Thursday, December 31, 2009
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Pat Buchanan on 'America's Party'
Both political parties, but especially the Democrats, have reason to fear the Tea Party movement, argues columnist and political commentator Pat Buchanan.From a recent Buchanan column:
For Democrats like Harry Reid, who called them "evil-mongers," and Nancy Pelosi, who called them "un-American," the NBC News poll must have hit like a sucker punch at a Georgetown wine-and-cheese.Read the full column at CNSNews.com
The Tea Party movement, those folks rallying against spending last spring and Obamacare in the summer town halls, are viewed more favorably than the Democratic Party.
Forty-one percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of the Tea Party movement, to 35 percent for Obama's party. Only 24 percent view Tea Party activists unfavorably, while 45 percent hold a negative view of the Democrats.
While Tea Party types played a role in the GOP's comeback — helping take down Gov. Jon Corzine in New Jersey and turning a John McCain deficit of 6 points in the Old Dominion into a 17-point victory for Bob McDonnell — the movement is no subsidiary of the GOP. For it played a major role in routing liberal Republican "Dede" Scozzafava in New York's 23rd and came within a point of electing a third-party conservative.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
'The Top 10 Conservatives of 2009'
John Hawkins loves to make lists and he's usually right on the money.His latest: A list of "The Top 10 Conservatives of 2009" -- you know, the people the mainstream media ignores. (I was little disappointed I didn't make the list, John). The list will surprise you.
From his column:
Let's face it: if you're conservative, you're not going to get your proper due from the mainstream media for your accomplishments. Case in point: Barbara Walters named Michelle Obama the most fascinating person of 2009. Really? Based on what? Her big arms? Her terrible fashion sense? The fact that she's married to the worst President in American history?Below is Hawkins list and check out the full column at Townhall.com to find out why they made the Top 10.
I mean, you could understand if Walters named Michelle's husband the most fascinating person of 2009. He is at least the President and it is fascinating to wonder if there's anything going on in his head beyond clichés about hope and "must read teleprompter" repeated over and over.
Of course, Barack Obama was Barbara Walters' most fascinating person of 2008. Wonder who'll be next in 2010? Joe or Jill Biden? In any case, just in case no one else does it, I want to give a little credit where credit is due to some of the conservatives who made a real difference in 2009.
10) Andrew Breitbart
9) Marco Rubio
8) Rush Limbaugh
7) Jim DeMint
6) Carrie Prejean
5) Dick Cheney
4) Sarah Palin
3) Glenn Beck
2) James O'Keefe & Hannah Giles
1) The Tea Party Movement
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
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Obama signs debt ceiling increase to $12.4 Trillion
How high will the U.S. deficit go? Depends on how long Democrats stay in power. If you'd like to bury your children and grandchildren in debt, keep voting Democrats back into Congress. If you think it's time to stop the madness, vote Republican in 2010.
From Reuters:
From Reuters:
Obama Signs U.S. Debt Limit Increase Into Law
WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama on Monday signed into law an increase in the U.S. national debt limit to $12.4 trillion, the White House said in a statement.
Congress approved an increase in the debt limit from $12.1 trillion on Thursday, winning two more months of funding for a record U.S. deficit as Obama tries to stimulate economic growth after the country's worst recession in 70 years.
Critics say Democrat Obama is making the deficit worse, but the White House blames the recession and unfunded cuts in taxes and prescription drug aid, which were all inherited from his Republican predecessor George W. Bush.
The U.S. government posted a record $1.4 trillion deficit in the fiscal year ended September 30 and is on track during the current fiscal year to spend at least $1 trillion more than it collects.
The debt has more than doubled since 2001, thanks to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, tax cuts and the recession, which has caused tax revenues to plunge and safety-net spending to rise.
Poll: More Than Half of Americans Say Health Reform Is Not Worth Increasing the Deficit
From CNSNews.com:
Support for President Obama's health care reform sank lower in December than it dipped in August, after a summer of opposition at town halls and tea party gatherings across the country.Read the full article at CNSNews.com
A Quinnipiac University poll released last week, which measured the views of likely voters on a range of current events, found that fewer Americans approve of how the president is handling the issue; fewer believe health care reform is important enough to increase the deficit; and fewer believe President Obama will be able to make the bill deficit-neutral, than when the same questions were asked on Aug. 5.
Quinnipiac asked voters: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling health care?"
Obama saw 46 percent approval from voters in the beginning of July, but as members of the House of Representatives went home for August recess, approval dipped to just 39 percent on Aug. 5. After a slight rebound in the fall, Obama’s approval rating on the issue crept further down to 38 percent.
Over the same period, those who disapproved of the president's handling of health care grew in ranks from 42 percent in July to 52 percent in August to 56 percent in the December poll. Meanwhile, the number of respondents who remained unsure shrank by more than half from 13 percent to just 6 percent.
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GOP: Obama Encouraging Terrorists?
Don't say you weren't warned. A vote for Obama/Biden was a vote to weaken America's resolve in the War on Terrorism. Don't you wish you could redo the 2008 election now?
From a story by Glenn Thrush and Martin Kady II on the continued weakness shown by the Obama Administration and how Republicans are capitalizing on the Democrat's Achilles heel:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From a story by Glenn Thrush and Martin Kady II on the continued weakness shown by the Obama Administration and how Republicans are capitalizing on the Democrat's Achilles heel:
Republicans have wasted no time in attacking Democrats on intelligence and screening failures leading up to the failed Christmas Day bombing of Flight 253 — a significant departure from the calibrated, less partisan responses that have followed other recent terrorist activity.Read the full story at POLITICO.com
The strategy — coming as the Republican leadership seeks to exploit Democratic weaknesses heading into the 2010 midterms — is in many ways a natural for a party that views protecting the U.S. homeland as its ideological raison d'etre and electoral franchise.
President Obama's GOP critics have been emboldened during the past 48 hours by the stumbling initial response of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who spent Monday retracting her Sunday claim that "the system worked" in the aftermath of Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab's near takedown of a jet ferrying nearly 300 people from Amsterdam to Detroit.
"In the past six weeks, you've had the Fort Hood attack, the D.C. Five and now the attempted attack on the plane in Detroit … and they all underscored the clear philosophical difference between the administration and us," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee.
