Tag Archives: Misc. Gov’t Stuff

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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

If you don’t get the above Latin,  you’re on-line, find it for yourself!

GSA chief resigns amid reports of excessive spending

The chief of the General Services Administration resigned, two of her top deputies were fired and four managers were placed on leave Monday amid reports of lavish spending at a conference off the Las Vegas Strip that featured a clown, a mind reader and a $31,208 reception.

Administrator Martha N. Johnson, in her resignation letter, acknowledged a “significant misstep” at the agency that manages real estate for the federal government. “Taxpayer dollars were squandered,” she wrote. At the start of her tenure in February 2010 she called ethics “a big issue for me.”

…and this from the agency that is supposedly the watchdog to prevent inappropriate use of government funds and resources. Yeah. Right. (Refer again to the Latin tag.)

Visualizing this “conference” brings to mind part of the trailer I saw for the current film The Death Games.

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Food for thought:

Received from an e-mail correspondent:

Subject: Irony

The food stamp program, part of the Department of Agriculture, is pleased to be distributing the greatest amount of food stamps ever.

Meanwhile, the Park Service, also part of the Department of Agriculture, asks us to “please do not feed the animals” because the animals may grow dependent and not learn to take care of themselves.

This is just too obvious!

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Fighting Over Chump Change!

CORRECTION!

Ooops! The Chief’s percentages listed below are off a bit, due to his use of an incorrect total for the proposed 2011 non-budget. The really bad news part of this is that the outcome is even worse than before…in other words the actual “chump change” at the center of the current dogfight is even LESS significant than previously calculated. Corrected figures are plugged in at the appropriate places in the post:

White House Summit Fails to Yield Budget Deal as Shutdown Approaches

What a total joke!

President Obama, after a high-stakes meeting Wednesday night with congressional leaders at the White House, called the discussion “frank” and “constructive” but said no budget deal was reached.

“If we are serious about getting something done we should be able to complete a deal, get it passed and avert a shutdown,” Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room, though it remained unclear how the two sides would forge such an agreement.

Unfortunately this whole discussion is a virtual farce!
According to the Washington Post, the Donkey Party has expressed willingness to accept a whopping $23B cut at this time. That represents approx. a 1.6% 0.7% cut. The GOP on the other hand is currently thumping for a righteous and allegedly draconian $40B cutback, which is about a 3% 1.2% cut. So, do the math…the big brouhaha (ha ha ha indeed!) is about a difference of $17B, a huge difference of 1.4% 0.5% of the total budget!

Yep! Just imagine for comparison purposes what would happen to your personal or family budget if you were forced to confront a massive 3% 0.5% loss of income – 1/2 cent per dollar! Definitely a case of being reduced to dumpster diving and hitchhiking? It is according to Pelosi, Reid, et al. Doubtful however in reality, unless you are a bigger dolt than the Congresscritters fighting about the arrangement of deck chairs on the listing titanic ship of state.

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Truth or Consequences

Just last week didn’t we have assurance from Harry Reid that everything is fine with Social Security. Really.

Now, a few days later we get this:

Social Security now seen to run permanent deficits+

Sick and getting sicker, Social Security will run at a deficit this year and keep on running in the red until its trust funds are drained by about 2037, congressional budget experts said Wednesday in bleaker-than-previous estimates.

The massive retirement program has been suffering from the effects of the struggling economy for several years. It first went into deficit last year but had been projected to post surpluses for a few more years before permanently slipping into the red in 2016

This year alone, Social Security will pay out $45 billion more in retirement, disability and survivors’ benefits than it collects in payroll taxes, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said.

The most charitable thing to conclude is that Reid has a severe case of poor situational awareness. More realistically, he’s finally and irrevocably moved beyond any bounds of truth, and is not worthy of any credibility.

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Food for Thought

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Pomegranate Market opens Wednesday with focus on local foods

One has to appreciate the optimism, hope, commitment, and enthusiasm it takes to open a new retail business.

