those 300 pages to the American people before the final vote. By tradition, the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader have the right to talk for as long as they like on the Floor. I used my prerogative as the Minority Leader to read to the American people parts of a bill that will raise their taxes, send American jobs overseas and punish hard-working, middle-class families with higher energy costs.
I had hoped that lawmakers would understand that this new national energy tax on middle class families would further punish people who are struggling to make ends meet. At the very least, I and my colleagues believed the American people deserved a more open and honest debate over the contents of the bill and its implications for our country, which is still struggling through a deep recession. But in the end, in another exercise of legislating by brute force, political muscle applied by Speaker Pelosi and former Vice President Al Gore on behalf of radical special-interests carried the day, and the measure was narrowly passed.
What took place in the House Friday is a stinging slap in the face for suffering American families and small businesses. A backroom deal was struck between powerful Democratic politicians in Washington and powerful interests who got special "carve-outs" in the final bill to ensure the higher costs and higher taxes imposed by the Speaker's bill will apply to ordinary citizens and small business owners, but not to them.
Americans want clean energy, and a clean environment. There is a better route to these goals than the one embodied in the bill passed on the floor of the House last night, and Republicans have offered it:
Continue reading "Boehner: National Energy Tax Punishes American Families" »
D'uh.
In a statement released today, Manchester Mayor Frank Guinta rightfully slams Carol Shea Porter for her vote on the Cap and Trade energy tax bill:
Once again standing with Speaker Pelosi, not NH Hampshire residents:Carol Shea-Porter Votes for the Job Killing Waxman-Markey National Energy Tax
Shea-Porter Casts Critical Vote that could Cost Constituents Millions of Dollars and Thousands of Jobs
Manchester- On Friday, June 26th, at the behest of Speaker Pelosi, Carol Shea-Porter voted for the job-killing Waxman-Markey National Energy Tax, this a "cap-and-trade" scheme that will destroy New Hampshire jobs, as well as jobs across America , raise prices for gasoline, electricity, and other sources of energy, and devastate middle-class families and small businesses. This vote is just another example of how Carol Shea-Porter’s blind allegiance to her parties’ leadership is costing New Hampshire businesses and families money and hurting our economy.
The energy tax legislation ballooned from 946 pages when it was released last week, to more than 1,200 pages at the time it was voted on. This caused many, including the non-partisan Sunlight Foundation to ask Speaker Nancy Pelosi to slow down so that reps can actually read the fine print before voting. Instead democrat leaders reportedly spent the whole day on Friday, right up to the last minute trying to keep their slim margin intact. Shea-Porter's support was crucial to passing this latest installment of legislation that is out of step with the needs and priorities of New Hampshire voters.
“At the behest of Speaker Pelosi, Carol Shea-Porter voted to force New Hampshire residents who drive a car or flip on a light switch to pay a national energy tax,” said Manchester Mayor and First Congressional District Candidate Frank Guinta. New Hampshire voters want solutions that will produce more environmentally safe American energy and get us closer to energy independence; they want solutions that encourage the use of alternative fuels and reduce carbon emissions. They certainly don’t want ill conceived legislation that in less than three years according to the Heritage Foundation could cost New Hampshire more than $550 million and 4,900 jobs.
Supporters of the recently enacted State of New Hampshire budget were quick to claim that it was responsible and that they made tough decisions during difficult economic times. Talk about myth and spin - this budget fits the bill - literally!
Myth #1: State spending will decrease in the next two years. Sounds great doesn't it? Unfortunately, this is flat out wrong. Here are the facts: According to the Legislative Budget Assistant--the non-partisan office that is charged with preparing budget figures--total authorized spending in the current budget, which will close June 30, is $10.408 billion. The budget that was just approved and will begin July 1 authorizes spending of $11.499 billion, an increase of $1.091 billion or 10.48% by every known method of mathematics! How can these budget supporters possibly justify this huge increase when people are struggling to pay their bills and now will struggle to pay the higher taxes and fees contained in the budget? This 10.48% increase also comes at a time when other states around the nation on average are actually reducing spending!
Myth #2: The new tax on campsites closes a loophole. If budget writers really thought this tax on camping was closing a loophole it is hard to imagine why they would have introduced it in the wee hours of the night without a public hearing. The fact is that it is a brand new 9% tax on camping. It is positively amazing how supporters of this budget claim to be the politicians that support the little guy. This budget not only taxes camping, it hikes taxes or fees on meals, tobacco, boat & car registration, salt water fishing licenses and most importantly, property taxes. Nothing can hide the fact that New Hampshire citizens of modest means will be digging deeper into their already empty wallets.
Continue reading "Debunking the myths surrounding NH's new budget" »
Cute!
Caution - one word may not be Work safe so keep the volume down
(H/T: Tom)
Well, they are starting to make the small companies that employ the people that pay the taxes that "protect the most vulnerable" (hmm, tell me, WHY is it that we need Government to be the in-between for charity actions again?). In short, proponents of Government doing more and more (and requiring more in order to do so) are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Our good friend DCE from WeekendPundit also has another blog called One Voice in Gilford where he talks to this:
How is it a $1.4 billion increase in state spending is seen as 'cuts' by the New Hampshire House, Senate, and governor? Between a 17.5% increase in the last budget and a13.7% increase in this budget, state spending has skyrocketed 31.2% in four years...
...If the budget passes as written, over 45,000 small businesses in the state will be paying an income tax (though the legislature doesn't call it that). One of those small businesses will be the one owned by my wife and I.
So how is all of this supposed to increase state revenues if the tax increases end up turning marginally profitable businesses into unprofitable ones (and forcing some to close)? They haven't explained that, either.
There seems to be more evidence for this, as the TaxProf let's us know:
Taxes as a Cause of Small Business Bankruptcies
Rafael Efrat (California State University-Northridge, College of Business and Economics) has published The Tax Burden and the Propensity of Small-Business Entrepreneurs to File For Bankruptcy, 4 Hastings Bus. L.J. 175 (2008). Here is the Conclusion:
Consistent with the growing tax burden on small-business owners, as well as the growing body of evidence linking higher tax burden with limited entrepreneurial growth and higher closure rates, this study has found that tax problems constitute an important reason for bankruptcy filings for a sizable number of entrepreneurs. Interestingly, those entrepreneurs that attribute their business collapse to tax problems do not come from disadvantageous background. Instead, the average entrepreneur in the bankruptcy sample that has faulted tax problems for his financial woes was typically older male, white, native-born, well-educated and an experienced business owner. Nonetheless, the typical entrepreneur with tax problem in the bankruptcy sample was facing enormously higher debt burden with more than five times as much debts as other entrepreneurs in the bankruptcy sample.