"I think Secretary Napolitano and the rest of the Obama administration view their role as law enforcement, first responders dealing with the aftermath of an attack," Hoekstra told POLITICO. "And we believe in a forward-looking approach to stopping these attacks before they happen."
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) went even further, telling FOX News that the Christmas attack proved President Obama's talk-to-your-enemies approach might actually be encouraging terrorists.
"[S]oft talk about engagement, closing Gitmo, these things are not going to appease the terrorists," he said. "They're going to keep coming after us, and we can't have politics as usual in Washington, and I'm afraid that's what we've got right now with airport security."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Obama Compromises Our Safety
Dave Cribbin shines a light on the Obama Administration's inability to protect Americans from Islamic terrorists for fear of offending the Muslim world or the far left that elected him.From his new column at GetLiberty.org:
Even a hungover, nearsighted, cross-eyed, Spanish Fighting Bull could have seen this guy coming a mile away. Umar the Islamic Jihadist Terrorist, whose actions should have raised more red flags than even the Russian Army owns, tried to blow up a commercial flight to Detroit with a Panty Bomb.Read the full column, "The Panty Bomber… Place Your Knickers on the Conveyor and Step away from the Machine," here.
The myriad of red flags, any one of which would have been enough to have prevented you or me from ever boarding our flight, didn't even slow him down as he flew from Nigeria to Amsterdam and then on to Detroit.
Why is it that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a last minute, cash paying customer on an international flight, whose only carry on luggage was his Panty Bomb, was not subject to the same level of scrutiny that I received when I flew from Tampa to Newark NJ to attend my uncle's funeral? This, even though his father had called the US Consulate and warned them that his son was dangerous; a phone call that landed Umar on a terror watch list.
I, on the other hand checked an overnight bag, wasn't on the terrorist watch list, wore only a pair of gym shorts, a t-shirt and flip flops, (Where I might ask was I going to hide a bomb in this outfit?) and carried only my wallet and a cell phone.
Still it was deemed necessary that I undergo enhanced security measures. The reason? I booked the trip late. So what were Umar's excuses? Oh yeah, that's right, he wanted to blow up the plane!
The Obama Administration's Home Land Security Chief, Janet Napolitano, appearing on a Sunday morning news show looked tough in her leather jacket, but acted like a real wimp, suggesting that the government's watch list of over 500,000 names, one of which is Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, was just too large to search in an attempt to prevent a terrorist bent on killing all the other passengers on the plane from boarding.
Where do they keep this watch list, and why is it so hard to search? Is it written in crayon, perhaps in poor penmanship on index cards and stored in the bottom of a draw of a desk in a little used basement office of an annex at homeland security? I typed the word terrorist into the Google search engine as I wrote this piece, and it came back with about 37 million entries. How long did it take to perform this search? It took 0.12 seconds. It's not that the list is too long, it's that no one is watching the Watch List. So why do they call it a watch list if they don't watch who is on it?
Our politically correct system of airline screening is a Giant Joke, inconveniencing everyone, yet protecting no one. How can I tell? It's easy. I can't carry sunscreen in my suitcase when I go to Miami, but an Islamic Jihadist from Nigeria on the government's terrorist watch list, a person who's actions should have set off all kinds of alarms, can carry a bomb onto a plane and all they want to know is if he wants the chicken or the vegetarian dinner.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The Most Expensive State Legislature in the U.S.
Columnist Brian O'Neill of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette attempts to explain why the Pennsylvania Legislature is the most expensive in the country.From his column:
How in the name of all that is holy can you spend $84.5 million in just 101 days?Read his full column, "Legislature works at its hardest when taking care of itself," at the newspaper's Web site.
"It's stunning, isn't it?" state Rep. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat from suburban Philadelphia, replied when I asked.
That's how much America's Largest Full-Time State Legislature spent this past summer and fall while dawdling over the only real job its 253 members have.
That would be passing a budget on time. It came in more than three months late.
The daily tab for tardiness came to almost $837,000. That covered all the costs -- salaries, perks, travel, utilities, printing, mail, phones -- for the House, the Senate, their office staff and the various agencies that support them: the Legislative Budget and Finance Commission, the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Department of Redundancy Department, etc.
And after you read it, you find your blood pressure reaching the boiling point, just remember that all 203 members of the House and 25 members of the Senate face re-election in 2010. You can do something about it ... but only if you're willing to change the cast of characters currently occupying Harrisburg.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
More Evidence Obama is Soft on Terrorism
It doesn't appear that Barack Obama's Muslim-heritage or his dazzling personality have won the U.S. many friends among the radical Islamic community.
Let's review what Obama has done in the past year to make life easier for Islamic radicals whose stated mission in life is to kill American citizens:
Obama has released dozens of terrorists from Guantanamo and plans to close the military prison entirely.
He intends to bring some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, captured on the battlefield, to United States soil for trial in civilian courtrooms.
He's traveled the world to apologize for U.S. foreign policy and has canceled major weapons system. The groveling hasn't worked, either.
The scheduled surrender in Afghanistan announced recently by our Nobel Peace Prize-winning president hasn't done the trick.
What's it going to take or how many Americans have to die before Barack Obama and his far-left cronies in the White House begin to take terrorism seriously?
From POLITICO:
The Nigerian man charged with the Christmas Day bombing attempt aboard Northwest Flight 253, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, reportedly spent time in Yemen after graduating from a London university in 2008. According to ABC News, Abdulmutallab has told authorities that, while in Yemen, Al Qaeda operatives crafted the explosive device which was sewn into Abdulmutallab's underwear.Read the full story, "Xmas bomb bid complicates Gitmo plan," at POLITICO.com
"Yesterday just highlights the fact that sending this many people back — or any people back — to Yemen right now is a really bad idea," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee. "It's just dumb… If you made a list of what the three dumbest countries would be to send people back to, Yemen would be on all the lists."
"I think it's a major mistake," Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) said about prisoner releases to Yemen. "I don't think Guantanamo should be closed, but if we're going to close it I don't believe we should be sending people to Yemen where prisoners have managed to escape in the past… Obviously, if [Abdulmutallab] did get training and direction from Yemen, it just adds to what is already a dangerous situation."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
What was the worst media malpractice/dereliction in 2009?
What was the worst media malpractice/dereliction in 2009?
Climategate? The lack of coverage of the Tea Parties? Sarah Palin? ACORN?