A new grocery store is opening Wednesday in Sioux Falls’ southwest part of town that will focus on offering people as many locally grown products as possible.

The Pomegranate Market, located in the Beakon Centre at 57th Street and Louise Avenue, will be the newest addition to the health foods market in Sioux Falls….The store will have about 9,000 square feet of retail space offering all the things a supermarket has but on a smaller scale including a floral, dairy, produce and meat departments and a bistro with a seating area. In addition it has more than 200 bulk food items and spices.

“We want to be the experts in food,” said Brice Autry, one of the store’s owners.

This is a good thing…and the Chief wishes Brice  Autry & company the best of luck….meanwhile, in another and possibly related item of food news:

Senate Passes Sweeping Law on Food Safety

The Senate passed a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food safety system on Tuesday, after tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach sickened thousands of people in the last few years and led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight.

The legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, an agency that in recent decades focused more on policing medical products than ensuring the safety of food. The bill is intended to keep unsafe foods from reaching markets and restaurants, where they can make people sick — a change from the current practice, which mainly involves cracking down after outbreaks occur.

This is also a good thing, right? I mean, who can be against safe food? Besides, this sort of thing isn’t really new…it represents an expansion and extension of the power of the FDA which first came into being as one of the “progressive” policies invented by Teddy Roosevelt…and we all know that progressive programs all work well, right?

Oh. Maybe not. In this case there are a few concerns given a hat tip even from The NY Times:

The legislation greatly increases the number of inspections of food processing plants that the F.D.A. must conduct, with an emphasis on foods that are considered most high risk — although figuring out which those are is an uncertain science. Until recently, peanut butter would not have made the list.

OK…we aren’t sure what’s risky…but we still will be able to reduce the (unknown) risk proactively. HUH? That’s science based? It’s not even LOGIC based!

Staunch opposition to the bill by Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, forced months of delay and eventually required the Senate majority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, to call a series of time-consuming procedural votes to end debate. Mr. Coburn offered his own version of the legislation. It eliminated many of the bill’s requirements because he said that more government rules would be deleterious and that the free market was working.

In general…we really have a minimal amount of food problems in this country…although when they do occur the media are all over it like flies on a fertilizer pile. Of course, then if there is the perception of a bigger problem, then surely it calls for a bigger government to protect us, right?

Among the Senate bill’s last major sticking points was how it would affect small farmers and food producers. Some advocates for small farms and organic food producers said the legislation would destroy their industry under a mountain of paperwork. Senator Jon Tester, Democrat of Montana, pushed for a recent addition to the bill that exempts producers with less than $500,000 in annual sales who sell most of their food locally.

That provision led the United Fresh Produce Association, a trade [big producer lobbying] group, to announce recently that it would oppose the legislation since small food operations have been the source of some food recalls in recent years.

We are disappointed that the Senate continues to ignore the egregious loopholes allowed in this legislation that will erode consumer confidence in our nation’s food safety system. Now, when going to a supermarket, restaurant, farmers market or roadside stand, consumers will be faced with the question of whether the fruits and vegetables offered for sale adhere to basic food safety standards or not.

To unpack this, what they are actually saying is that Ole Jensen, hauling a load of Forestbut melons to sell in the strip-mall parking lot (or wherever) has to have the same administrative load complete with lab-grade certification of quality as Dole, DelMonte, Cargill, Kraft, etc. Oh, Ole doesn’t have a legal/administrative department to keep up with that load? Oh well, I guess he’ll need to do something else with his land, and time….and the same thing would apply to those selling in a local farmer’s market, or to small specialty retailers like the above mentioned Pomegranate Market.

The House version of the bill does impose this extensive bureaucratic framework, although it is somewhat less obnoxious in the Senate bill, thus causing the unhappiness of the United Fresh group, who apparently would would love to use the regulatory regime to weed out local competition (up to including the eventual enforcement of FDA standards on backyard garden production, strictly for our own good of course.

