Kids, Obama, more indoctrination...

Can you just imagine what would have happened if anyone had done something like the previous video in last post about George Bush??? Here's some more fun stuff being taught to our kids...





Lyrics:
Yo Mir Kenen.
Yo mir kenen, yo mir kenen
President Obama
Mazel tov fun kinder, bubehs ,zeydehs, tatehs, mamehs

Yes we can, yes we can
President Obama
Good luck from children, grandparents, papas and mamas.

Yo mir kenen, yo mir kenen,
Zogt undzer president ,
Yung un alt ,di gantze velt, patchen mit di hent.

Yes we can, yes we can
Our president does say.
Young and old, the whole wide world, greets you on this day.

This one is kinda catchy:



I have more... going to put them in a separate post so it doesn't load too slow...

How Obama Plans to Cover Illegal Alien's in Health Care Bill...

He'll just make 'em all legal. Here ya go, in his own words Wednesday night at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (and then another video at previous talk follows):

Byron York - When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings

Unlike the Obama speech, in 1991 most of the controversy came after, not before, the president's school appearance. The day after Bush spoke, the Washington Post published a front-page story suggesting the speech was carefully staged for the president's political benefit. "The White House turned a Northwest Washington junior high classroom into a television studio and its students into props," the Post reported.

With the Post article in hand, Democrats pounced. "The Department of Education should not be producing paid political advertising for the president, it should be helping us to produce smarter students," said Richard Gephardt, then the House Majority Leader. "And the president should be doing more about education than saying, 'Lights, camera, action.'"

Continue reading: Byron York - When Bush spoke to students, Democrats investigated, held hearings

Me: Just thought it was interesting reading...

My Pledge

I've had loads of emails and calls regarding the Pledge video made by "stars" in Hollywood. (See posts from yesterday morning on a couple of my blogs below, plus I'm including the actual video for those who haven't watched it yet). The video hit the news big time last night and I'd guess it will get more play today, despite the fact that it's a holiday weekend and a light news time.

The video of Hollywood stars pledging to Obama, to be his servant, to serve him, really creeped me out, and angered me. As a friend of mine said this morning, it's Hitleresque (new word for the dictionary maybe, but a perfect description). These are adults, or maybe just spoiled children in grown-up, worked on, bodies... saying they will be a servant to Obama. It's propaganda, indoctrination, and just plain old weird and wacky. Not to mention controversial.

We're just at the beginning of Obama's presidency, where are we headed??? Couple that video with the lesson plan sent to the schools to go along with Obama's speech on Tuesday to ALL of our school children and we're getting a taste of how vigilant we're going to need to be in protecting the young impressionable minds of our children.

The sad thing about all of us talking and writing about the video is that it's going to have more susceptible kids and students watching the video. It's going to go ballistic. The video I grabbed yesterday to post (below) had about 4,000 hits when I pulled it. Just took a look and it's up to 50,000... and it's only one of about 6 or 7 identical videos I easily found out on YouTube.

Side note: While looking, I also found a sorta-funny counter video that ended with a guy holding up a can of Pledge... I think, but am not sure, that it's Patrick Courrielche in the video. He's the guy who was on the conference call where the White House and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is asking artists to use their talents to make posters and use their art to promote Obama and his health care plan (some posters have already being spotted in classrooms).

There are going to be kids who buy into what they're selling on the Pledge video. The bigger the stink by "adults" and "the establishment", the more enticing it will become to high school and college kids. It'll be "cool".

I would encourage you to do what my sister is doing and what at least one of my friends did: watch the video and then TALK with your children. Share your beliefs, explain the problems with being a servant to any man, talk about dictators, hero worship, weak minds, what can happen when people aren't paying attention, the importance of being involved, and yes, talk to them about the good stuff on the video, too. Nothing in the world wrong with smiling and getting to know your neighbor...

It's maybe a good time to share your thoughts on stem cell research which is included in the midst of the pledges. There are any number of things in this 4 minute video that will push your buttons and make good topics to re-emphasize your values.

The video is way, way over the top. I won't wax eloquent about what I think about Hollywood stars, comedians, musicians and sports types as idols, but it's tempting! However, I will pledge...

I pledge not to watch any movie which stars anyone of those in the video.
I pledge not to buy any of the music produced by anyone in the video.
I pledge to flip the channel if I see or hear any of them.
I pledge to speak up about my beliefs.
I pledge to do everything I can in my power to support and promote the values that are truly important.
I pledge to work my tush off to protect our American values and the precepts the country was founded upon.
I pledge to be a better American. Period.
I pledge to get more involved.

