Keep Burris and Reinstate Blago… It Makes Sense!

 

Speaking as a conservative, I say that we keep Burris, and put Blago back in office, too. I say that we keep them as a reminder of what our government has become. I say that we keep them as a reflection of our selfish, narcissistic, petty, entitled, ignorant selves.

Blago said:

“You guys are in politics. You know what we have to do to go out and run elections”

Hey, at least he spoke the truth.

This is what we get when we can’t even perform simple math and apply common sense: We just spent $787,000,000,000.00 to “create or keep” 3,500,000 jobs. Do the math… That costs $224,857.14 per job creation/stabilization. That’s roughly 20 times the amount commercial America spends… That’s simply crazy, and it’s only the beginning. Duh! But Hey! at least we’re getting a $13 tax break.

The most popular TV program? Something on the Science Channel? No. Nat Geo? No. PBS? No. One of the myriad of news programs? No.  The most popular TV program in America is “American Idol“. How appropriate.

Russia is a power rising… Damn their economy… Full speed ahead! (Charles Krauthammer writes brilliantly about Russia flexing its muscles, and the Obama administration’s flaccid response.)

Our national debt isn’t $11 trillion as the “experts” would tell you… It’s $53 trillion. That’s four times the GDP.

If things don’t change, and change in a big way ASAP, it looks like this country won’t end with a bang or a whimper, but rather with the sound of an ill-conceived, obscene joke… Perhaps the sound of a Blago, Burris, Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank, or a mall rat sitting on a whoopee cushion.

So sure… Let’s keep Burris, and reinstate Blagojevich. Given the nature of the world, our politicians, and our culture, it just makes sense.

Alan Speakman

Quinn to Burris: “Resign”

 

Just in from the AP, yet another in the long line of voices calling for Roland Burris to resign his IL Senate seat. Sadly for Burris, this time, it’s the Illinois governor.

Quinn said Friday that his fellow Democrat, Burris, is an honorable man. But he says controversy surrounding Burris’ appointment has cast a shadow over his service in the Senate.

The governor says a new senator should be chosen by special election.

Which, of course, is what they should have done in the first place.

How do the people of Illinois like being considered a laughingstock, I wonder?

Stoutcat

Welcome To The USSA (Part 2)

 

A week ago, I posted the first in a series of rants about how the United States is about to turn into a Socialist country.  

With the stroke of a pen, and the passing of what I refer to as the “Crapulus” bill,  it has happened. On its cover this week,  Newsweek has proclaimed “We are all socialists now.”  It’s official: The inmates are running the asylum.

While the bulk of the blame lies squarely in the laps of Democrats, the Republican party has little to smirk about. Last fall, Former President Bush crumbled to the pressure from Congress that “Something mus be done immediately!” and thus was born the bank bailout that could not have gone worse:

• No guidelines were imposed on the banks, directing them how the money must be used. As a result, some backs actually went around buying up other banks.
•  No conditions were set on how to monitor the banks to make sure the monies were being spent properly.
• Executives of failed banks were still being treated to tens of millions of dollars in bonuses.
• Rather than a loan, this was a grant. An investment in the banks, thus, all banks who took the grant agreed to yielding part ownership to the government. Socialism, phase one.
• And absolutely no oversight was required of then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on how the money was (or was not) disbursed.

Now Obama wants to move forward in “reforming” health care. Translation: Trash one of the world’s premiere health systems that has worked jointly with pharmaceutical companies to develop treatment and, in many cases, cures for a vast number of illnesses. To replace it, he wants a system where anybody who needs health care gets it.  In a perfect world, Obama… in a perfect world.

Here’s an example of what we can look forward to under Socialism:

While teaching in Russia during the late ’70s (when the Soviet Union was a model of the failure of Socialism), I had dinner with the woman I would later make my wife. She had invited her girlfriend Iliana and Iliana’s husband Pavlic, an architect with 20 years’ experience.  During a conversation I had with Pavlic, he mentioned one of the reasons workmanship on Russian built products was often poor was due to the fact that so many Russians were placed into jobs they had no interest in. 

This was done to keep the unemployment rate down and the nation productive. The western world saw a system with incredibly small unemployment (making the case for socialism as a viable form of government). What Westerners didn’t see (unless they traveled to the Soviet Union) was the indifference in the average soviet worker.