Unfortunately, instead of adhering to a science- and risk-based approach that was consistently the foundation of the underlying bill, the Senate has chosen to include a provision that will exempt certain segments of the food industry based on the size of operation, geographic location and customer base.

As far as the science is concerned, as noted above, the reasoning here is missing in action. Again, they want NO exception for small local producers…trusting in the wisdom of the bureaucracy to do the right thing…and not co-incidentally eliminate a competing consumer choice.

Frankly, the Chief has more faith in Ole Jensen, and in the local suppliers of Brice’s Pomegranate Market than in some major member of United Fresh bringing in produce from Mexico, Honduras, or somewhere else, where there REALLY are some grounds for concern about food production and quality standards.

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B.O. & Fed Land Scheme

White House land grab
Proposal to seize land would favor animals over Americans

You’d think the Obama administration is busy enough controlling the banks, insurance companies and automakers, but thanks to whistleblowers at the Department of the Interior, we now learn they’re planning to increase their control over energy-rich land in the West.

A secret administration memo has surfaced revealing plans for the federal government to seize more than 10 million acres from Montana to New Mexico, halting job- creating activities like ranching, forestry, mining and energy development. Worse, this land grab would dry up tax revenue that’s essential for funding schools, firehouses and community centers.

President Obama could enact the plans in this memo with just the stroke of a pen, without any input from the communities affected by it.

At a time when our national unemployment rate is 9.7 percent, it is unbelievable anyone would be looking to stop job-creating energy enterprises, yet that’s exactly what’s happening.

We’ve been there, done that, under Carter and Clinton. B.O. seems inclined to follow their evil example.

Hopefully there’s enough gumption out there to stop him from doing this.

Locking up lands with energy resources? What’s THAT about?

Hmmmm. After spending us into international bankruptcy we’ll need to do SOMETHING to re-boot the dollar…auctions of mineral and energy rights could be a way to do it. Now, who has a lot of cash and a high demand for more energy to drive a forced industrial expansion?

China.  Not a nice thought, but there it is.

Constitution Watch

Nullification Redivivus

The idea of nullification – states exercising their sovereignty to “opt out” of subjection to what they consider to be inappropriate, usurpatory, or improper acts or programs of the federal government – has been around since the late 1790’s (see: the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions).

The laws in Montana and Utah exempting intrastate manufacture, sale, and use of firearms from federal regulations, as well as the state authorizations for “medical” marijuana in contradiction to federal drug laws are current examples of the same principle being applied today.

59% Favor Letting States Opt Out of Federal Programs

Voters strongly believe that a state should have the right to avoid federal programs it doesn’t like, but they draw the line at states seceding from the union.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 59% of likely voters say states should have the right to opt out of federal government programs they don’t agree with. Just 25% disagree, while another 15% are not sure.

Looks like a good part of the concern deals with the considerable financial burden that many federal programs shift to the states through imposition of administrative regulations and program requirements.

Sixty-three percent (63%) of voters also think states should have the right to opt out of federally mandated programs if the federal government doesn’t help pay for them. Seventeen percent (17%) say states should not have the right to opt out of federally mandated programs.

In this, there is a distinct partisan bias that pits a Republican and independent majority in support of the right to opt-out against a Democrat minority:

Seventy-six percent (76%) of Republicans and 67% of voters not affiliated with either major party say states should have the right to opt out of federal programs with which they don’t agree. Just 37% of Democrats agree.

The 10th Amendment is still alive: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Defense Matters!

Illegal Pelosi Travel Documented

U.S. Military Serving as Chauffeurs, Babysitters for the Pelosi Kids: Receipts That Will Blow Your Mind

The documents included in this posting were all obtained through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act):

Update: Judicial Watch provided separate documents from an earlier FOIA request which show that “most, if not all” of the flights did indeed have the Speaker aboard. This is being researched and, until complete, corrections are noted below.