You can vote on the top choices at PaWatercooler.com
Climategate? The lack of coverage of the Tea Parties? Sarah Palin? ACORN?
You can vote on the top choices at PaWatercooler.com
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Democrats Elevate Bribery to New Levels
If Democrats are doing something good for the country, why did the party bosses have to spend so much taxpayer money to bribe Democratic members of Congress into voting for the "health care reform" bill? Just wondering.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Poll: Just 29% Say U.S. on Right Track
The American people left a lump of coal in Barack Obama's Christmas stocking this holiday season.
Just 29% say the U.S. is heading in right direction, according to Rasmussen Reports.
And the poll was conducted before the Senate approved the disastrous Obamacare bill that will raise taxes and increase insurance premiums for tens of millions of Americans.
From Rasmussen Reports:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Just 29% say the U.S. is heading in right direction, according to Rasmussen Reports.
And the poll was conducted before the Senate approved the disastrous Obamacare bill that will raise taxes and increase insurance premiums for tens of millions of Americans.
From Rasmussen Reports:
Just 29% of U.S. voters now say the country is heading in the right direction, the lowest level measured since early February, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.Read more at Rasmussen Reports
The percentage of voters who felt the country is heading in the right direction remained in the narrow range of 31% to 35% from July to early November. For the previous three weeks, however, confidence in the country’s current course has held steady at 30%.
The majority of voters (65%) continue to believe the nation is heading down the wrong track. The latest finding is up slightly from last week and has remained fairly consistent for months. In the weeks just prior to Barack Obama's election, more than 80% of voters felt that way.
This time last year, 17% said the country was heading in the right direction, while 77% said it was heading down the wrong track. Following Obama's inauguration in January, voter confidence in the direction of the country began steadily increasing, peaking at 40% in early May. Since then voter confidence has steadily declined.
Eighty-nine percent (89%) of Republicans and 74% of unaffiliated voters believe the nation is heading down the wrong track, findings that have held roughly steady for months. Democrats are more closely divided on the question: 52% say right direction, 38% say wrong track. Just nine percent (9%) of GOP voters say the United States is heading in the right direction.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Friday, December 25, 2009
'One Solitary Life'
Here is a man who was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman. He worked in a carpenter shop until He was 30. Then for three years, He was an itinerant preacher.He never owned a home. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family. He never went to college. He never put His foot inside a big city. He never traveled 200 miles from the place He was born. He never did one of the things that usually accompany greatness. He had no credentials but Himself.
While still a young man, the tide of popular opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. One of them denied Him. He was turned over to His enemies. He went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed upon a cross between two thieves. While He was dying, His executioners gambled for the only piece of property He had on earth — His coat. When He was dead, He was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
[Twenty] long centuries have come and gone, and today He is a centerpiece of the human race and leader of the column of progress.
I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that were ever built; all the parliaments that ever sat and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that one solitary life.
— This excerpt is from a sermon by Dr. James Allan Francis in "The Real Jesus and Other Sermons," a collection published in 1926 by the Judson Press of Philadelphia.
The Original Christmas Story
The Christmas story as told in the Gospel According to Luke 2:1-20:
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
"(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
"And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)
"To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
"And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
"And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
"And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
"And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
"And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
"And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
"(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
"And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
"And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,)
"To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
"And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
"And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
"And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
"And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
"And they came with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
"And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
"And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
"And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them."
Thursday, December 24, 2009
U.S. Senate: 'Naughty or Nice' This Season?
Terri McCormick, author of the book "What Sex is a Republican?" and a Republican candidate in Wisconsin's 8th Congressional District, makes the following observations about the bribes used by Democratic leadership to get 60 votes for Obamacare in the U.S. Senate: In the rush to pass the so-called "healthcare reform bill," U.S. Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) stomped his feet and held his breath until he extracted his presents from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. One such gift exempts Nebraska from paying the $45 million increase in Medicaid imbursement costs. Nelson was the 60th Democrat to get his stocking stuffed.Read her full statement at the link below:
Smart parents know not to give in to spoiled children trying these shenanigans. If we gave kids everything they demanded, our family budget would be as busted as last year's toy under the couch. You know, the one with batteries that are only made in China.
Each of us will soon pay for the Senate's extravagant spending. In Senator Nelson's case, his Nebraska voters will be exempted from the substantial cost increases generated by new Medicare patients mandated by this plan. Wisconsin taxpayers will foot the bill not only for the additional costs for Wisconsinites, but for Nebraskans, too.
Senator Reid is like the parents that give their screaming kids everything they ask for.
U.S. Senate: 'Naughty or Nice' This Season?
Also check out her Web site, www.themccormickstandard.com
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
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Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Poll: Record low job approval for Obama
If Santa Claus represented the American people, he'd leave lump of coal under Barack Obama's tree this Christmas.
From Rasmussen Reports:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 25% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty-six percent (46%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -21 That's the lowest Approval Index rating yet recorded for this President.For more analysis, check out Rasmussen Reports here.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of men Strongly Disapprove along with 39% of women. Most African-American voters (58%) Strongly Approve while most white voters (53%) Strongly Disapprove.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans Strongly Disapprove as do 52% of unaffiliated voters. Forty-seven percent (47%) of Democrats Strongly Approve.
For the second straight day, the update shows the highest level of Strong Disapproval yet recorded for this President. That negative rating had never topped 42% before yesterday. However, it has risen dramatically since the Senate found 60 votes to move forward with the proposed health care reform legislation. Most voters (55%) oppose the health care legislation and senior citizens are even more likely than younger voters to dislike the plan.
The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve.
Overall, 44% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. Fifty-six percent (56%) now disapprove.
Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Democrats approve while 88% of Republicans and 62% of unaffiliated voters disapprove.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Gerlach: Health Care Bill Brings Blizzard of Spending, No Real Reforms
U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach (PA-6th District) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Senate's rush to pass a health care bill before Christmas:"While Mother Nature was dumping a record-setting amount of snow on southeastern Pennsylvania this weekend, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democrat leadership colleagues unleashed a blizzard of taxpayer dollars in a frantic attempt to pass a health care bill that has more to do with scoring political points than making insurance affordable and improving the quality of health care. And American taxpayers will be paying for these deals aimed at paving the path to government-controlled health care long after the snow melts.