Hey kiddies, let's pledge to serve Obama...
This is a very balanced story via video: http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=48702. Maybe too balanced, maybe even a bit over the top balanced... As a parent I would be completely bent out of shape to learn that my children were encouraged to pledge to Obama at school. In one part of the video the students watched during assembly Hollywood "stars" "pledge to be a servant to President Obama", in another a guy pledges to be of service to Obama as he kisses his upraised arms (huh? what's that all about... must be some message in the tattoos on his biceps...).

Pledging Allegiance to Obama
I wrote about this one in my Read My Lipstick Network blog so I won't repeat myself... but I did want to share this with my readers on this blog. This link is to a news story about a pledge to Obama video shown to public school children in a school assembly: http://connect2utah.com/content/video/?cid=48702

Byron York - Will Obama pay the price for cutting Medicare?

In the health care debate, Barack Obama is getting away with the rhetorical equivalent of murder.

To pay for the bulk of his proposed remake of the health care system, the president has a two-part plan. Half the money would come from tax increases, and the other half from reduced spending on Medicare.

So far, the health care battle has not focused specifically on the proposed Medicare cuts. But older Americans are the most avid voters in the country, and the latest Gallup poll shows that just 48 percent of people age 65 or older approve of the job Obama is doing as president -- the lowest of any age group. Much of Obama's problem with them can be traced directly to the health care issue.

Click to read entire article: Byron York - Will Obama pay the price for cutting Medicare?

Mayo Clinic calls House plan bad medicine

Obama loses support on reform

A world-renowned clinic that President Obama held up as an example of good medicine said Monday that the American people would be "losers" under the House's health care proposal, joining the growing chorus of critics the Obama administration is trying to fend off as the debate intensifies from Capitol Hill to Main Street.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/21/mayo-clinic-calls-house-plan-bad-medicine/?feat=home_cube_position1

Finally Specter Gets Honest... Maybe.

Arlen Specter is finally on the side of the aisle many of us figured he really should have been on all along. Unfortunately, taking on the technical title of Democrat isn't going to help the Republican cause any as now we won't be able to count on him to even try to act like a conservative.

My biggest concern at the moment is card-check. He was for it, then said he'd vote against it... but now that he's a certified (certifiable?) Democrat will he switch again and give them the vote that puts another nail in the coffin Barack Obama and friends are building for America?

Lots of questions.

You have to wonder what's going on in Specter's mind. He's had all the health problems which could result in someone either getting real honest with themselves or have them wigging out completely. I've had friends go both ways under similar circumstances.

Is Specter just getting back at all the Republicans who've been trashing him since he gave Obama the ability to mire our kids and future grandkids in debt they'll never rise above? Is he just being pragmatic, realizing he has zero chance of winning as a Republican so he's making himself the darling of the Democrats so he can hang in there another election cycle?

Lots of questions.

Only Specter knows the answer.

No matter what the reason, he's now hurting Republicans even worse than he was when he was a liberal Republican.
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One word for Atlanta Tea Party: Wow!

One word to describe it in the title, but a lot more in this short post! I'm one tired puppy right now but I had to share as I guzzle my morning caffeine. We had a blast yesterday at the Atlanta Tea Party. I didn't get home until close to midnight, then I had to watch the midnight Hannity repeat to see what I'd missed! Yawn and double yawn

Our small group of three left Fayette County for the Capitol yesterday around 4 p.m. When we arrived the place was already jamming up with fellow tea party-ers.

On our trip downtown and our walk from the Five Points Marta station to the Capitol we ran into a lot of people who, as a testament to the lack of interest by the mainstream media, didn't have a clue what was going on across the nation.

We understand there were over 800 Tax Day Tea Parties across United States. Here in Peachtree City, GA a small one was organized for noon that attracted between 400 to 500 people. Not bad for a tiny county during a work day when most commute outside the county! Ann Eldredge put together a slide show of the event on the front page of http://www.fayettefrontpage.com/ if you'd like to see it.

In Atlanta as the crowds increased the energy level increased. So many great signs, so many great people! It was a well-behaved crowd.

Speaker after speaker rose to share their thoughts. We were directly in front of the podium, right behind the press stand. Unfortunately, a television screen set rather low cut off some of our view of the stage. By the time Sean Hannity arrived we'd moved down enough so that we were almost directly behind him (he faced away from the crowd for his show so we'd all be in the background). If I'd been just a bit taller you might have been able to make me out in the crowd... ah well, no crowd fame for our group.