Update II: Commenters provide links to DOD 4515.12-R “DoD Support for Travel of Members and Employees of Congress and DOD 4515.13-R “Air Transportation Eligibility”, both of which indicate any travel by the Speaker’s adult — non-dependent — children and grandchildren is off-limits.

Update III: An article at Mudville Gazette offers additional useful information.

The mere posting of comments about SanFranNan Pelosi’s running abuse of military aircraft and crews for her personal and family gratification is one thing…actually viewing the paper work, reciepts, charge sheets, passenger lists, etc. gives an entirely different perspective on the situation. Don;t take the Chief’s word for it…check it out for yourself!

Meet the Pelosi family! Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, Judicial Watch uncovered thousands of pages of travel documents related to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s use of military aircraft.

What hasn’t been revealed thus far is that military aircraft are being used to shuttle Pelosi’s kids and grandkids between DC and San Francisco time and time again, which appears to be a violation of the appropriate rules (see above). Put simply, the United States Air Force is serving as a multi-billion dollar chauffeur- and baby-sitting service for Nancy Pelosi’s kids and grandkids — presumably because commercial travel is beneath the families of the autocrats.

But this couldn’t be a waste of resources because the U.S. military really isn’t engaged in any other significant activities around the world.

Yeah, right.

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We’ve been there, done that…

Received from an e-mail correspondent:

Does anybody out there have any memory of the reason given for the establishment of the DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY during the Carter Administration?

Anybody? Anything? No?

Bottom line … we’ve spent several hundred billion dollars in support of an agency …the reason for which virtually no one who reads this can remember.

Ready?

It was very simple…and at the time everybody thought it very appropriate…the ‘Department of Energy’ was instituted on 8-04-1977 TO LESSEN OUR DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL.

Hey, pretty effective, huh?

AND NOW IT’S 2009, 32 YEARS LATER …AND THE BUDGET FOR THIS “NECESSARY” DEPARTMENT IS AT $24.2 BILLION A YEAR IT HAS 16,000 FEDERAL EMPLOYEES AND APPROXIMATELY 100,000 CONTRACT EMPLOYEES AND LOOK AT THE JOB IT HAS DONE!

THIS IS WHERE YOU SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD AND SAY ‘WHAT WAS I THINKING?’

Ah, yes, good old bureaucracy… and NOW we are turning (or have turned) the banking system, health care & the auto Industry over to government…just in the name of “CHANGE”?

May God Help Us !!!

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NY-23 Election Hacked!

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VIRUS in the VOTING MACHINES: Tainted Results in NY-23

The computerized voting machines used by many voters in the 23rd district had a computer virus – tainting the results, not just from those machines known to have been infected, but casting doubt on the accuracy of counts retrieved from any of the machines.

Cathleen Rogers, the Democratic Elections Commissioner in Hamilton County stated that they discovered a problem with their voting machines the week prior to the election and that the “virus” was fixed by a Technical Support representative from Dominion, the manufacturer. The Dominion/Sequoia Voting Systems representative “reprogrammed” their machines in time for them to use in the Nov. 3rd Special Election. None of the machines (from the same manufacturer) used in the other counties within the 23rd district were looked at nor were they recertified after the “reprogramming” that occurred in Hamilton County.

Republican Commissioner Judith Peck refused to speculate on whether the code that governs the counts could have been tampered with. She indicated that “as far as I know, the machine in question was not functioning properly and was repaired” by the technician.

Commissioners in other counties have stated that they were not made aware of the virus issue in Hamilton County. In Jefferson County, inspectors from four districts claim that “human error” resulted in their “mistakenly” entering 0 votes for Hoffman in several districts, resulting in Owens leading Jefferson County on election night though the recanvas of the computer counts now show that Hoffman is leading.

Sounds like this election is FAR from settled!