What added to that indifference is something few in the Obama camp have mentioned yet, but is undoubtedly under wider consideration: Salary controls. Yes, we’ve heard members of his administration say cap an individual’s salary at $500,000 regardless of who he/she is.  However, since few of us will achieve that level, let me point out one other issue that should be of concern to ALL of us: standardized salaries.  Pavlik complained to me that as a highly-experienced architect, he earned a certain salary.  But sitting at the next desk is a young man who just recently graduated from architech school, and his starting salary is the same as Pavlic’s in spite of Pavlic’s greater experience.

Liberals will undoubtedly say, “And that’s how it SHOULD be. ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUALLY and therefore we should all be paid the same for the same work! It’s only fair!  It’s politically correct!”

It’s crap.

As Pavlik pointed out to me, “Where is the incentive for me to do a better job? If I believe I will receive more money for doing a better job, I would work very hard to make sure everything I design is perfect in every way. But when everyone makes the same money for a particular job, it steals you of your desire to make the extra effort for excellence.”

Hence the term “Good enough for government work.”

If Obama wants to put salary caps into effect, it’s only a matter of time before he’ll want to standardize salaries across the board.

Odd, isn’t it? For all his pseudo-intelligence, he’s rushing us forward to a system of government that proved a failure over 30 years ago.

Still want to get on board that “love train?”

More examples from Socialism in my next installment.

Gerry Ashley

The Growing Clamor

 

After several statement-amending affidavits, a few press conferences, and lots of bad press, the clamor for newly-appointed IL Senator Roland Burris to resign his seat is growing louder.

Dan Hynes, Illinois’ comptroller is the latest voice calling for Burris’s resignation. In a letter he sent to newspapers on Thursday Hynes wrote that “Burris has had an honorable career, but questions over his appointment would be a “distraction” to President Barack Obama’s administration and the country.”

Also yesterday a group of black ministers who until recently had supported Burris are now expected to ask for his resignation, the AP reports.

“…prompted by revelations Burris attempted to raise money for Blagojevich while seeking the Senate job vacated by President Barack Obama, some of those pastors will ask Burris to resign, according to the minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity because a meeting with Burris had not yet been scheduled.”

Earlier in the week, the Chicago Tribune was already sounding the call. In an editorial that ran in Wednesday’s issue, the Tribune had this to say about Sen. Burris:

The story gets worse with every telling. Enough. Roland Burris must resign. His protests that he had nothing to hide just don’t square with his obvious attempts to hide something, as evidenced by the evolving truths in three sworn statements to the House impeachment panel.

The Washington Post was also explicit in its recommendation:

Mr. Burris’s story has more twists than the Chicago El, and none of them good. Caught in a swirl of accusations of perjury and calls for his resignation from state Democrats and Republicans alike, Mr. Burris said yesterday, “I welcome the opportunity to go before any and all investigative bodies, including those referred by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Senate ethics committee to answer any questions they have.” When that opportunity arises, why should anyone believe him?

…this latest revelation makes a mockery of his professions of no quid pro quo. It is a violation of the public trust. The people of Illinois have suffered enough. Mr. Burris should resign.

Goodness, even the Senator’s fellow politician, Dick Durbin, no fan of Burris to begin with, is clearly troubled:

“I am troubled by this and I hope he will call in some advisers he trusts and gets some advice about what to do next,” Durbin said of Burris. “At this point, his future in the Senate seat is in question.”

The handwriting is on the wall, Senator Burris. It’s up to you to read it and act appropriately. You got yourself into this mess. Maybe it’s time to step up and do what’s best for your country (and your party). On the other hand, maybe you should have thought of that before you thrust yourself into the limelight.

Stoutcat

Break for Silliness

 

Let’s lighten up, shall we, and enjoy three short minutes of exquisite silliness and absolutely amazing skill.

Ah, I feel better already.

Stoutcat

It’s All San Fran Nan’s Fault

 

You may have noticed that President Obama has had some trouble finding appropriate folks to appoint to positions of power. What you may not remember is that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi started out the same way when she picked up her gavel for the first time.

Ms. Pelosi started out with floating John Murtha for Majority Leader (ongoing corruption investigations, accusing Marines of cold-blooded murder, calling his own constituents racists and red-necks, etc.), and Alcee Hastings (impeached federal judge with other skeletons in his closet) for head of the House Intelligence Committee. They didn’t go over quite as well as she had envisioned.

Then there’s the reliably corrupt chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Charles Rangel; he’s been the subject of a House ethics investigation, and he still can’t figure out how to pay his taxes.

Then we have William “Cold Cash” Jefferson, who keeps tens of thousands of dollars in his freezer, and re-routes National Guard helicopters to his home during a national disaster so he can check on his stash. And don’t forget the ever-popular Harry Reid, with some very questionable deals under his belt and pockets full of cash from Jack Abramoff. And we won’t even mention the saga of poor Roland Burris.