I won't bore you with all the details. It's one of those "had to be there" type events. Next best is the visual of television. Way down the totem pole of communication is a blog written by a very sleepy gal with a hoarse throat from yelling and chanting. There was a lot of spontaneous eruptions of 'USA, USA', 'fairtax' and other words and phrases.

The mainstream media did a great job of making our local Tea Party appear minuscule yesterday. When we were sitting in crowds two blocks deep, packed like sardines with people still streaming off Marta, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported there were around a thousand people at the event. We had just heard it announced that we had over 10,000 in the area. Quite a discrepancy, hmmm... On the way home I flipped on the news to see what was being reported. I perked up when the announcer said "tens of thousands" but then she ruined it by saying "across the country". Ha. That kind of reporting is what's killing mainstream media.

According to most reports we came close to hitting somewhere between 15 - 20 thousand last night. Normal, everyday, average Americans showed up at the events. Sure there were a few fringe elements. I watched and noted that some of the media zoomed in on the 2 or 3 "kooks" in the crowd. I was told by friends who called that the msm was focusing on interviewing that element in many cases. I'm as fed up with the msm as I am the tax and spend government.

Ah well, I can't fix much of anything alone. But with all the groups forming across the country, with all those who are frustrated and fed up across the country, we might have an impact. The excitement and crowd last night energized me and gave me hope.

I hope the enthusiasm and momentum from last night continues. I expect it will.

I hope that those who didn't find a tea party yesterday will get involved and help the movement spread to the front steps of the White House. I think that's going to happen, too.

Great Thoughts on Tea Parties

I hope just about everyone receiving this has gone or will go to a Tea Party this week. (Some tea parties were held on Saturday, including very successful ones in Studio City, CA and Pittsburgh, PA)

The big issue, of course, is this: Will the Tea Parties be just a "one-and-done" event, or will they become the beginning of a mass movement that eventually will sweep people like Obama and Reid out of office? On TeamSarah.org, which I hope you'll join if you haven't already, Puma4Palin wrote an excellent blog piece on what the Tea Parties can mean. We need to use them as opportunities to meet like-minded people and to organize for future victories. Let's make sure the Tea Parties are a beginning -- and not an end.

http://www.teamsarah.org/profiles/blogs/tea-parties-a-fad-thats-a?xgs=1

Over at Fox News they’re running a blog by a guy named John Tantillo who says he is a marketing expert and the founder and president of Marketing Department of America. Hey, the guy is very good at marketing his business because he got my attention with his disparaging article about the upcoming tea parties.

According to Tantillo, the April 15 Tea Parties are nothing more than a fad and, not just any kind of fad, but a fad that flops. Actually, the more I think about it, how can a fad flop? Fads come and go, but if something gets enough attention to be called a fad, then normally that’s called a success. Right?

He offers several criticisms of the parties, but what is striking to me is that he is labeling it “Republican” and “Conservative.” Personally, I think this is a tactic that the left is using to attempt to belittle the tea parties as “just a bunch of Republican losers” and to portray the Republicans as angry outsiders. The truth of the matter is that I know many people supporting the tea parties who are Democrats and Independents and who consider themselves moderates.

Further, if it’s just a bunch of Republicans why is the Huffington Post asking for citizen reporters to go to the tea parties and, well, do what? Write a slanted article? Disrupt? Bring a pro-Obama sign? I mean, why would the left care if it was just a “fad” and a Republican one at that? (Although anything that is not pro-Obama appears to be a threat to the insecure obats).

Actually, the other point Tantillo makes that has me laughing is that his take on the reports that tea party merchandise is flying off the shelves is bad news and a sure sign that this is all fad.

For example, he takes this quote from Jason King, VP of marketing for Zazzle, an online retailer selling tea party items: “This is probably one of the bigger things –- not counting the election– that we’ve seen since the Client 9 sex scandal broke in 2008.” And interprets it thus: “Hey, if a marketer’s comparing your “serious” political movement with “Client 9 sex scandal” sales you know you’re in trouble…”

Well, excuse me, but if the election was a big merchandising success, doesn’t that make it a fad, too? And didn’t the Client 9 sex scandal end a governor’s career? Pretty powerful fad!

I do think there are legitimate concerns about what next? Just getting together in a local park with a permit is not really going to accomplish anything. Most media will not cover it. And the location of the tea party in my town is low visibility; there is no drive-by traffic so no one will even notice it is happening unless they make a point to stop by.