"After promising Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu $300 million in taxpayer dollars last month in exchange for her vote, Reid struck backroom deals that will force Pennsylvania taxpayers to help finance a $1.1 billion Medicaid bailout over the next 10 years for Nebraska, Massachusetts and Vermont. That is in addition to an estimated $2.2 billion Pennsylvania taxpayers will have to cover during the next decade if the Democrats’ health care proposal becomes law. Reid also slipped in a $100 million earmark for an unidentified hospital in an unidentified state to build a new facility.
"This avalanche of spending would be bad enough. But the Senate bill also retains the same job-crushing taxes and big government bureaucracy contained in the House health care bill, which I voted against on November 7. Taxes would climb by about $400 billion per year. That includes a $2 billion per year tax on medical testing products that help detect ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancer; products used in hip-replacement surgery and to help patients heal broken limbs; heart stents used in life-saving operations; and other medical devices. This tax would hit Pennsylvania particularly hard because of the approximately 600 medical device manufactures in the Commonwealth that employ roughly 20,000 people in jobs that often pay more than $50,000 per year.
"All of this taxing and spending will result in a bill that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office confirmed would raise health insurance premiums by $300 per year for individuals and $2,100 per year for middle-class families. That’s unacceptable.
"Rather than buying votes, leaders in the House and Senate should be working on medical malpractice reforms that could save patients up to $140 billion per year and other bipartisan measures that would increase competition among private insurers to lower the cost of premiums and give consumers greater freedom and choices in buying coverage. I will continue working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to achieve these goals."
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Turns Out The Grinch Is A Liberal, Too
Another holiday gem at DotPenn exposing the secret political views of a well-known Christmas figure. This time, it's the Grinch.From DotPenn:
Revealed for the first time: the Christmas-snatching Grinch is actually a politically-correct progressive. Here are the top ten pieces of evidence.Read the full post, "Ten Reasons The Grinch Is A Progressive," at DotPenn
1. Instead of using a snowmobile prefers more environmentally-correct dog-powered sled.
So he took his dog Max, and he took some black thread, and he tied a big horn on the top of his head.
2. As a vegan, the Grinch refuses to eat Roast Beast.
3. Out-of-touch mountain retreat similar to confines of Washington D.C. beltway. (Both are also snow-covered thanks to Copenhagen treaty.)
4. Turning green from a lack of protein.
5. Hates Christians.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks, your soul is full of gunk... Mr. Gri-inch
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Check out TakeBackMedicine.org
Who you gonna trust with your family's health care? Harry Reid and Barack Obama or your doctor?
More than 500,000 U.S. doctors oppose the Obamacare bill about to be rammed through the U.S. Senate.
From TakeBackMedicine.org:
More than 500,000 U.S. doctors oppose the Obamacare bill about to be rammed through the U.S. Senate.
From TakeBackMedicine.org:
To date 43 state, county and national medical societies, representing nearly one‐half million physicians, have stated their public opposition to the Senate healthcare overhaul bill, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590). It is time for Congress to slow down, take a step back, and change the direction of current reform efforts to ensure that it is done right!For more information, visit TakeBackMedicine.org
Newspaper: 'Hands out in Harrisburg'
While ordinary Pennsylvanians had to do without services during the state's 101-day-old budget stalemate, elected lawmakers pocketed more than $2.2 million in per diem payments, according to the Reading Eagle.
From a story by reporter Darrin Youker:
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From a story by reporter Darrin Youker:
During the state's historic 101-day budget impasse that left state employees without paychecks, lawmakers were still getting paid.The top three recipients of per diem money from Berks County: Democratic Rep. Thomas R. Caltagirone: $23,546; Democratic Rep. Dante Santoni Jr.: $20,632; Republican Rep. Douglas G. Reichley: $13,798.
While their salaries were frozen during the budget negotiations, many lawmakers were still collecting $158 a day in per diem payments - money to cover food and lodging expenses while in Harrisburg. Some critics contend those payments covered expenses that lawmakers never incurred.
And between Jan. 1 and when the budget was adopted Oct. 5, lawmakers representing Berks County racked up $110,637 in expenses to do business in Harrisburg. Statewide, lawmakers collected more than $2.2 million.
Lawmakers in Harrisburg collect per diems, $158 for each day they spend in the capital. None has to produce receipts for those expenses, and that policy makes the system ripe for fraud, critics say.
On top of their salaries, reimbursement for mileage, car leases and other perks, lawmakers can request per diems for every day they are in Harrisburg.
Some lawmakers don't spend a dime on meals or lodging yet collect per diems anyway, said Tim Potts, a former legislative aide who co-founded Democracy Rising Pennsylvania. In some cases, legislative caucuses, or lobbyists, will pick up the tab for meals during legislative sessions, he said.
"If it's not criminal, it should be," Potts said of lawmakers taking money for expenses they never incurred.
Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Monday, December 21, 2009
Reform candidate challenges incumbent in 130th House Dist.
Two-term state Rep. David R. Kessler will face a Republican challenger in 2010.David M. Maloney Sr. has announced he is seeking the Republican primary nomination to challenge Kessler, a liberal Democrat who won the traditionally Republican Eastern Berks County House district in 2006.
"As a patriotic Republican, I feel that 2010 will be a critical election year as we the people, rise up to stop expanding government and the over-reaching of the Democrats in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C.," Maloney said in a prepared statement.
Maloney has lived in rural Pike Township with his wife and four children for the past 30 years. He served on the Oley Valley School Board from 2005-09.
As a self employed carpenter for the past 25 years, Malone said he has seen "the effects of this down economy and the hindrance government has placed on job growth."
His platform includes getting government out of the way of creating jobs; the elimination of school property taxes; Personal property rights; reducing the size of government; and improving public school performance and accountability.
"I would work to reduce taxes and eliminate wasteful programs," Maloney said. "I believe the job of our elected officials is to serve and represent the people, not the people supporting career politicians. I approach this campaign with a servant's heart and a deep affection for the people I have lived with in this district from the time I was a young boy."
Since announcing his intention to run for the state Legislature, Maloney says he has been encouraged by the positive reception he has received from residents of the 130th District and "it has confirmed and reinforced my decision; a decision I made humbly and prayerfully."
Among Maloney's civic activities are serving on the "Victory Mile" committee at Boyertown High School, an American Cancer Society Relay For Life Team Captain, member of several area sports clubs and associations, and serving as a PIAA official.