The list is ongoing, but who can blame the President for his problems when Congress has set such a sterling example?

Of course, with Pres. Obama being such a competitor and all, it’s only natural that he’d want to out-do Speaker Pelosi even in idiotic appointments. And he has, oh! how he has. Even the AP is noticing:

Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, abandoned his bid to become health and human services secretary and the administration’s point man on reforming health care; and Nancy Killefer stepped down from a newly created position charged with eliminating inefficient government programs.

Both Daschle and Killefer had tax problems, and Daschle also faced potential conflicts of interest related to working with health care interests.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was confirmed after revealing he had tax troubles.

Obama’s initial choice for commerce secretary, Bill Richardson, stepped aside due to a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors.

While the Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm William Lynn as deputy defense secretary, Obama had to waive his ethics regulations to place the former defense lobbyist in charge of day-to-day operations at the Pentagon.

Can’t we just fire them all and start again?

Stoutcat

Nation of Cowards?

 

Eric Holder, Pres. Obama’s new U.S. Attorney General, just called America a nation of cowards. In context, he was referring to matters of race. However, regardless of context, I find this a disgraceful comment.

In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.

“Though this nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and I believe continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards,” said Holder, nation’s first black attorney general.

Mr. Holder may call it self-segregation or cocooning or whatever he pleases, but a country that “celebrates” Black History Month, has just elected a black president, and, just as a matter of course, currently has a black Attorney General (not to mention two previous black Secretaries of State)  probably doesn’t need to be lectured on things racial as much as some other countries.

Race issues continue to be a topic of political discussion, Holder said, but “we, as average Americans, simply do not talk enough with each other about race.”

Okay, let’s look at that again: we talk about race all the time as a “political issue” (read: Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson keep harping on it) but we don’t discuss it enough as average citizens? Perhaps it’s because average citizens have no need to discuss the issue, since they understand that this nation is an ethnic melting pot. I can’t believe this man is our Attorney General–he’s an idiot.

And anyway, isn’t having a “Black History Month” kind of racist in itself? Same thing with the United Negro College Fund? Also the Congressional Black Caucus? Maybe we do need to talk about race, after all.

But intriguing as all that is to discuss, I’m writing this for another reason.

This dramatically public, flamingly stupid statement, that we are “a nation of cowards,” made me wonder. When you’re watching a magician perform, your eye normally goes to the hand or object that’s moving. And when you’re paying attention to that, the other hand is doing the actual trick–and you just don’t notice. It’s a distraction technique, and if the magician is good enough, it works like a charm.

So my question is this: while we’re all getting riled up about a stupid race-baiting statement made by an idiot, what is it we’re not supposed to be noticing? What is the man behind the curtain actually up to?

H/T: LGF

Update: Allah at HotAir has some similar thoughts.

Stoutcat

The Battle Between John Wayne and Jane Fonda Is Over

And, as Dr. Anne Wortham tells us, Jane won.

After the November 2008 election, Dr. Wortham wrote the article below. I have not been able to find the original site at which it was posted, as the article seems to have been reprinted in its entirety all over the internet. I found the article at Pesky Emotional Republican, which had by far the most information about the author.

So here is today’s must-read kick-ass article:

Fellow Americans,

Please know: I am black; I grew up in the segregated South. I did not vote for Barack Obama; I wrote in Ron Paul’s name as my choice for president. Most importantly, I am not race conscious. I do not require a black president to know that I am a person of worth, and that life is worth living. I do not require a black president to love the ideal of America.

I cannot join you in your celebration. I feel no elation. There is no smile on my face. I am not jumping with joy. There are no tears of triumph in my eyes. For such emotions and behavior to come from me, I would have to deny all that I know about the requirements of human flourishing and survival – all that I know about the history of the United States of America, all that I know about American race relations, and all that I know about Barack Obama as a politician. I would have to deny the nature of the “change” that Obama asserts has come to America. Most importantly, I would have to abnegate my certain understanding that you have chosen to sprint down the road to serfdom that we have been on for over a century. I would have to pretend that individual liberty has no value for the success of a human life. I would have to evade your rejection of the slender reed of capitalism on which your success and mine depend. I would have to think it somehow rational that 94 percent of the 12 million blacks in this country voted for a man because he looks like them (that blacks are permitted to play the race card), and that they were joined by self-declared “progressive” whites who voted for him because he doesn’t look like them. I would have to be wipe my mind clean of all that I know about the kind of people who have advised and taught Barack Obama and will fill posts in his administration – political intellectuals like my former colleagues at the Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

I would have to believe that “fairness” is the equivalent of justice. I would have to believe that man who asks me to “go forward in a new spirit of service, in a new service of sacrifice” is speaking in my interest. I would have to accept the premise of a man that economic prosperity comes from the “bottom up,” and who arrogantly believes that he can will it into existence by the use of government force. I would have to admire a man who thinks the standard of living of the masses can be improved by destroying the most productive and the generators of wealth.