Frankly, I think the tea party organizers should take some tips from Moveon.org. When they held their anti-war rallies here they lined a very busy street in front of our Congressman’s local office with not just signs, but drums, and they did it during rush hour. They also took a petition into the Congressman’s office where it was officially received.

It remains to be seen if the tea parties bring about change, but in the meantime it is encouraging to see average Americans getting heated up enough about something to make a sign and stand on a street corner. Maybe this is just practice but I don’t think I would classify it as a fad. In fact, I think that’s a challenge and I’m always up for one of those.

Steve Maloney
Ambridge, PA
DraftPalin2012
SteveMaloneyGOP

Note: Steve Maloney has become a good friend of mine through the Read My Lipstick Network, Team Sarah, and other conservative cross-over efforts. He is a great guy and a dynamic thinker and doer. I hope you'll read his blogs and maybe if you're lucky you'll get to know him as a friend. - Janet

Obama told us what he was going to do

Since January 20th we've been bombarded with change. It seems that Obama is determined to toss everything we as Americans have believed in and practiced into the air. He's swatting some away into the nether regions, some he's letting splat onto the ground, ruined, and the rest he's catching, turning up-side-down, shredding, changing or handing over to the world for their playing pleasure.

I don't see how anyone who voted for him can complain. He told us all exactly what he intended to do when he ran for office. Unfortunately, most who voted for him either didn't pay attention, taking style over substance, or they didn't think he'd be able to do what he said. After all, most politicians don't do a fraction of what they promise.

This time it's different. He has a Democratic Congress that is giving him exactly what he wants, if not more.

[I started to write "the latest issue" but realized by the time I finished typing there would probably be another one or ten or fifty issues coming at us... So...] Yesterday we got word that our military was going to be even further undermined than suggested during Obama's first few months in office. Our government, who 'loves our military', is going to decimate their ability to fight.

Obama and his policies are weakening us in the eyes of the world and more importantly, in the eyes of terrorists. What is it with Democrats and military budgets? Every time we get a Dem in office they slash military spending. Then something comes up that stretches the military to the nth degree, a Republican comes in, shores up their resources... and the cycle continues.

In these days, as terrorists work across the world to kill and maim, it's ridiculous to undermine our capacity to respond quickly and appropriately.

Obama's statements in Europe suggesting and stating in various ways that we are weak certainly doesn't make me feel warm and secure.

It is so frustrating to sit here in my office reading and hearing the constant barrage of change that is ultimately going to destroy our culture. I plan to join the Tea Party, which may help me feel like I'm doing something. If we elect a sufficient number of Republicans in the 2010 elections that may help curb some of the changes, and even give us the means to reverse some of the changes Obama is enacting.

I have concerns about the honesty of future elections given other changes being made in D.C., but I'll save that for another rant.

Morning Bell: Ensuring America’s Decline
Posted April 7th, 2009 at 7.49am in Ongoing Priorities, Protect America.
Yesterday, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates gave one of the most radical speeches of the Post-Cold War era on American national security. Building off themes established in the 2008 National Defense Strategy written under President Bush, Secretary Gates presented what he described as “a budget crafted to reshape the priorities of America’s defense establishment. … a holistic assessment of capabilities, requirements, risks, and needs for the purpose of shifting this department in a different strategic direction.” Continue reading…

Nuclear-Free Hopes vs. Reality
Posted April 7th, 2009 at 8.44am in American Leadership, Protect America.
We weren’t the only ones that found President Barack Obama’s “nuclear free” Prague speech a bit too heavy on hope and a little light on reality. The Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum writes today:
Clearly, the “no nukes” policy is one close to the president’s heart. The Prague speech even carried echoes of that most famous of all Obama speeches, the one he made after losing the New Hampshire primary. “There are those who hear talk of a world without nuclear weapons and doubt whether it is worth setting a goal that seems impossible,” Continue reading…

Gates Seeks Sharp Turn In Spending: Defense Budget Focuses On Lower-Tech Weapons (By Greg Jaffe and Shailagh Murray)

Gates Proposal Reveals His Alienation From Procurement System (By R. Jeffrey Smith)

Sketch: Pentagon Chief Calls for Cuts; Congress Opens Fire (By Dana Milbank)

The Nuclear Illusionist
Obama's 'moral authority' won't deter Tehran or Pyongyang

Stephens: Obama's Unreality Tour
Barack Obama vowed to turn to the U.N. Security Council for strong action following North Korea's weekend missile launch. He would have done better by turning to Dr. Phil.