Maloney will formally announce his candidacy before friends and supporters on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 7 p.m. at the Multi-Service building in Boyertown.
Former state Rep. Dennis Leh, a Republican who held the 130th Dist. seat for 20 years, will serve as Maloney's campaign chairman.
The 130th District includes Amity Township; Birdsboro; Boyertown; Colebrookdale Township; Douglass Township; Earl Township; Exeter Township (Districts 01, 03, 06 and 07); Fleetwood; Oley Township; Pike Township; Rockland Township; Ruscombmanor Township; and Union Township.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Ebenezer Scrooge Was A Liberal
Terrific post at the always amusing DotPenn blog setting the record straight about Ebenezer Scrooge's political affiliation. From "Eleven Reasons Why Scrooge Is A Progressive" --
Ebenezer Scrooge, or just Scrooge, has often been portrayed as a miserly Conservative.
However, a closer examination of the skinflint character from Charles Dickens's Christmas classic, A Christmas Carol, reveals that, on the contrary, Scrooge is a progressive.
Here are eleven reasons why Scrooge is a progressive.
1) Scrooge relies on government programs to handle poverty.Read the full post at DotPenn
And the Union workhouses demanded Scrooge Are they still in operation? The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full then? said Scrooge.
2.) He ignores private charities as the most effective way to help people in need.
I help to support the establishments I have mentioned they cost enough and those who are badly off must go there.
3.) Scrooge, an environmental progressive, refuses to allow his staff members to burn coal.
Scrooge had a very small fire but the clerk's fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal. But he couldn't replenish it for Scrooge kept the coal box in his own room and so surely as the clerk came in with the shovel the master predicted that it would be necessary for them to part.
4.) Apparently uses energy-saving florescent bulbs instead of incandescent light bulbs.
Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it.
5.) Afraid his majority cultural lens will drown out alternative voices, Scrooge made sure he never said "Merry Christmas." Prefers the more politically-correct "Bah Humbug."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Columnist: Will Obama Send Flowers To His Victims?
In the second of a three-part examination of the dangers of Obamacare, 84-year-old syndicated columnist and liberal activist Nat Hentoff argues that Obamacare is a government effort to cut off medical care to the chronically ill and those nearing the end of their lives.From Hentoff's column:
The callousness of the Harry Reid Democratic majority in bullying through a very cost-efficient health-care bill for President Obama's eager pen to sign was disgracefully clear when both the House and Senate, on party-line votes, decided to cut $43 billion of Medicare spending on what The New York Times' Robert Pear described (Dec. 5) as "home health services, a lifeline for homebound Medicare beneficiaries, which keeps them out of hospitals and nursing homes." The president, I'm sure, was pleased.Read the full column -- Will Obama send flowers to Obamacare victims?" --
When I was a kid, I used to read that the U.S. Senate was "the greatest deliberative body in the world."
Not that Republican majority leaders have been averse to ensuring party loyalty by stringent means; but for the Democratic machine to use such bare-knuckles tactics to pass this legislation so directly involving the future lifespans of so many Americans (regardless of age or political affiliation) should make President Obama pause.
But he is a very cool (as in cold) caretaker of the national budget.
Sen. John McCain is decidedly uncool during this debate, much to his credit. In a Dec. 5 interview with Don Imus, McCain said of the fears of Obamacare around the country: "There’s not a lot of happy people out there, so you see tea parties, and you see people who are madder than they've ever been in their life. And frankly, I'm madder than I’ve ever been."
Me, too.
The day after Reid secured his 60 votes to continue Senate debate on Obamacare, CBS' "60 Minutes" -- "The Cost of Dying" -- presented a cold, clear case for cutting the $43 billion Medicare spending on home health services that serve not only the elderly, but certainly many other Americans. Opening the program chillingly, Steve Kroft played the actuarial rather than the compassionate blues:
"Every medical study ever conducted has concluded that 100 percent of all Americans will eventually die. This comes as no great surprise, but the amount of money being spent at the very end of people's lives probably will. Last year, Medicare paid $50 billion just for doctor and hospital bills during the last two months of patients' lives -- that's more than the budget of the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Education.
"And it has been estimated that 20 to 30 percent of these medical expenditures may have had no meaningful impact."
If I may interrupt, sir, what about the impact on the other lives? During the program, we hear from Dr. Ira Byock in the intensive-care unit at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.:
"Denial of death at some point becomes a delusion, and we start acting in ways that make no sense whatsoever. And I think that's collectively what we're doing.”
Toward the end of "The Cost of Dying," Dr. Byock lectures us on our moral responsibilities in these matters: "Collectively, as a culture, we really have to acknowledge that we're mortal," he said. "Get over it. And start looking at what a healthy, morally robust way for people to die looks like."
John McCain isn't getting over it. And in next year's midterm elections, we'll see how many other Americans won't. Are they immoral?
The economy will surely be a major factor in these coming elections, but I expect many Americans going to the polls will indeed be thinking robustly of their own mortality.
here.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The Real National Debt
If the national debt of $12.4 trillion doesn't scare you, add the cost of unfunded liabilities (currently $62.9 trillion) to the total and you'll get a sense of how close this country is to declaring bankruptcy under the free-spending Democrats.From CNSNews.com:
While Congress has voted to raise the national debt ceiling to $12.4 trillion, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) has reported that the federal government's unfunded liabilities – the costs of promised benefits through Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and several other programs – total $62.9 trillion in today's dollars.Read the full story at CNSNews.com
When asked about these costs and the government's entitlement promises to the American people, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) told CNSNews.com that it is "irresponsible" for the federal government to continue to spend money it does not have and that this issue will be the “most important thing” Congress will discuss next year.
"I said on the floor last night, American families can't spend more than what they bring in for 36 of the last 40 years," Boehner told CNSNews.com at his weekly briefing. "No business in America can exist that spends more than it brings in for 36 of the last 40 years, and certainly, our government can't continue to exist if we continue to spend money that we don't have."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Rep. Joe Pitts: Debt is a Very Real Problem
Debt is a Very Real ProblemBy Congressman Joe Pitts
Recently, President Obama invited Republican Congressional leaders to the White House to discuss ways to stimulate job growth. Republicans presented a solid plan for economic growth that includes a call for the federal government to stop the cycle of debt and spending that will weigh down future generations. The President's response was a demand that Republicans to name a single economist that agreed with them.