We are given the impression that most bankruptcies are medically grounded. I just wonder when the media would grab onto this topic - you KNOW that most Progressive politicians will not bring this up (I remember Hillary Clinton's famous line about "undercapitalized entrepreneurs" not able to pay increased costs from her stab at pushing nationalized healthcare back in the early '90s).
I wonder if this will become more of an issue at the $1.6 Trillion cost of Obamacare sinks in (and still leaves people "uninsured" - and some estimates go multiples higher)?
I found this video most telling (and disturbing). It appears that a large gathering of protesters all hit the street on a given signal, which is followed by gunmen firing into the crowd, and a man can be seen getting shot. I cannot imagine the feeling of helplessness one must experience being a "subject" living in a dictatorial country like this. Such is the life of a disarmed general population. Imagine if the people had some guns with which to shoot back. Are we witnessing our own future, if we're not careful?
Click here for more videos from both within Iran, and of solidarity demonstrations around the world.
Obama's own book, Dreams From My Father, said that he always sought out the socialists and Marxists when he moved from school to school during college. Given the influence of his self-avowed Communist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, while he was growing up in Hawaii, I am not surprised at all at his tendency to want to make Government / the collective the locus of everyone's life instead of extolling the individual.
Socialism has been tried here in America before. The earliest versions of socialism / communal living did not work out well at all (as one can see from one of my Thanksgiving Day posts). That said, I was not aware how many times people thought that they could make it work (misguided fools)!
This post by Ryan Seifert over at American Thinker has a whole lot more on this:
He goes on with his examples, which I urge you to read:There seems to be a need in American society to have to relearn the same hard lessons over and over again, regardless of whether the results were seen on the other side of the planet or suffered through by our own people.
We're living in a country that elected a President that believes in redistributing wealth. He's mentioned this himself, from the "Joe the Plumber" incident[i] to his critique[ii] of the failures of the civil rights movement. Whether you call it Socialism, Communism, Marxism, or by its simpler name, theft, they are all part of the same economic system that destroys private property and puts everything in central control of the state.
The lesson we, and the rest of the world, seems to fail to learn is how socially and economically destructive this sort of system is. The problem is, these lessons don't have to be learned from studying the histories of far off lands, for we have numerous examples of collectivist/socialist experiments here at home.
- Jamestown
- Pilgrims (my example)
- New Haven - 1825 by Robert Owen
- Another set of communes by Charles Fourier (none last more than 12 years)
- 1804 - Harmony in Pennsylvania (which was moved, sold, and died later)
- 1841 - The "Perfectionists" failed
He also brought up one line of thought that is utterly 1984 Doublespeak in its dunderheadedness - slavery is complete freedom:
Sadly, this current thinking is seeming the heart of the new Liberalism - let us remove all responsibility from citizens in having to worry about their daily living - let Government take care of decision making. After all - what could go wrong? Government is here to help you!George Fitzhugh, an influence on Berry, actually argued that slave labor was preferable because the slaves were ultimately free. It was property owners and free laborers that were the slaves. He advocated that taking decision-making out of the hands of individuals made the African slaves better off than free whites and claimed that not only all blacks, but most whites too, should be slaves.[xiv] His theory was ultimately squashed with the support and ratification of the 13th and 14th Amendments, which not only freed the slaves but also established they had constitutionally protected private property rights.
Ryan's lesson?
These few examples, and there are more out there, show how American culture even before the Civil War (or the War of Northern Aggression, depending on your location) tried communal living and centrally planned economic models. Despite the good intentions of the people involved, they always fail because of the inherent flaws in Socialism. Unfortunately, given the reach of the federal government and current make-up of the executive and legislative branches, we are set to learn this lesson the hard way. Again.
The moral of the story? Each time, Government or the collective is placed in a importance and priority above that of the individual, it fails. Socialism believes that altruism can reign supreme over long periods of time, that we can and should put our fellow man and society as a whole ahead of one's own interests - and it is wrong. Too often, people game the socialist system because of their own self-interest, which is the problem. No, not the gaming, but that the role of self-interest is channeled negatively. Capitalism allows for the self-interest to work for positive outcomes, not only for the individual and one's immediate family, but for society as a whole.
World of Warcraft is a huge multi-player online fantasy game with various kinds of roles. Not exactly where I would have expected a Notable Quote to originate from. However, TMEW (The Most Esteemed Wife) forwarded this over to me:
Maturity is knowing you were an idiot in the past, wisdom is knowing you will be an idiot in the future and common sense is knowing you should not be an idiot right know.
-Unknown
And this is part of the reason why Government / Socialized / Nationalized healthcare will fail (I'll leave the crony capitalism, like when companies like GE go running to the Feds to take their position at the biggest financial teat possible):
Read the following missive from President Obama:
WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama on Saturday urged his fellow Americans to get tested for HIV in an effort to reduce transmission of the virus that causes AIDS.
"On this 14th commemoration of National HIV Testing Day, I urge Americans to take control of their own health -- and protect those they love -- by getting tested for HIV and working to reduce HIV transmission," Obama said in a statement.
"While its impacts are not evenly spread -- infection rates are particularly high among gay and bisexual men, African Americans and Latinos -- when one of our fellow citizens becomes infected with HIV every nine-and-a-half minutes, the epidemic affects all Americans," he said.
Obama noted that of the estimated 1.15 million people infected with HIV in the United States, more than 230,000 -- one in five -- do not know they are infected.
The US president last month unveiled a plan to commit 63 billion dollars over six years to battle chronic global health crises, including AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, a continuation of a landmark initiative launched by his predecessor George W. Bush.
This is as bad as President Bush who labeled the War on Terror just that and not what it really is - the "War by Islamofascists on Western culture". If one cannot, or refuses to, name the root cause of a problem, the problem cannot be solved.