Lieberman-Obama honeymoon stops at missile defense - By Alexander Bolton
Sen. Joe Lieberman (Conn.) has tried to mend his relationship with President Obama in recent months but their reconciliation hit a snag Monday over ballistic missile defense. > Read More

This thing with Great Britain is really bothering me

I spent a number of years as a child in Great Britain. I started school there. I had a British accent that unfortunately I tried to get rid of so I'd "fit" when I came back to the States. My brother lived there as an adult for 7 or 8 years and ultimately married a Brit. Our family has friends over there that we keep up with.

I feel connected.

I think even without those ties I'd feel connected. They have been our ally and staunch supporter through thick and thin over the years.

Now, for whatever reason, Mr. Obama and his staff are "disrespecting" this great ally.

It makes no sense. None.

There is not a strategic benefit that I can see to thumbing our noses at the Brits.

I don't believe that the Obama staff was taken off-guard by the visit. They didn't ditch everyone who understood protocol when the new group took over... did they? That's not typical if they did and it's definitely not a good idea.

It's just common sense to be nice to anyone who comes to visit, especially someone who actually LIKES us.

Yesterday I heard Sir somebody-or-other (didn't catch his name unfortunately) in the British Treasury saying on the tube that he can't even get someone in our Treasury Department to answer his calls. They're planning for a big event at the next G8 Summit and there is a lot of coordination going on. We're not returning the guy's calls. He said this has NEVER happened before and it's not happening with any of the other G8 counterparts.

Incompetence? Deliberate disrespect? Attitude? Misguided snobbery?

What is the long-term goal with our Presidential treatment of Great Britain?

I can just picture the convesation the day Prime Minister Gordon Brown was due:
"Oh gee, we're supposed to give them a gift, aren't we?"
"Hey, anyone have anything they can loan us?"
"Uh, well, I was going to donate this bunch of DVD's to the Shelter down the street, will they work? They haven't been opened."
"Great, now doesn't he have kids? What do little girls like? Anyone?"
"Shoot, who cares, grab a couple of helicopters from the White House gift shop, all kids like things like that, don't they? Charge it to Bill's account over there."

Shameful. I'm embarrassed for our country.

Obama's Bad Science Bailout

Yesterday's Executive Order may not have surprised conservatives, but it certainly shocked the Left. Although most of the country expected President Obama to make good on his promise to reverse the federal restrictions on embryonic stem cell (ESC) research, the final order turned out to be far more extreme than ESC's biggest proponents had hoped. Most believed the President would maintain some semblance of restraint and allow experimentation only on those embryos discarded by fertility clinics. Unfortunately, no such limits exist. The President not only cracked ajar the door to ethically-challenged research, he flung it wide open--leaving the very scientists who demanded this money potentially in charge of its limitations.

Under the President's directive, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), unless Congress intervenes, will determine what, if any, boundaries there might be on how we obtain these embryos. With no clear policy from the White House, you and I could be footing the bill for research that clones embryos just to scavenge their parts.

If that's the case, our policy will condone the creation of life for the sole purpose of experimenting on it. Ronald M. Green, a Dartmouth College bioethicist, said, "There are lot of people on the left and the right sides of our political spectrum who are opposed to that--to create a life to destroy it."

President Obama justified the idea yesterday, saying, "As a person of faith, I believe we are called to... work to ease human suffering." But killing to cure doesn't make murder more acceptable, just like giving stolen goods to the church doesn't justify larceny. As Yuval Levin, the former executive director of President Bush's Council on Bioethics writes in today's Washington Post, "In science policy, science informs--but politics governs, and rightly so."

By shielding this research from any public or congressional scrutiny, the President may as well tear up his social contract with the American people. When we're talking about human life and taxpayer dollars, voters have a right to know who's going to monitor the scientists. The appetite for this research may be insatiable, but as Levin says, "[Science]... is no substitute for wisdom, prudence, or democracy."

Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) disagrees. A longtime proponent of unethical research, DeGette urged Congress to make Obama's executive order permanent. "Congress must quickly pass complementary legislation so that no future anti-science administration will be able to hinder progress... Congress absolutely must not delay in codifying the directive to prevent science from being subject to the whim of politics." Here is the first of what we expect to be many fierce attacks on the Dickey-Wicker Amendment--the only policy remaining that protects taxpayers from directly funding the destruction of human embryos. Please help us keep this important barrier in place. Contact your Congressmen and urge them to support the Dickey-Wicker and the bipartisan Patients' First Act. Unlike President Obama's order, it promotes science that is not only ethical but effective.