Just a week later, 222 prominent economists from across the country signed onto a document clearly stating that, "The country's economic future depends on Congress' ability to rein in the growth of federal spending." These men and women hail from such prominent institutions as Harvard, University of Chicago and Columbia. Their advice should not be ignored. We need to control our spending and reduce our debt.
The facts are grim, and both Republicans and Democrats have ignored the problem for far too long. The President's long term budget indicates that by 2019 annual interest payments will be $774 billion. This will be more than we currently spend today on education, transportation and national defense combined.
We know how we got here. President Obama, speaking as a Senator in 2006, noted that, "America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership." Both parties have failed to make the tough choices that come with restraint. In both good and bad economic periods, the deficit has been ignored.
This year Congress voted to grow the federal government by over 7 percent. Some specific cabinet agencies have seen their budgets increased by nearly 50 percent in just the past two years. All of this comes during a period when tax revenues decreased dramatically.
To facilitate this growth, the House of Representatives voted to raise the federal debt limit by $300 billion, a move I opposed. That may seem like an incredible figure but the frightening reality is that this increase will only cover borrowing through February. In fact, the U.S. Treasury is over the debt limit right now and is only able to continue government operations through emergency accounting measures.
President Obama is right when he says he does not bear the full blame for deficits. However, this year's budget was not designed by former President George W. Bush, The bills sent to President Obama this year contained thousands of pork barrel projects. He signed these bills despite a campaign pledge not to support bills with earmarks in them.
President Obama is worried that if the spigot of government spending is turned down the economy as a whole may slow. However, in our present circumstances, cautious investors are putting less money into private business and more money into government treasuries. Reducing the money available for private investment holds back job growth.
I don't believe that we can spend our way out of this recession. We can, however, take steps that cost the government nothing. We can open up more foreign markets to U.S. trade, and we can halt job-killing bills and regulations.
Business owners make tough decisions every day about how to use their resources. Unfortunately, few in Congress are willing to make the same tough decisions about how to best use the taxpayers' money.
Speaking on the campaign trail, President Obama promised to go through the federal budget and eliminate waste "line-by-line." While he was successful in eliminating a few high profile defense programs this year, rapid growth in other areas offset any benefit of these meager cuts. Sticking ones finger in the dike doesn’t work when the water is pouring over the top.
I don't think it's too late for President Obama to support good ideas to bring about restraint. Members on both sides of the aisle would like to see a non-partisan commission formed to make recommendations for controlling the deficit. Congress would then have the opportunity to either accept or reject the recommendations without changes.
Early next year, the President will release his second budget, and I believe he has an opportunity to prove that he has thoughtfully considered our national priorities. He has already shown some backbone in fighting against popular weapons projects, but overcoming Congress' urge to spend will require many pitched battles. Restraint may be difficult, but it will help our economic growth in both the short and the long term.
U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts is a Republican who represents Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, which includes parts of Berks, Chester and Lancaster counties.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Sunday, December 20, 2009
ACLU Grinches Strike in PA
This is a battle fought every year between the secular left and the majority of Americans, but the sad part here is that Luzerne County officials chose to surrender to the anti-Christian hate groups, including the ACLU, instead of standing up for the majority of county residents.
From The Associated Press:
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP) — Officials in northeastern Pennsylvania have removed a pair of religious holiday symbols from a public space after being threatened with legal action.For more on how to fight the liberal fascists, check out the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) Web site.
Luzerne County commissioners took down the creche and menorah from the courthouse lawn on Wednesday after receiving an objection from two civil liberties groups.
The ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State told the county in a Dec. 11 letter that the displays are an unconstitutional government endorsement of religion.
County Solicitor Vito DeLuca says officials chose to forgo a legal fight because of a local budget crisis and other pressing matters.
The nativity scene is county-owned and has been placed on the lawn in Wilkes-Barre for decades. The county added a menorah about 20 years ago.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
'Polar Bears' needed for New Year's Day plunge
If you're interested in taking off most of your clothes and jumping into some icy waters, then Pottstown is the place for you on Jan. 1, 2010.
From The Pottstown Mercury:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From The Pottstown Mercury:
POTTSTOWN — If the polar ice caps continue to melt, the namesake white bears who will be displaced are certainly welcome in Pottstown — at least on New Year's Day.Read the full story at the newspaper's Web site.
The call has been issued for all polar bears, real or otherwise, to join those gathered Jan. 1 in Pottstown's Riverfront Park for the annual leap into the welcoming waters of the Schuylkill River.
Yes, you read that right. Organizers are looking for people who want to jump into the river.
In January.
No, that's not a joke.
Stop laughing.
Really.
People do this.
In fact, last year, 57 brave souls did it, leaping into the 32.8-degree water before an adoring throng of 300 or more in order to prove — well, something.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew on '60 Minutes' Sunday
From the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to Appear on '60 Minutes' Segment on Orthodox ChristianityOriginally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
New York, NY - His All Holiness Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of 300 million Orthodox Christians who constitute the second largest Christian church in the world, will be featured on the CBS News program "60 Minutes" reported by Bob Simon, scheduled to air on Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. EST. The segment will focus on the Orthodox Church, the most ancient Christian church, and its development from its earliest years to modern times in what is now the Republic of Turkey.
The Ecumenical Patriarch is in a unique position as a Christian leader in a Muslim environment. His All Holiness is the 270th successor to the see of St. Andrew the Apostle, who founded the 2000-year-old church of Constantinople (ancient Byzantium, modern Istanbul). Despite hostility from some elements of Turkish society, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been an outspoken supporter of Turkey's modernization and acceptance into the European Union. He has also worked for reconciliation among Christian churches and cooperation among Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and indeed all faith communities.
His All Holiness brought about Muslim leaders' first condemnation of the 9/11 attacks on America as anti-religious acts. He was named 11th among the world's 100 most influential people by Time magazine and was awarded the US Congressional Gold Medal for his efforts to promote human rights and religious tolerance. He is the first international environmental leader recognized by the United Nations as a Laureate Champion of the Earth for his pioneering work to protect the environment. Affectionately known as "the Green Patriarch," Patriarch Bartholomew has called upon leaders of all religious traditions to join him in this effort, noting simply that "If life is sacred, so is the entire web that sustains it."