At least they do have some paper ballots as a backup. If we ever shift to a pure electronic system, American democracy will be dead.

Culture Wars

“Mickey” Mao’s Club at B.O.’s White House

White House Official’s Praise for Mao–Whose Policies Led to Death of 65 Million–Was ‘Pathetic,’ Says China Expert

White House Communications Director Anita Dunn told high school students in May 2009 that one of her favorite political philosophers was Mao Tse Tung, the Communist dictator responsible for the death of millions of people, and she explained why his philosophy was important for achieving personal and political goals.

When questioned last week after a video of her speech surfaced, however, Dunn said she was using “irony” in reference to Mao. A leading expert on China told CNSNews.com that Dunn’s remarks were “pathetic,” given the human rights atrocities committed under Mao’s reign.

Yeah – Mao is cool.  Never mind about those 65,000,000 dead people…they were only Chinese, anyway.

According to the MSM this is nothing worth commenting on.  Could you imagine their outcry if a Republican said something like this about Hitler?

These people in the White House are truly bereft of reason.

Junk Science

Your Tax Dollars at…not exactly WORK!

Remember…THESE are the same folks doling out the junk-science grants that AlGor and his ilk use to justify cramming “Cap and Trade Tax” down our throats that will raise more taxes, to fund more “science” to justify more taxes and regulation, to…you can get the picture.

Porn surfing rampant at U.S. science foundation

Employee misconduct investigations, often involving workers accessing pornography from their government computers, grew sixfold last year inside the taxpayer-funded foundation that doles out billions of dollars of scientific research grants, according to budget documents and other records obtained by The Washington Times.

How bad could it be? Pretty bad:

For instance, one senior executive spent at least 331 days looking at pornography on his government computer and chatting online with nude or partially clad women without being detected, the records show.

When finally caught, the NSF official retired. He even offered, among other explanations, a humanitarian defense, suggesting that he frequented the porn sites to provide a living to the poor overseas women. Investigators put the cost to taxpayers of the senior official’s porn surfing at between $13,800 and about $58,000.  “He explained that these young women are from poor countries and need to make money to help their parents and this site helps them do that,” investigators wrote in a memo.

That is no doubt chump change to the NSF b’crats, but it sure seems like a significant amount if it were in the Chief’s family budget!  As far as his rationalization goes…takes your breath away doesn’t it!

In the words of the late Warren Zevon: “It ain’t that pretty at all!”

SD Politics

Hey Guys & Gals: It’s OUR Money!

Hard-pressed leaders pass nuisance taxes

THEY’RE hard pressed?!?!?! What about US?

State and local governments are raising taxes and inventing new ones as they scramble to balance their budgets even as the nation’s economy begins to emerge from the deepest recession in seven decades.

State budgets typically take a year or two to reflect improvements in the national economy, the National Association of State Budget Officers and the National Governors Association explained in its latest fiscal survey of states. The report warned that “state fiscal conditions will remain weak in fiscal 2010 and likely into fiscal years 2011 and 2012.”

So, brace yourselves for a deluge of nuisance taxes, sin taxes and “fees,” limited only by the imagination of revenue-starved governors, mayors and legislators.

Wait! Here’s an alternative to try out: STOP SPENDING MONEY!

When us normal (come on, give me the benefit of the doubt!) folks get short on money.,.we have to cut back spending, and perhaps even do without something we would like. MAYBE our government at ALL LEVELS could try this out for a a change!?

What a concept!

Something to keep in mind when the next session up at Pierre opens up.

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Economy Recovering or Not so Fast?

Probably not…First the optimism:

Recovery Rally Rolls On

Bernanke, Data Boost Stocks

The markets received a rhetorical lift from Bernanke, who after giving a speech said, “the recession is very likely over at this point.”

“He’s a man who is very cautious in his commentary. He tends to really avoid extreme statements,” said Kenny. “If he’s saying we’re out of the recession, then we’re well out of the recession. This is the most positive he’s been.”