Obama's stated idea on driving healthcare costs down is to do more preventative care - catching things early in a prognostic manner. Fine - that is a correct idea. He and his wife have also been harping on the fact that we all have to be living more healthy lives - fine and dandy
My problem? When will Obama talk to the root cause of HIV spreading? That is where the Political Correctness holds sway - he won't.
There are those unfortunate souls that have been infected by medical procedures (e.g., blood transfusions, contaminated medical devices) - my heart goes out to them as they have acquired AIDS through no fault of their own. That said, the biggest transmission method is unprotected, promiscuous sex from those that are unmarried or cheating on their spouses - it cannot get any more basic than that. With the current air of "never assigning blame except to those cold, hearted conservatives", the message of the best of restricting the spread of AIDS, monogamous relationships for life, will never leave his lips nor become policy.
Obama wants all of us to get ourselves tested for HIV - what a silly idea for the vast majority of Americans and a HUGE waste of money. In this case, Obama is advocating only for a "second stage" level of responsibility - not concerning the act actually spreads the disease but for public money to be used to treat it after the fact.
Political correctness is going to further lead to a lessening of individual responsibility as he wishes to treat the results of poor behavior and not the behavior itself.
Freedom has a twin companion - self-responsibility. Too often, it seems, freedom is more and more defined as freedom from responsibility as opposed to its real role - freedom can only be kept by exercising self-responsibility (and at times, self-restraint). When one gives away one's responsibility to a third party, one will become a slave to that third party.
Unfortunately, that's what many crying out for nationalized healthcare want - they are willing to cede their freedom for healthcare security. That is not being responsible.
The following Republicans, at both the NH State and Federal levels, will add NOTHING to rebuilding the brand of the Republican Party. While there may be many that will invoke Reagan's 11th Commandment ("Thou shalt not speak evil of a fellow Republican"), I disagree with that thought. I also disagree that no judgment should be passed against those that transgress the most central and primary philisophical pillars of Republicanism:
- Smaller and less intrusive Government
- Less taxes
If one tolerates this behavior, is no one takes them to task, what is to prevent them (or others) and dissuade them from acting in such a manner again? If Republicans are to be able to point out that we stand for something, it does us no good when those that we are trying to persuade can point out spectacular transgressions. Not only have they harmed their constituents and citizens in general by subjecting them in higher levies and less individual freedom as well as aiding the enlarging of the Nanny State, they undermine the credibility of other Republicans. Although I prefer to consider myself as a Conservative that aligns myself with the Republican Party, it still makes it rather difficult as I say one thing while my conversationalists poke holes with valid examples that destroy what I can say.
At the State Level on HB-1 (Appropriations) , we have the following House Republitards:
- Kenneth Gould (R-Rockingham) (603)432-9189 kensel@myfairpoint.net
- Irene Messier (R-Hillsborough) (603)622-9146 (email not listed)
- Andrew Peterson (R-Hillborough) (603)924-7817 (email not listed)
- Steve Vaillancourt (R-Hillborough)(603)627-9047 steve.vaillancourt@leg.state.nh.us
I would have posted their pictures, but only Vaillancourt has one on his House webpage.
HB2 (taxes)? The same transgressor (minus Kenneth Gould). However, in the Senate for both HB1 & HB2, I put the blame squarely on Bob Odel (R-Lempster). These people are responsible for a larger and higher taxing NH Government a 23% rise in spending / taxing over the last two budgets.
However, the actions of those above simply pale to the following Republicans in the US House of Representatives. Not only is the scale an order magnitude higher (Trillions vs billions), they have agreed that, with over 1,300 mandates and regulations in the Waxman / Markey Cap and Tax bill.
NOTE: 300 pages inserted into the bill Friday morning around 3am.
Once again (like the Porkulus), THEY DIDN'T EVEN READ THE BILL !!!!!!
Talk about a dereliction of duty !!
- Bono Mack (CA) (202) 225-5330
- Castle (DE) (202) 225-4165
- Kirk (IL) (202) 225-4385 (And he’s seriously considering running for Senate!)
- Lance (NJ) (202) 225-5361
- LoBiondo (NJ) (202) 225-6572
- McHugh (NY) (202) 225-4611
- Reichert (WA) (202) 225-7761
- Smith (NJ) (202) 225-3765
As Paul from Powerline put it (emphasis mine):
But the eight Republicans still (a) voted for job-killing legislation rushed through before anyone could know exactly what it entails and (b) gave aid and comfort to some Democratic representatives by enabling them to avoid paying a political price for a "yea" vote they were prepared to provide if Speaker Pelosi needed it.
Aiding and abetting the Democrats...and shafting the middle class. 2010 is coming - these folks' constituents should remember come voting day why they have less in their pockets and why everything has become so much more expensive - and sending money overseas directly to China for "not chopping down trees".
(H/Ts: Jane, Washington Examiner, Michelle Malkin)
This also: Rules state that they have 5 days from the vote to change theirs. CapAndTr8tors is a website to track these dopes (with a countdown).
REMEMBER - if ONLY 4 of them had changed their vote, it would have failed!
(H/T: capandtr8tors via Instapundit)
To play (or "stream") a clip now, just click on it. To download it to your PC, right click on it and tell the process where to save the file for you.
Hour One:
Jack Kimball from the Granite State Patriots came on to talk about this past week's Tea Party event at the State House on Wednesday - we listen to his reading of the NH Tea Party Coalition's Citizens' Pledge (video here of the speeches; more to come - The Citizens' Pledge is also after the jump and we encourage you to read it, download it, sign it, and stick it on your 'fridge to remind yourself come voting day!). Part 1 Part 2
Michael Kitch from the Laconia Daily Sun has been doing a bang up job on reporting on the State's attempt to steal "the excess" monies from the Joint Underwriting Association - simply put, a fund financied by the premiums by healthcare providers. If the providers are successful on blocking this raid on this fund, the State has to go back and redo the budget due to this "loss" of $110 million. Part 1 Part 2
Hour Two:
Amil Imari returns to the MTNP airways to discuss the happenings in Iran over the mullahs' theocratic ways to steal the Presidential election away from the people (imagine that, they can count 10s of millions of paper ballots in a couple of hours and declare Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the winner. We talk about how brutal the regime is to its own citizens and the stories around it. Part 1 Part 2
The guys talk about the US House of Representatives pass the "Tax on all Americans Who Use Energy" bill - and the ramifications of what will happen. Nope, the gang takes the stand that this will NOT make us energy independent, it will NOT create jobs, and engender prosperity.