His All Holiness recently concluded an extended visit to the U.S., where he participated in an environmental symposium in Mississippi, ministered to the five million Orthodox faithful in America, and met with President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and national religious leaders. He is the author of "Encountering the Mystery" (Doubleday) and "In the World, Yet Not of the World" (Fordham).
'The number of federal employees making more than $150,000 have more than doubled in the last 18 months'
While millions of Americans struggle with unemployment and declining wages, Uncle Sam is paying big salaries to federal workers.
From The Washington Examiner:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
From The Washington Examiner:
While many workers in the private sector have despaired of a pay increase in the past few years, Congress takes care of federal employees with annual raises, awarding 3.9 percent in 2009, 3.5 percent in 2008 and 2.7 percent in 2007.Federal salaries targeted as private sector pay stagnates | Washington Examiner
The average pay for the nation's 1.9 million federal workers is a little over $71,000, with the 372,041 federal workers in the Washington area earning an average of $94,047. The average salary for the nation's 108 million private-sector workers is $50,028.
While the proposed pay increase for next year is relatively small, the boost combined with an increase in federal government salaries amid a looming budget deficit crisis and the nation's 10 percent unemployment rate managed to raise some eyebrows.
"I about fell off my chair when I saw that the number of federal employees making more than $150,000 have more than doubled in the last 18 months," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, a Utah Republican. "While the American people are hurting, the federal government is padding its pocket. This is totally inappropriate and unacceptable."
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
'The costliest fiscal failure in U.S. history'
From Investor's Business Daily:
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
This year's $787 billion "stimulus" is now the costliest fiscal failure in U.S. history. Put bluntly, it didn't work — in fact, it made things worse. So what do you follow it up with? Why, "Stimulus, Part II."Read the full editorial, "More Jobs Jive," at the newspaper's Web site.
Government is by its very essence wasteful, but it doesn't have to be stupid. Yet, with more than a year's experience under our belt and no real progress seen in ending our jobless recovery, you'd think Congress would be hesitant to pass another big-spending, job-killing failure like the last.
On Thursday, however, the House passed another $175 billion "jobs" bill. Given what we know, this is an act of either total ignorance or breathtaking political opportunism — or a bit of both.
It amounts to a third round of stimulus. In 2008, President George W. Bush tried one, handing out some $152 billion — a bit under 1% of GDP — to Americans and inviting them to spend it to get the economy growing again. Instead, they saved it or paid down credit cards.
This year's mammoth stimulus, we were assured by the Obama White House, would be different. It would cap unemployment at 8% and kick-start the economy. But the unemployment rate soared above 10%, and we've lost 4 million jobs this year alone.
So it's no longer debatable: Based on what was promised, the stimulus has failed. Even so, we now may get another one (called a "jobs bill" this time), which no doubt will be just as wasteful.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Pennsylvania's Next Fiscal Crisis
An excellent Letter to the Editor originally published in The Pottstown Mercury from a Chester County resident about the ticking time bomb of public pensions that will hammer Pennsylvania taxpayers in the next few years thanks to the neglect and ineptness of Gov. Ed Rendell and the Pennsylvania Legislature.
Pennsylvania's next fiscal crisis: Public pensions
In June 2007, I wrote a letter in The Mercury about my objections to taxpayer supported pensions. It is more important than ever to terminate this policy immediately.
I just read where the Pennsylvania Public School Employees Retirement System is going to need $4 billion annually in additional tax revenue to support their programs. The projected needs will rise from $617 million this year to $1.1 billion in July, and then hit nearly $4.2 billion in July 2012. These same types of programs have bankrupted the major auto companies and there is no way the taxpayers can afford to fund such an out-of-control system! It's obvious that our governor and legislators are going to do absolutely nothing to help us, since they feed from the very same trough.
All taxpayer-supported pension payments should be terminated immediately and those employees should be allowed to contribute to a pension plan of their choice and suffer from market losses just like the rest of us.
Our "public servants" must be sent back into private life without the obscene perks they've been accustomed to. Call your legislators and voice your opinion before this situation becomes any worse. If our suggestions to these self-serving individuals fall on deaf ears, we need to make them pay at the ballot box.
JIM FITCH
Bucktown
Friday, December 18, 2009
Gov. Rick Perry: Al Gore has 'gone to hell'
This illustration by Berks County artist Vicki Rhodier and the article below from POLITICO fit well together.
Rick Perry: Al Gore has 'gone to hell' - - POLITICO.com
Schroder blasts 'disgraceful' tactics by Rendell, Eachus
Rep. Curt Schroder, R-155th Dist., the Republican chairman of the House Gaming Oversight Committee, said in a prepared statement Thursday that Gov. Ed Rendell and House Majority Leader Todd Eachus (D-Luzerne) have destroyed any credibility they may have had with state universities and the public after insisting that legislation authorizing table games in the Commonwealth had to pass before state universities could be funded. "House Republicans had insisted that the money needed to fund the universities of Pittsburgh, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln was there all along and that the universities were being used as pawns in Rendell's and Eachus's determination to expand gambling in Pennsylvania," said Schroder. "Now the majority leader, who for weeks had been towing the governor's line, admits that the money is indeed there and that the governor should sign the legislation on his desk to release the funding.
"For weeks, the universities, students and their families have had to endure the possibility that substantial tuition increases would be necessary if the state's appropriation did not come through. Students have had to entertain the possibility that they might not be able to afford to return to college for the spring semester. It was a cruel and unnecessary exercise - all to satisfy the gambling ambitions of Rendell and Eachus," Schroder said.
At a Harrisburg press conference earlier in the day, Rendell said he will sign legislation that the House passed earlier this week, releasing $700 million for the universities. The House did not take up table games legislation, pushing a possible vote on the issue until early 2010.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Ben Bernanke named 'Villain of the Year'
The honor just keep pouring in for Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. On the same day he was named Time magazine's 2009 Person of the Year, Bernake was also selected 2009 Villain of the Year by the National Inflation Association.
The Association is a citizen watchdog group that is concerned about the growing threat of hyper-inflation due to unchecked spending by the federal government and the uncontrolled printing of money by the Fed.
While the far-left staff at Time magazine thinks Bernanke helped prevent a second Great Depression, the folks at the National Inflation Association believe Bernanke has sown the seeds of a massive collapse of the U.S. dollar and the world economy.