Additional Resources FRC: Stem Cell Success Stories

Family Research Council:
801 G Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001
P: 202/393-2100 or 800/225-4008
W: frc.org

Ruin Your Health With the Obama Stimulus Plan

Republican Senators are questioning whether President Barack Obama’s stimulus bill contains the right mix of tax breaks and cash infusions to jump-start the economy.

Tragically, no one from either party is objecting to the health provisions slipped in without discussion. These provisions reflect the handiwork of Tom Daschle, until recently the nominee to head the Health and Human Services Department.

Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Commentary by Betsy McCaughey
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_mccaughey&sid=aLzfDxfbwhzs

A few Sunday morning "stimulus" headlines

The Stimulus Tragedy
Obama bets that we can spend our way to prosperity.

Peggy Noonan: Bracing Ourselves
America prepares for the worst, and Republicans suddenly seem serious.

WSJ: Obama, GOP Trade Jabs on Stimulus

AP: Senators debate stimulus in rare Saturday session

Politico: Senate GOP says they were left out

The Hill: Senators exert leverage over Pelosi on stimulus

Senators Hash Out Stimulus Details With Another Nudge From Obama
ABC News - USAThough a few moderate Republicans likely will vote for the stimulus plan -- which President Barack Obama today said is necessary to avoid a "national ...

AP: Competing stimulus bills divide Congress

Roll Call: Drafters Meet Stimulus Amendment Deadline

WaPo: Economists Agree Time Is of the Essence for Stimulus

Battle over stimulus plan tests Obama's mettle
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USABarack Obama will have to grind it out." "The moral of the story is that it's a lot more fun to campaign than it is to govern," says Jack Citrin, ...

Krauthammer on the Stimulus, Pork and "Hope"

Great read. Charles Krauthammer has a way of cutting through the fluff and laying out a solid case. He always seems to have the uncanny ability to see the kernel of truth that many of us miss while listening to the hyperbole.

The Fierce Urgency of Pork
By Charles Krauthammer
Friday, February 6, 2009; A17
"A failure to act, and act now, will turn crisis into a catastrophe." -- President Obama, Feb. 4.

Catastrophe, mind you. So much for the president who in his inaugural address two weeks earlier declared "we have chosen hope over fear."

Until, that is, you need fear to pass a bill.

And so much for the promise to banish the money changers and influence peddlers from the temple. An ostentatious executive order banning lobbyists was immediately followed by the nomination of at least a dozen current or former lobbyists to high position. Followed by a Treasury secretary who allegedly couldn't understand the payroll tax provisions in his 1040. Followed by Tom Daschle, who had to fall on his sword according to the new Washington rule that no Cabinet can have more than one tax delinquent
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/05/AR2009020502766_pf.html

Tx @drudge_report (Twitter)

Heritage: Americans Did Not Vote for This Plan

President Barack Obama is losing the debate over his Trillion Dollar Debt Plan.

According to Rasmussen Reports, only 37% of the American people favor his legislation. And according to Gallup nearly 80% of Americans believe the current plan will not stimulate the economy.

Faced with criticism of his plan, Obama has tersely responded to conservative lawmakers: "I won." Well you know what? So did every other person in Congress. They all won their elections and their constituents deserve to have their views represented too.

Defending his plan with an op-ed in the Washington Post today Obama repeats his "I won" mantra: "I reject these theories, and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November and voted resoundingly for change." But did Americans vote for THIS bill? A bill that is larger than the Iraq and Afghanistan combined. A bill that it is larger than the entire GDP of India. A bill that, once interest payments are included, will put Americans a full trillion dollars deeper in debt.

Remember, this is a President who, while still a candidate, promised a "net spending cut." And that promise was made October 7th, well after Lehman Brothers collapsed and it was already evident how deep an economic crisis we were in. Obama prided himself on the conservative and independent voters he won this November. They deserve to have Obama's fiscal responsibility promises kept.

Continuing to defend his Trillion Dollar Debt Plan Obama writes: "This plan is more than a prescription for short-term spending -- it's a strategy for America's long-term growth and opportunity in areas such as renewable energy, health care and education." But as the Washington Post editorializes: "This is precisely the problem. As credible experts, including some Democrats, have pointed out, much of this "long-term" spending either won't stimulate the economy now, is of questionable merit, or both."