It WILL, however, make China and India much wealthier. We also talk about Carol Shea-Porter canned release. Part 1 Part 2
SchlubCam:
Segment 1 Break 1 Segment 2 Break 2 Segment 3 Break 3
Segment 7 Break 7 Segment 8 AfterShow
Continue reading "Meet The New Press - Podcast for 06/27/09" »
This lady is quickly becoming one of our favorite members of the present US House... Minnesota Republican Representative Michele Bachmann on Waxman/Markey energy tax bill:
"We know this will result in a reduced standard of living for Americans."
"30 years ago Jimmy Carter defamed the Shah of Iran for Human Rights Violations, paving the way for Islamic Republic. Why is he so silent of the atrocities in Iran now?"
Please join the fight to free Iran by signing our petition by clicking here. It reads:
The life that God gives, no man should extinguish. The illegitimate mullahs presently ruling Iran blatantly violate this sacred covenant by shooting at a large number of peaceful demonstrators who are demanding nothing more than their God-Given-Right to liberty and pursuit of happiness. The mullahs and their mercenaries are wasting precious human life to maintain themselves in power through terrorizing the population.
Our hearts are bleeding watching how brutally the government agents are beating up the children and assault them in their dormitories at night while they are sleeping or invade the sanctuary of their homes to beat them up or arrest them. Regretfully, the ruling regime sees these actions as part of their sacred duty. They see any defiance to the supreme leader as defiance to God. They call the demonstrators who just want their voices to be heard "terrorists," “thugs” and “agents of foreign governments.” If they do not shoot people outright, they savagely attack them with axes, chains, batons and any other crude weapons they can get their hands on.
We call upon the free governments of the world, as well as all other businesses, organizations and individuals to enlist in a non-violent campaign of ending the reign of terror of the belligerent clerical regime. Governments should enact the following:
And unions bash the companies for whom they work for not caring about the little guys:
A last-ditch effort to avoid the layoffs of 100 Michigan State Police troopers has failed.
Members of the Michigan State Police Troopers Association voted against a furlough plan that would have called for sacrificing some of their own pay to temporarily avoid the layoffs of their low-seniority co-workers.
The outcome of the vote was announced Friday but vote totals weren't released.
Trooper layoffs will begin Sunday.
The layoffs are expected to save the cash-starved state $1.7 million in the fiscal year that ends Sept. 30. Most of those affected were hired after finishing trooper school in December.
Even if the furlough plan had been approved, there was no guarantee the low-seniority officers would have kept their jobs in the next budget year.
In this case, the little guys are their brothers-in-arms, the newest fellow officers. Where's the solidarity there, guys? Or does it really show that when the rubber hits the road, it is all about self-interest?
Now, I have no problem with self-interest at all! However, as Liberals go and bash SC Gov. Sanford for being hypocritical for violating his vows (given his stance on traditional family values), shouldn't they also be bashing the union for violating theirs?
As usual, this week's broadcast version of GraniteGrok and Now!Hampshire.com brings an array of items and guests for your consideration-- ALL STARTING AT 9AM! As always, thanks to the technical wizardry and analytical skills of Skip, if you are beyond the broadcast area of Newstalk 1490 WEMJ, simply click here for instructions on how to connect and listen on the Internet via livestream. (Podcasts here)
To actively support our troops and our country on the Home Front by:
Jack spoke at this week's Tea Party rally where he read the NH Tea Party Coalition's Citizen Pledge. We'll discuss the rally, the pledge, and what happened in NH this week with the passage of the budget. He'll stay with us throughout the program as we discuss the Cap & Trade tax scheme, the nationalization of our health care system, and other fun and exciting topics.
Michael Kitch has been doing some excellent reporting in the Laconia Daily Sun on the legal battle surrounding the state's raid on the Joint Underwriting Association.Michael joins us to explain this rather strange place for the state to take money- a malpractice medical insurance fund. It seems as though the very sanctity of contracts and trust itself is at stake here. And what happens to the state's budget should it lose in Court?
We'll discuss ongoing events in his home land of Iran. We'll find out the real scoop behind the players, the real numbers both in terms of the recent sham elections and the deathtoll from recent violence and the government backlash. An email making the rounds this week featured a picture of a beautiful young woman killed in the violence-- wearing a Christian Cross around her neck. Amil wrote a tribute piece to her memory, Neda: Angel of Freedom. We'll ask Amil what he thinks the chances are for real change coming to Iran, and what it could mean for Western/ Islamic relations, long term.
OK, this is late....but after the vote today in the US House of Statists (where the Democrats just voted in the largest tax on people in world history AND added over 1,300 mandates and regulations on top of that), I needed a smile.
Lori over at ConChrist provided such:
Rush hour in China. After Cap & Trade, they'll be the ones driving the SUVs & selling their bicycles to us.Watch the US House debate live by clicking here. Watch C-Span even if you don't have cable. Pretty cool. Too bad the subject has such a horrible possible outcome.
Boehner:
"All pain for the United States' citizens and no gain..."
I just called my Congressman's office - Carol Shea-Porter (for those of you in CD-1, her Washington office is 202-225-5456). Here is here official statement:
The Congresswoman supports the America Clean Energy and Security Act. For the average cost of a postage stamp each day, the bill will create jobs, protect our environment, and strengthen our national security.
So, Carol Shea-Porter either will or just has voted to increase each NH family's cost of energy by $642.40. 10 Years? 35 years?. This:
When the Heritage Foundation did its analysis of Waxman-Markey, it broadly compared the economy with and without the carbon tax. Under this more comprehensive scenario, it found Waxman-Markey would cost the economy $161 billion in 2020, which is $1,870 for a family of four. As the bill’s restrictions kick in, that number rises to $6,800 for a family of four by 2035.