When it costs $20 for a gallon of milk in a few years, Americans will have nobody to thank more than Bernanke, the Association says.
Who's right? My money (for what it's worth) is on the National Inflaton Association.
NIA Names Bernanke Villain of the Year 2009
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The Association is a citizen watchdog group that is concerned about the growing threat of hyper-inflation due to unchecked spending by the federal government and the uncontrolled printing of money by the Fed.
While the far-left staff at Time magazine thinks Bernanke helped prevent a second Great Depression, the folks at the National Inflation Association believe Bernanke has sown the seeds of a massive collapse of the U.S. dollar and the world economy.
When it costs $20 for a gallon of milk in a few years, Americans will have nobody to thank more than Bernanke, the Association says.
Who's right? My money (for what it's worth) is on the National Inflaton Association.
NIA Names Bernanke Villain of the Year 2009
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Naughty or Nice?
Americans for Tax Reform has released its 2009 Naughty and Nice List featuring a lot of well-known Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.In case you haven't figured it out, Biden and Pelosi are on the "Naughty" list, which also includes former Gov. Jon Corzine, Rep. Charlie Rangel, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. Chris Dodd, Rep. Barney Frank and Rahm Emanuel.
Why it's a virtual who's who of everybody running Washington ... and running this country into the ground.
The "Nice" list is overwhelmingly Republican: House Republican Leader John Boehner, Sen. Mike Johanns, Rep. Michelle Bachmann, Rep. Darrell Issa, Sen. Jim DeMint and Rep. Tom Price.
For the complete list, visit the ATR Web site.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
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Poll: 56% believe U.S. on the wrong track
The latest edition of The George Washington University Battleground Poll offers some sobering news for Democrats, who are headed for major loses in Congress in 2010 if they continue to push a big government, higher taxes, massive deficit agenda.
The GW Poll finds a majority of voters (56%) believing that the country is on the wrong track.
Top areas of concern are the economy and jobs, health care costs, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the federal budget deficit.
More from the poll:
GW Battleground Provides Initial Insights in the 2010 Elections
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
The GW Poll finds a majority of voters (56%) believing that the country is on the wrong track.
Top areas of concern are the economy and jobs, health care costs, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the federal budget deficit.
More from the poll:
Looking ahead to the 2010 Congressional Elections, the Republican Party now enjoys a two point advantage (42%-40%) on the Congressional generic ballot.For more poll results and analysis, follow the link below:
However, voters are closely divided on their preference for a divided government (41%) or for a unified government (38%). In addition, a majority (68%) of voters disapprove of the job performance of Congress. This is an eleven point increase in Congressional job disapproval since the last Battleground survey was conducted in July.
President Obama has a job approval rating at 50%, while his personal approval rating is 67%, and he has a 56% favorable rating on name identification.
On other name identification scores, Republicans in Congress (41% favorable/46% unfavorable) trail the Democrats in Congress (43% favorable/49% unfavorable). Among other figures tested, Joe Biden is nine points net positive (49% favorable/40% unfavorable) while Sarah Palin is one point net negative (45% favorable/46% unfavorable).
A split sample series of questions asked the public to rate how well the Republicans in Congress and President Obama were handling a variety of policy issues. President Obama has an advantage on being honest and trustworthy (+15), promoting energy independence (+9), reforming health care (+8), turning the economy around (+6) and sharing your values (+1). Republicans in Congress enjoy an advantage over President Obama on controlling wasteful spending (+7), promoting a strong national defense (+15) and holding down taxes (+18).
On a series of health care questions, sixty percent (60%) indicate that they currently have private health care insurance, while thirty-one percent (31%) have government health insurance and seven percent (7%) do not have health insurance. Among those who have private insurance, ninety-one percent (91%) indicate that they are "satisfied" with the quality of health care they and their family receive.
GW Battleground Provides Initial Insights in the 2010 Elections
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Inside the mind of global warming alarmists
Barbara Oakley, a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineers and an engineering professor at Oakland University, offers an interesting perspective on the recent revelation that much of the science used to prop up the global warming theory has been manufactured by so-called scientists.From a recent Oakley column:
The breathtaking dishonesty and incompetence of climatology's intellectual leadership clearly reveals that a discipline can become dominated by a small group of ideologically-motivated intellectual gatekeepers. So much so that these gatekeepers can cut off the ability of dissenters to publish in a peer-reviewed journal. Publication in a peer-reviewed journal, of course, is the sine qua non of grants, which in turn leads to careers in academia. No publications — no career.Read the full column, "Take This Paradigm and Shove It," at Oakley's blog on the Psychology Today Web site.
Narrow intellectual gatekeeping is omnipresent in academia. Want to know why the government wastes hundreds of millions of dollars on math and science programs that never seem to improve the test scores of American students? Part of the reason for this is that today's K-12 educators—unlike educators in other high-scoring countries of the world — refuse to acknowledge evidence that memorization plays an important role in mastering mathematics. Any proposed program that supports memorization is deemed to be against "creativity" by today's intellectual gatekeepers in K-12 education, including those behind the Math and Science Partnerships. As one NSF program director told me: “We hear about success stories with practice and repetition-based programs like Kumon Mathematics. But I'll be frank with you—you’ll never get anything like that funded. We don't believe in it." Instead the intellectual leadership in education encourages enormously expensive pimping programs that put America even further behind the international learning curve.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
Newspaper: Stop Runaway Debt
From an editorial in Investor's Business Daily:
The U.S. government's unprecedented spending splurge, with no end in sight, is creating a mountain of debt that endangers both our economy and way of life. Can something be done about it?Read the full editorial at the newspaper's Web site.
Anyone who reads IBD knows we're not doomsayers. Sometimes, in fact, we've been chided for cockeyed optimism in the face of even the gloomiest prognostications. Our faith in America's resilient economy, the world's largest and most creative, and in the productive people who make it go, was reason enough.
That said, we face a rather stark fact today: The current path for U.S. debt is unsustainable.
Our $14 trillion economy is more than three times bigger than the next largest in the world. But our debt will soon surpass even the bloated level of WWII, when we were literally fighting for our lives and freedoms with a weak economy struggling to emerge from the Great Depression.
In just the last year alone, according to a report this week from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), total U.S. public debt has jumped to $7.6 trillion, or 53% of GDP, from $5.7 trillion, or 41% of GDP.
Originally posted at TONY PHYRILLAS
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