Finally, Americans, I would have to erase from my consciousness the scene of 125,000 screaming, crying, cheering people in Grant Park,Chicago irrationally chanting “Yes We Can!” Finally, I would have to wipe all memory of all the times I have heard politicians, pundits, journalists, editorialists, bloggers and intellectuals declare that capitalism is dead – and no one, including especially Alan Greenspan, objected to their assumption that the particular version of the anti-capitalistic mentality that they want to replace with their own version of anti-capitalism is anything remotely equivalent to capitalism.

So you have made history, Americans. You and your children have elected a black man to the office of the president of the United States, the wounded giant of the world. The battle between John Wayne and Jane Fonda is over – and that Fonda won. Eugene McCarthy and George McGovern must be very happy men. Jimmie Carter, too. And the Kennedys have at last gotten their Kennedy look-a-like. The self-righteous welfare statists in the suburbs can feel warm moments of satisfaction for having elected a black person. So, toast yourselves: 60s countercultural radicals, 80s yuppies and 90s bourgeois bohemians. Toast yourselves, Black America. Shout your glee Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Duke, Stanford, and Berkeley. You have elected not an individual who is qualified to be president, but a black man who, like the pragmatist Franklin Roosevelt, promises to – Do Something! You now have someone who has picked up the baton of Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society. But you have also foolishly traded your freedom and mine – what little there is left – for the chance to feel good. There is nothing in me that can share your happy obliviousness.

Man, she doesn’t pull any punches, does she? We have sold our unique American birthright for a mess of pottage, and all we have left is… a mess.

Stoutcat

Wild Submarine Accident? Doubtful

It’s interesting to watch the media (ex. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090216/ap_on_re_eu/eu_britain_sub_collision) trying to cover the Feb. 3/4 collision of the French and English nuclear-powered submarines (Le Triomphant and HMS Vanguard respectively). They seem mystified that such an “accident” could have occurred.

Let’s see… According to Wikipedia, the Atlantic Ocean contains roughly 77,640,000 cubic miles of water. Of that, no doubt a sizable portion would be navigable by large submarines. Let’s say that the subs’ roaming turf is half that – 38,820,000 cubic miles. There are 834 military subs in the world. Read that 46,546.7 cubic miles per sub. My guess is that that was no million-in-one accident.

So why would two high-tech, relatively slow-moving subs have a meeting situation out in the briny dark? Well, either one got too close to the other while shadowing, or there is something special about that undisclosed chunk of the North Atlantic. But what could be out there?

Ultraquiet No More says that Le Triomphant took at least three days to limp back to her home port of Brest. “Limping” for a nuclear submarine probably constitutes 10 or 15 mph for a distance of perhaps 1,000 miles. And that would probably put the subs somewhere near Iceland.

Why Iceland to the north? Because going 1,000 miles to the south will plunk you somewhere around the Southern end of Spain, and that ain’t where the action is. No, to the north of Brest lies Iceland and the ideal place to watch Russian submarines scoot out of the Norwegian Sea. (Remember “Red Route One” in “The Hunt for Red October“?)

From a superb BBC article:

Nuclear engineer John Large told the BBC that navies often used the same “nesting grounds”.

“Both navies want quiet areas, deep areas, roughly the same distance from their home ports. So you find these station grounds have got quite a few submarines, not only French and Royal Navy but also from Russia and the United States.”

Sorry MSM… There was no “one in a million” mishap between the Le Triomphant and HMS Vanguard… Likely, they simply “bumped elbows” trying to secure the best viewing position of Russian activity.

Alan Speakman

BREAKING: Burris Confesses…

 

A weeping Roland Burris has just announced that he took the Lindbergh baby.

He also confessed to killing Jimmy Hoffa, kidnapping Roanoke colonists, and sinking the lost island of Atlantis. And he admits that he reversed the polarity of the earth, causing not only the death of the dinosaurs, but also the formation of the Bermuda Triangle.

However, he still insists that he has done nothing wrong, and that he simply wasn’t asked the right questions.

</humor>

Stoutcat