Yesterday Obama was claiming that the controversial parts of his plan "amount to less than 1% of the overall package." But as he admits today, and as the Washington Post points out, the controversial spending makes up the core of his plan.

Obama concludes his op-ed writing: "These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay. ... they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide." Obama is asking Congress to approve the largest deficit spending plan in the history of the known universe and he wants it done in ten days. There may well be some worthy government project buried in this bill, but as the Washington Post points out, they "do not belong in legislation whose reason for being is to give U.S. economic growth a "jolt" ... All other policy priorities should pass through the normal budget process, which involves hearings, debate and -- crucially -- competition with other programs."

Through those hearings and normal budget processes, the other elected leaders of our democracy can better assess which spending is needed and which spending is not. Barack Obama did not campaign on this spending plan. Therefore, it is simply not credible to believe that Americans voters meant to give him a blank check this past November, and current polls reflect exactly that.

(Love the Heritage Foundation... go sign up for their Morning Bell! www.heritage.org)

Time for the media to flex its' muscles?

Yesterday I watched Mr. Obama and Timothy Geithner give an overview of the restrictions they were placing on companies taking TARP funds. (Just so you know, in the fine print of those restrictions is a bit that says something along the lines of "we can exempt anyone if we choose"). It struck me as odd that immediately after speaking, Obama and Geithner turned on their heels and walked away without answering any media questions. I understand that sometimes they don't and usually the media is told beforehand. However, the thought flitted through my mind that Obama had pledged open access, change and all that stuff. It seemed that he was shutting out the media.

More and more stories are coming out about how Mr. Obama is using the media and / or going around the media. I predict that if he keeps it up, there is going to be a media backlash. In fact, all the news that's creeping out and then blossoming hugely (cabinet pick problems, stories on his perks in office, etc.) may be a sign of the media flexing its muscles.

Here are a couple of stories that I found interesting this morning:

(I only include this story because of the first paragraph... if you read the story, it is written by someone who is firmly in Obama's camp, best case of outright, blatant bias I've seen in a few days.)
Obama to enlist local GOP in stimulus fight
The irony of President Barack Obama’s Blue Tuesday is that the wall-to-wall television interviews he granted were designed not to apologize for Tom Daschle’s fall from grace but to fight back against the Republicans’ success in tarnishing his stimulus package.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/6247503.html

White House Cheat Sheet: Bypassing the Media Filter
During the presidential campaign, Barack Obama and his team learned a very important lesson that they are seeking to put into practice in the White House: the power of the media is overrated.
Time and again during the campaign, Obama used his burgeoning grassroots army -- now more than 13 million email addresses strong -- to push out the message that he wanted to dominate the day rather than the message the media was focused on.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2009/02/white_house_cheat_sheet_around.html?hpid=topnews

Obama poised to be first 'wired' president
(CNN) -- As the first president-elect with a Facebook page and a YouTube channel, Barack Obama is poised to use the Internet to communicate directly with Americans in a way unknown to previous presidents. Judging by Obama's savvy use of social-networking sites during his campaign and the interactive nature of his transition team's Web site, Americans can expect a president who bypasses the traditional media's filters while reaching out to citizens for input, observers say.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/obama.internet.president/index.html

On one level, I like the idea of our elected officials going straight to the public, bypassing all the hype and bias of the media. However, if all we get is one side, then that's not a good thing either. What elected official is going to send out an email saying "here's how this will destroy life as you know it" or any negative points of view on their proposals (unless it's to rebut negatives)? We need opposing views.

There's another scary side to this one, too. There are a lot of people concerned about the direction this administration is heading in regards to free speech. The "Fairness Doctrine", which targets talk radio, will ostensibly shut down one large opposition view media. Does anyone really think it will stop with talk radio?

The media needs to flex fast or it's possible they won't be able to work their muscles at some point.

Latest Porkulus List in S.1 from Heritage (via #TCOT)

* $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Dept. of Energy defunded last year because the project was inefficient

* $650 million for the digital television (DTV) converter box coupon program

* $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship)

* $448 million for constructing the Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

* $248 million for furniture at the new Dept. of Homeland Security headquarters

* $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees

* $400 million for the CDC to screen and prevent STD's

* $1.4 billion for a rural waste disposal programs

* $125 million for the Washington, D.C. sewer system

* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

* $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion

* $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges

* $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI

* $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction

* $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River

* $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas

* $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings

* $500 million for state and local fire stations

* $650 million for wildland fire management on Forest Service lands

* $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities

* $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs

* $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service

* $412 million for CDC buildings and property

* $500 million for building and repairing NIH facilities in Bethesda, MD

* $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service

* $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the VA "National Cemetery Administration"

* $60 million for Arlington National Cemetery

* $850 million for Amtrak

* $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint

* $75M to construct a new "security training" facility for State

Dept Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.