Remember that every time you put gas in the car, buy some product, or come winter when she proudly proclaims that she is trying to get "free heating money" -> she helped to take more money out of your pocket and less to spend for your family
Remember, the Trillions that will be taken from us will result in a measly 0.18 degree C reduction of warming (if there really is one - where's my summer!) over what would happen if we did nothing.
Which is exactly what China and India are about to do.
In fact, this bill is going to end up with us sending money to them as a bribe. Think we've done outsourcing of our manufacturing base already? You haven't seen ANYTHING yet!
I have asked her office to see if someone from her office would come onto the show tomorrow morning to discuss the why's.
Neda
I am so restless, I cannot cease thinking! It seems like the world we live in reveals to us incessantly, at certain moments or in certain circumstances, just how little we are and how vast the universe is. This world of ours is a very complex world. The world we live in is a world of many brutal voices. It is a world of heavy blows and delirious trances, but it is the only world that we know.
Like millions of people around the world, the tragic death of Neda has affected me tremendously. I felt a temptation to scream and run to the end of the world and say my prayers with unusual earnestness and a heavy heart. I felt like screaming for the overflowing flood of human blood. I felt like screaming for the weary eyes and innocent moans of the victims of Iranian revolution. I felt apprehensive, anxious, and fearful. And now, as I take up my pen, my hand trembles and my head swims with horror and disbelief at the magnitude of the human devastation.
What’s in a name? Sometimes a name seems void of any meaning and sometimes a name embodies profound meaning, mysterious and even prophetic. Your name, our beloved Neda, the martyr daughter of Iran, literally means Divine Call, or Divine Summons, in Persian.
Dear Neda, when on the blessed day of your birth your parents hugged you joyously and named you Neda, they could hardly envision that you would be slaughtered in the prime of your life by a bullet of savage Islamists as you peacefully marched along with throngs of other Iranians seeking nothing more than what is your God-given right—the right to liberty and dignity.
Dear Neda, on the dreadful day that the bullet of a henchman of tyranny pierced your young heart, you collapsed on the pavement, gasped for air as your crimson blood painted the black asphalt. Your father tried desperately to revive you. He kept frantically telling you not to be afraid, not to be afraid. He was witnessing the death of his little girl and all he could do was to breathe encouragement in a vain hope of keeping you alive.
On the surface, it might sound like a good idea. I immediately thought of Doug slaving over the required form for college aid for his offspring and thought "this could be helpful".
Then, 3 seconds went by and the cerebral cortex kicked in and caught up with the eyeballs - you have GOT to be kidding! Do you really want the Feds to expose YOUR IRS data over the web? (and wiping my brow saying "Glad I don't have to look at it")
The Obama Adminsistration yesterday proposed simplification of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, including allowing student applicants and their parents to directly retrieve relevant tax information from the IRS to help them complete the online FAFSA. "When you're online filling out the FAFSA, there'll be a button that says, 'Want to go get your IRS data?'" said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman.
Right - they do a great job at putting their forms and instruction booklets out on the Web. Dandy! Helpful stuff as one navigates the multitudinal and inordinate amount of stuff to just send money.
Can you think, however, that this WOULDN'T be some hacker's Christmas present? This is as bad as putting your healthcare info into the hands of the Feds....oh wait....
As Glenn says: What Could Go Wrong?
Bumped up from Nov 02 - just for a reminder. This is NOT about saving the planet - this is all about more Government control over a vast area of our lives, as energy is the foundation of a modern society. That said, the Waxman bill is fitting in with what Obama wants - to send YOUR electricty costs skyrocketing for an outcome that is meaningless in 100 years and gives China and India an open field to dominate us economically. Even the EU is cheating on their own version of this and Australia is about to turn down the chance to put their own necks into the gallows.
Well, the leak of what Obama really thinks, starting with "Joe the Plumber" and the redistribution of wealth just keeps on getting bigger and bigger.
Now, not only is he going to tax us, and the companies we work for, into oblivion. Now, he is going to shut down both the coal and electric generation industries.
Transcript here of his San Francisco Chronicle interview of Jan 17, 2008:
Please remember, than when people like Obama talk about a "market", it is NEVER a free market - the only kind that works. This is a Government mandated distortion of the energy industry.Let me sort of describe my overall policy.
What I've said is that we would put a cap and trade system in place that is as aggressive, if not more aggressive, than anybody else's out there.
I was the first to call for a 100% auction on the cap and trade system, which means that every unit of carbon or greenhouse gases emitted would be charged to the polluter. That will create a market in which whatever technologies are out there that are being presented, whatever power plants that are being built, that they would have to meet the rigors of that market and the ratcheted down caps that are being placed, imposed every year.
And he will not just use this "market" for what was it's original purpose (anti-pollution, although I disagree with the basic premises for what is causing global warming. Except now, it is starting to look like Global Cooling - and THAT will be MUCH more dangerous!).
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can; it's just that it will bankrupt them because they're going to be charged a huge sum for all that greenhouse gas that's being emitted.
So, because Obama doesn't like that industry, he will use the force of government to put them out of business.
That will also generate billions of dollars that we can invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and other alternative energy approaches.
The only thing I've said with respect to coal, I haven't been some coal booster.
Note: coal is one of the areas of energy that the US IS self-sufficient - but it seems that Obama may really not want that!
And as I have said before - with politicians, it isn't about being environmentally friendly - it IS about changing our behavior to fit what they believe is better for us.
And, it is ALL about the revenue streams....and what they can do with it.
It's not the companies that are the greediest - it is the politicians. At least we get something from the companies of some value....
What I have said is that for us to take coal off the table as a (sic) ideological matter as opposed to saying if technology allows us to use coal in a clean way, we should pursue it.
So if somebody wants to build a coal-powered plant, they can. It's just that it will bankrupt them.
So, once again, ideology trumps the economy and our energy needs. Hey Pennsylvania and West Virginia - you wanna start losing jobs?
I guess this means that Obama won't have to wait for his useful idiots on the Left to get the Fairness Doctrine going to shut up us Right Wingers - no coal, no electricity for radio or computers.
Problem is, it won't be just us....
(H/T: NewsBusters)
And this from Gateway Pundit:
Remember... Obama said he would raise power and fuel prices to change our bad habits and that it's going to hurt--
"It's not going to be painless."
Video HERE.
All jobs have inherent risks. Fortunately, mine does not have this one!
You are a South African bush pilot working for Blue Sky Aviation.
You fly in some critical medical supplies, enjoy a quick lunch at the hospital.
It's a stifling 100 degrees in the shade and you're eager to get back aloft to the cooler upper atmosphere.
On the way back to your aircraft, you discover that the only bit of shade within 1 mile has become very popular.
You start estimating the distance to the aircraft door and wonder...
'Do I feel lucky today?'
The picture - after the jump:
I wish our current "Country Fathers" would listen to our Founding Fathers. Instead, as I have said before, they are acting more like teenagers that have learned to forge Dad's name on Dad's credit card.
And just like the teenagers, this current crop does NOT want to be anywhere around when the bill comes in - and mark my words, only the stupidist of the crop will try to ride it out:
"I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest dangers to be feared. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. If we run into such debts, we must be taxed in our meat and drink, in our necessities and in our comforts, in our labor and in our amusements. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labor of the people, under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy."
- Thomas Jefferson
"If you would know the value of money, go try to borrow some; for he that goes a-borrowing goes a-sorrowing."- Benjamin Franklin
(H/T: Sine Nomine)
Congressman Waxman (D-CA) has been pulling out all the stops in trying to get more Democrats to sign onto this monstrosity - now up to 1,200 pages. Shades of the Porkulus bill - which is pretty much what it is! The Porkulus is going to tax us way beyond belief as the debt kicks in. This bill is going to be a second KO in the future as well!
Once again from Hot Air and once again, our Congress Critters are about to lay down a foundation by which they will control our energy usage (think behavior modification vs taxes). And it is going to SLAM the middle class (as always, the rich can afford it and the poor will have it paid for by taxpayer money - poor middle class gets to pay for their neighbor's energy use; emphasis mine):
Democrats have hailed the CBO estimates of the costs per family of their new cap-and-trade carbon-emissions scheme, which show an impact of only $175 annually. What they don’t tell voters, the Wall Street Journal explains, is that those costs begin to sharply escalate in ten years. Democrats also fail to mention that the cost estimates of the CBO come just from the trading mechanism and nothing else:
To get support for his bill, Mr. Waxman was forced to water down the cap in early years to please rural Democrats, and then severely ratchet it up in later years to please liberal Democrats. The CBO’s analysis looks solely at the year 2020, before most of the tough restrictions kick in. As the cap is tightened and companies are stripped of initial opportunities to “offset” their emissions, the price of permits will skyrocket beyond the CBO estimate of $28 per ton of carbon. The corporate costs of buying these expensive permits will be passed to consumers.
The biggest doozy in the CBO analysis was its extraordinary decision to look only at the day-to-day costs of operating a trading program, rather than the wider consequences energy restriction would have on the economy. The CBO acknowledges this in a footnote: “The resource cost does not indicate the potential decrease in gross domestic product (GDP) that could result from the cap.”
The hit to GDP is the real threat in this bill. The whole point of cap and trade is to hike the price of electricity and gas so that Americans will use less. These higher prices will show up not just in electricity bills or at the gas station but in every manufactured good, from food to cars. Consumers will cut back on spending, which in turn will cut back on production, which results in fewer jobs created or higher unemployment. Some companies will instead move their operations overseas, with the same result.
When the Heritage Foundation did its analysis of Waxman-Markey, it broadly compared the economy with and without the carbon tax. Under this more comprehensive scenario, it found Waxman-Markey would cost the economy $161 billion in 2020, which is $1,870 for a family of four. As the bill’s restrictions kick in, that number rises to $6,800 for a family of four by 2035.
Yup we will all end up as wards of the state. Free choice? Self-determination? No problem, Obama and the Dems have your choices all mapped out fer ya! Silly little people, thinking they elected people that would watch out for them. This is all about Statism - Government being in control and not the individuals. This is all about bigger and bigger Government.
You don't like this? Consider this as an action item:
NoWaxman-Markey will get a vote, perhaps as early as tomorrow, in the House. Call your Congressman and explain that we don’t want to throw away our economic future for the pleasure of a few statists exploiting an unproven theory as a means to gain control of energy production. This fight, though, will be won or lost in the Senate.
I previously posted about whether or not Healthcare is a right - again, the money clause was:
Simply defined, a right is something that an individual can exercise (as a sovereign individual) without asking anyone’s permission. It also carries the complementary notion that in exercising that right an individual cannot obligate anyone else to participate because to obligate others to act violates their own freedom of action (summarily eliminating their freedom to refuse to act, for instance).
Here's another way to look at it:
Life is trade offs. The big question is who should decide? As you read the Constitution does the federal government have the right to make all decisions regarding what medicine you can use, particularly in a life-threatening situation? Putting aside the question of Constitutionality, *should* the federal government have that right? Or do you agree that most decisions should be left to the states and the people?
- NH Resident, Spec Bowers
Indeed! President Obama is making all kinds of proclamations, along with his Democrat flunkies, as though it is a done deal that he has the right and the authority to use the power of Government to force a free people into situations in which they will have no choices. Mark my words, once Government uses the fiscal power of our own taxes, the Government Option / Public Option / Public Co-op or any other term will end up being dependent on our taxes and we will be dependent on Government for any of our healthcare...
Which is exactly what Obama wants.
If you remember, his "Joe the Plumber" moment was when candidate Obama went up to Joe and started a conversation and told Joe that he wanted to "Spread the wealth" and was annoyed at Joe's response. He repeated that performance last night - a TRUE indication of Progressive Elitism - "we will determine what you can do, but we will do different." From Hot Air, we get the conversation from ABC's (All Barack Channel) Obama health Infomercial: - the Joe the Plumber moment!
President Obama struggled to explain today whether his health care reform proposals would force normal Americans to make sacrifices that wealthier, more powerful people — like the president himself — wouldn’t face.
...
Dr. Orrin Devinsky, a neurologist and researcher at the New York University Langone Medical Center, said that elites often propose health care solutions that limit options for the general public, secure in the knowledge that if they or their loves ones get sick, they will be able to afford the best care available, even if it’s not provided by insurance.