* $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems

* $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.

* $275 million for "watershed and flood prevention operations"

* Unspecified assistance for "nonambulatory cattle"

Global Warming? Climate Change?

I'm sitting in my office with my toes frozenated... yeah, I made that word up. I have on 2 shirts and almost need gloves, mainly 'cause my office is a converted sunroom and I'd have to crank up the heat to ridiculous in the rest of the house to keep this area reasonable. However, I'm doing my part to keep the thermostat low (unlike our new President who likes hot-house temps in the White House).

I've heard all the rationalization as to why it's so darned cold despite the "fact" (cough, cough) that the globe is warming. I know it's now politically correct to call it "climate change". Yeah, well, the climate changes. Just like the chicken-little cause of the moment changes with the wind.

Why am I talking about this one in politics? Because it is affecting politics in a huge way. Mr. Obama is in the process of changing the way our country works simply because he's bought into "climate change". Or maybe he's just using that as an excuse to attain another goal. That one is a huge subject and I'll let you ponder on where we're heading and why...

I'm all for conservation and taking care of our planet. I was recycling long before it was popular, always took out a bag full of extra garbage when I went on hikes or camped, and so on and so forth. I'm a tree-hugging vegetarian Republican.

However, I have just never been able to get on board with global warming. If the scientists and those in the know can't agree that it exists, how in the world can anyone say with any certainty that it's happening? When you hear the scientific data used to prove there is global warming debunked, when logical holes are poked in the data, how can one believe in it? They can't even predict tomorrow's weather with certainty, how can they predict the demise of our planet?

Here's an interesting link for those with an open mind willing to look at both sides (it's the "other" side, scientists who don't believe in global warming): http://petitionproject.org:80/

Johnny Isakson's response to my email to vote NO on porkulus

I sent an email with thoughts on the "stimulus". Strip it of every bit of pork that can be negotiated out of it, then when it's as thin as possible, vote no anyway. I phrased it better than that... It's definitely a form letter, didn't expect anything more. I didn't suggest any projects as the form letter indicates.

Since I sent me email a lot has happened and things are changing minute-by-minute in Washington. I've read conflicting stories about what's going on behind the scenes so I'm in a wait-and-see mode (although I'm still sending emails and calling Senators).

One good thing that's happening is that more and more people are becoming aware of how little there is in this pork package that will do anything to help us.

I think Nancy Pelosi is going to ultimately be the fall 'guy' on this one. She was SO gleeful when she rammed it through. I was watching as she took the count and they zeroed in on her face. She was gloating, smiling so big I thought her face would crack from the tension. Now she's dealing with dissension in the ranks, possibly an Obama White House that isn't happy with her and a Senate that is busily stripping her Christmas list of wants out of the bill. (see my last post)

OK, I'll quit typing and let you read Isakson's letter (emphasis is mine):

Thank you for contacting me regarding President Obama's Economic Stimulus plan. I appreciate your thoughts and the opportunity to respond.

Recently President Obama has been meeting with Majority Leader Harry Reid and Speaker Nancy Pelosi regarding his ideas for a second economic stimulus. At this time I am unsure as to whether I will or will not support this legislation due to the fact that there is no bill text to evaluate at this point, only constantly changing news reports. My staff and I, however, are glad to hear your thoughts on suggested projects that you believe should be included in this proposed plan. Rest assured I will strongly advocate on the behalf of Georgia projects for maximum investment.

As our nation continues to struggle through the current economic crisis it is important to stay focused on the recovery aspects. I believe the key to returning stability to the economy lies within the housing market. We must find a way to keep people in their homes, stabilize foreclosures and return consumer confidence to the marketplace. Once stability comes back to the housing market, you will see investors and small business begin to reinvesting in job creating activities, which will put hard working Americans back to work. I am committed to taking the necessary steps to work with my Senate colleagues to make this come to pass. Our nation has always demonstrated a strong resiliency and I am confident we will once again bounce back stronger than ever, where hard working Americans are at the front lines of economic prosperity.

Thank you again for contacting me. Please visit my webpage at http://isakson.senate.gov/ for more information on the issues important to you and to sign up for my e-newsletter