Devinsky asked the president pointedly if he would be willing to promise that he wouldn’t seek such extraordinary help for his wife or daughters if they became sick and the public plan he’s proposing limited the tests or treatment they can get.
The president refused to make such a pledge, though he allowed that if “it’s my family member, if it’s my wife, if it’s my children, if it’s my grandmother, I always want them to get the very best care.["]
And what person WOULDN'T want the best for his or her family! Parse the words - he got trapped by his own policy:
He has just admitted his plan is not one he would want for himself or his family.
Do you need any more information than that? If the President, willing to spend Trillions of dollars for this boon-doggle, is not willing to place his family on this plan, why should you and I?
Congress will be exempt from this. So will unions. How come Obama wants to shackle us with this?
GO AHEAD - call your Congress Critters and see what their answer is to this:
Senator/Congressman - will you move your family to Obamacare?
It is not a Rocket Scientist question - it is either yes or no. After all, by pitching Government against the private market, we all will end up on it, as there is NO way that the private market can compete against the "Public Option"; it can make its plan cheaper based on OUR tax money.
If they say no, remember to say no to them in November if they vote for this bill. After all, if it is not good enough for them, why is it good enough for you?
Chances are, if you get all of your news from NewsNine WMUR TV, you wouldn't know that there was a sizeable and noisy anti-spending rally taking place on the front steps of the State House in Concord as lawmakers from both Houses considered a new state budget for New Hampshire.
Featuring a roster of speakers hitting a common theme that government at all levels is spending too much instead of tightening their belts, the call for LOWER taxes, not higher ones, was the order of the day. As House members and Senators sat within the building and passed a budget laden with new taxes and fees, a crowd that grew to nearly 300 people shouted and waved handmade signs expressing their scorn and derision outside.
This video captures some of the louder moments, and clearly shows the size and energy of the crowd that gathered despite the rain and dampness. Sadly, it meant no nevermind to the Democratic-led legislature, as they went on to approve the budget which now heads off to the Governor who is expected to sign it. The gathered Tea Partiers vowed that those politicians that acted so irresponsibly with our money will pay come 2010...
Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) is certainly getting a reputation for "no holds barred, no prisoners taken" in defending traditional American values - free markets, individual liberties. As I watched this short vid, even though it is about Democrat "crony capitalism" in which it is more important to know the right "political Democrat" to be a success in business than it is to just be business successful, the thought kept running through my head (especially reading about the All Barack Commercial last nite) was:
I'm wondering if my Doctor is going to be treated the same way.
The precedent has now been set by an overreaching Obama supported by anti-free market Democrats. Substitute healthcare for cars as you watch the vid:
According to this study, blacks aren't all that with it concerning Cap and Trade. It seems that the rush to vote on this 1,200 page bill (why are all of the anti-freedom bills ALL this size??) is because the longer they get looked at, the more they smell....and they want to vote on this by Friday!
Go call your Congress Critters!
Blacks vs. Cap and Trade [Kathryn Jean Lopez]
A new study from the the National Center for Public Policy Research "shows an overwhelming majority of African Americans are opposed to the [cap-and-trade] bill based on the potential impact on the economy and minority households."
Key findings include:* 76 percent of African American adults believe that securing America’s economic recovery should be the top priority, even if it means delaying action in climate change.
* 56 percent of African American adults think our federal and state policy makers fail to adequately take into account economic and quality of life concerns when considering new anti-global warming laws.
* When asked if the federal action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions could increase unemployment, 38 percent of survey respondents said they felt African Americans would proportionately lose more jobs while 49 percent felt that federal action to reduce greenhouse gas emission would hit all races equally.
* Only 15 percent of survey respondents said they would be willing to pay one dollar more for gasoline due to greenhouse gas legislation. The numbers dropped to 5, 3, and 4 percent if gas prices increased by two, three or four dollars a gallon.
* Only 11 percent of survey respondents said they would be willing to pay one hundred dollars more a year for electricity in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The numbers dropped to 6, 4 and 1 percent when respondents were asked if they would be willing to pay an extra two hundred, three hundred, or six hundred dollars a year for electricity.
* More than one out of every three African American adults surveyed said that greenhouse gas emissions should not be reduced if doing so would cause price increases and unemployment.
(H/T: NRO)
Remember, we are about to be taxed TRILLIONS! And you know what all that will get us? Just about a 0.18 degree C less warmer temperature than if we did nothing. Our "masters" in Congress are about to put the Big Hurt on the American Economy...and India and China will just laugh as these Congressmen, greedy with a lust for power to control what used to be a free people, enslave their own. They will pollute regardless, and produce at a lower cost.
You think unemployment is high now?
I have not been posting much lately - have been trying to review some really old code FoxPro code for a friend. However, this caught my eye - it seems that these are straight forward and common-sensical outlook. Let me know what you think. From The Futurist (shortened up by me) :
I hereby present a path to unprecedented prosperity for America :
1) Immigration Reform: ...highly skilled immigrants who seek to follow the law are put through an excruciating process lasting 7-12 years, fraught with restrictions on the changing of employers and the spouse's right to work. At the same time, unskilled immigrants, many with criminal tendencies, have an incentive to enter the US illegally and consume services paid for by the US taxpayer. ...the next Andy Grove, Vinod Khosla, Elon Musk, Pierre Omidyar, and Sergey Brin are faced with a tortuous, interminable ordeal that may lead them to conclude that coming to America is not as worthwhile as it was a generation ago.
He's right - most educated folks want to do things "the right way" - but the special interests and the Lefty Progressives reward bad behavior...go figure!
Oh Lordy - how I wish this could be - for tax simplification WOULD mean less capacity for social engineering. Do you think Barney Frank or Obama would agree to this in ACTION (they can say whatever they want - I want action!).2) Tax Simplification: My detailed case for tax simplification can be found here. In summary: ...Before even discussing the reduction or increase in tax rates, there should first be a reduction in tax complexity. If a family earning $100K is currently required to pay $20K in income taxes to the Federal Government, so be it. But at least let the process of calculating this tax payment take 20 minutes instead of 20 hours.
Agree! You make something neat, you make jobs, you get a free ride! After all, you have "given back" in the form of jobs and the taxes they will pay. At the highest levels, this would be quite the incentive to try a repeat, three-peat, and keep on going!3) Tax Exemption for Entrepreneurial Innovators: The reason that innovation prizes like the X-Prize are so valuable is that they evoke superlative efforts out of their contestants. This is entirely the opposite of most charities, which merely give ambition-dampening handouts to those deemed to be needy. By some measures, a $10 million X-Prize creates $500 million or more of innovation value...However, after one team out of dozens of competitors wins a particular X-Prize of $10 Million or so, they have to turn around and pay 45% of it in income taxes. So the real prize is just $5.5 Million. If the IRS were to exempt these innovation prizes from taxation, the cost to the US government would be tiny, relative to the value of innovation that the now-larger prize would inspire
Continue reading "One person's idea on how to straighten things out" »
While the big spenders in Concord may have passed the budget today, they did so while listening to the loud boos and jeers from a crowd of 200+ attending today's "It's the Spending, Stupid!" Tea Party rally in front of the Statehouse. With the windows of the building open, reports were that the crowd could be heard quite clearly expressing their displeasure with what was going on inside. Here are a few pics of what was an enthusiastic crowd, for sure, despite downright lousy weather. It may have been wet and damp, but, it did not curb the level of energy and anger directed at state lawmakers as they put the finishing touches on a new budget long on spending and short on cuts...
Not much of this going on in the new budget...
Stay tuned for more pics and video a little later...
This evening, ABC will be airing an “infomercial” for Obama to sell us his Nationalized Health Care Plan. They have billed this as a “Conversation on Healthcare” and yet they are not allowing the other side of the “conversation” to be heard. Just like the Russian Government run news organization TASS, ABC is becoming a state run news organization for our new socialist government and they are not allowing any alternate points of view to be aired in juxtaposition to their broadcast.
There are two problems with this “infomercial.” The first problem has already been mentioned, where our first Amendment rights are being encroached upon by the creation of a quasi-state-run media (would it be of any surprise to anyone if Obama is on the verge of appointing a media Czar in the near future). The second, and more immediate concern is the shameless promotion of a National Health Care Program in an infomercial format without any objective reporting on the issue, or the ability to show any kind of alternate program or point of view.
Once again, the government is setting things up to try to ram things down our throat that We The People do not want and cannot afford for us or for our children. We MUST stand up and be heard!
We cannot stand idly by and see our media hijacked and become a state-run media outlet orchestrated by Obama’s administration, nor can we simply let this National Health Care Initiative be foisted upon us without putting up any resistance. It’s time for us to act. The last time we mobilized, the media tried to ignore and marginalize us. We will not be ignored!
Every able bodied freedom loving American is invited to rally outside of their local ABC affiliate TV station with signs, airhorns, and other noisemaking devices so that we get their attention this time. The slogan “Silent Majority No More” can no longer remain just a slogan, it’s time to show that we are NOT silent anymore. Make it sound like midnight on New Years Eve in front of every ABC affiliate TV station across the country. Make them send their reporters out to cover it live. Continue the rally through their news hour so our fellow Americans can realize how many of us share the same view. We know that this keeps you up a little later than usual however, a little sleep lost now is better than liberties lost later. Unusual times call for unusual measures.
Our ABC affiliate is WMUR-TV right here in Manchester, NH.
Time: 9:00 PM (broadcast starts at 10:00)
Place: WMUR-TV Broadcast Center
100 South Commercial Street
Manchester, NH 03101
Dems taking GOP input?
At a press conference held yesterday, Minority Leader Sherm Packard, along with a large group of fellow NH House Republicans, released the following document outlining a proposed series of budget cuts totalling $181.9 million that they will introduce should the budget fail to pass today.
“House Republicans Offer Cost-Saving Budget Alternatives”
Concord-House Republican Leader Sherm Packard (Londonderry) stood with HB 1 & HB 2 Republican House Conferees today to discuss the impending budget vote and to propose several alternatives.
“Representatives Kurk and Scamman offered several spending reductions in the conference committee budget, some were accepted and most were ignored,” stated Packard. “The fact of the matter is that budgets across the country have seen an average 2% decrease in their state spending and the Democrat majority in Concord has increased state spending by an unconscionable 7.7%.”
“Republicans were not fully involved in this budget process and while a suggestion or two may have been accepted, there are no significant and meaningful cuts in state spending which would defer the need for the additional taxes and fees that Democrats added in the last hours of conference,” added Republican Conferee Representative Neal Kurk (Weare).
No less than a dozen fees were increased, in some cases doubled, with the implementation of several tax plans including tightening belts for LLCs, increasing the Rooms & Meals tax, increasing the tobacco tax for the fourth time in five years and adding a new tax on gambling winnings.
“I am disappointed by these tax and fee increases,” said Republican Conferee Alternate, Rep. Doug Scamman (Stratham). “We hurt businesses and we hurt the cities and towns of our state. This is not the New Hampshire way.”
Republicans will be offering a continuing resolution to keep state government going at a fiscally responsible level, should the massive spending and taxing increases contained in House Bills 1 & 2 fail to pass the House in session on June 24 and call on all their colleagues to support this plan.
Here are the specific proposed cuts:
Continue reading "GOP members of the NH House ready budget cuts" »
Leaving no media aside, Fred Tausch's STEWARD of Prosperity fiscal restraint message machine now hits the TV airwaves. If there was anybody left in the state of New Hampshire that HASN'T heard the anti-stimulus, anti-spending, pro-transparency, anti-Obamanomic perspective being delivered with the cold hard economic facts and reasoning combined with a somewhat biting sense of witty sarcasm, a new TV ad set to hit the Granite State starting tomorrow will seek to change that.
Building on a series of mail pieces and a recent flood of radio ads [Full disclosure: STEWARD has purchased ad space here on the 'Grok and on MTNP radio], Nashua businessman Fred Tausch, through his grassroots organization, STEWARD of Prosperity, as reported on WMUR TV, will air an ad entitled Taxpayers First. Here is the WMUR report:
And this is the ad itself that will be broadcast:
I know that the mmessage is getting out there, as I have been running into people here and there that ask me, "Hey Doug, what do you think of that Steward guy... what's his name, Fred Tausch, or something?" And then they usually tell me how much they agree with what he's been saying...
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