How solid is this? Apparently not too solid.

…Bernanke also warned that “it’s still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time.”

Meanwhile, on a less optimistic note, are these reports from across the big pond of some things that are contra-indicators of an incipient economic boostsomehow overlooked in the US government-affiliated mainstream media:

US credit shrinks at Great Depression rate prompting fears of double-dip recession

Professor Tim Congdon from International Monetary Research said US bank loans have fallen at an annual pace of almost 14pc in the three months to August (from $7,147bn to $6,886bn).

“There has been nothing like this in the USA since the 1930s,” he said. “The rapid destruction of money balances is madness.” The M3 “broad” money supply, watched as an early warning signal for the economy a year or so later, has been falling at a 5pc annual rate.

Similar concerns have been raised by David Rosenberg, chief strategist at Gluskin Sheff, who said that over the four weeks up to August 24, bank credit shrank at an “epic” 9pc annual pace, the M2 money supply shrank at 12.2pc and M1 shrank at 6.5pc.

“For the first time in the post-WW2 [Second World War] era, we have deflation in credit, wages and rents and, from our lens, this is a toxic brew,” he said.

And the point is?

US banks are cutting lending by around 1pc a month. A similar process is occurring in the eurozone, where private sector credit has been contracting and M3 has been flat for almost a year.

Mr Congdon said IMF chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn is wrong to argue that the history of financial crises shows that “speedy recovery” depends on “cleansing banks’ balance sheets of toxic assets”. “The message of all financial crises is that policy-makers’ priority must be to stop the quantity of money falling and, ideally, to get it rising again,” he said.

He predicted that the Federal Reserve and other central banks will be forced to engage in outright monetisation of government debt by next year, whatever they say now.

Debt monetisation is basically using newly created money to pay of previously existing debts. In other words, HIGH inflation.

Another more obscure sign that the U.S. and global economy both are all not operating up top speed, and will not be for a while yet:

Revealed: The ghost fleet of the recession

The biggest and most secretive gathering of ships in maritime history lies at anchor east of Singapore. Never before photographed, it is bigger than the U.S. and British navies combined but has no crew, no cargo and no destination – and is why your Christmas stocking may be on the light side this year.

You have to see this article to get a real feel for what they’re talking about, so take alook.

The photos of the laid-up ships looks like the D-Day invasion fleet, which impression is reinforced by satellite position location charts.

This is interesting, and the logic is inescapable…if the goods aren’t being shipped NOW, they won’t be in the stores for Christmas, and if they aren’t in the stores for Christmas, then obviously they won’t be sold. Doesn’t look too good for consumer demand. This CANNOT change…the orders haven’t been placed, and the ships are out of service as a result.

Worth noting once again that none of this is being currently covered in the US state-influenced Main Stream Media.

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Czar Abdicates

Obama ‘Green Jobs’ Adviser Van Jones Resigns Amid Controversy

White House green jobs adviser Van Jones resigned in the middle of the Labor Day weekend following persistent controversy over his past remarks and associations.

Jones, who served as an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, had generated mounting criticism over the past week. He earlier issued back-to-back apologies — first, for calling Republicans “assholes” during a videotaped address earlier in the year, and second for signing a petition in 2004 supporting the “9/11 truther” movement, which believes the Bush administration may have been involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

The latter development, which came on top of several others, was perhaps the most devastating and led to calls for his resignation.

Jones stepped down late Saturday.

Good riddence to bad rubbish!

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Free Pass from B.O.’s DoJ

Firstly, there’s the case of Donk Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico:

Richardson Probe ‘Was Killed in Washington’

Looks like prominent Donk pol Bill Richardson won a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. It’s great to have friends in high places!

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former high-ranking members of his administration won’t be criminally charged in a yearlong federal investigation into pay-to-play allegations involving one of the Democratic governor’s large political donors, someone familiar with the case said.

The decision not to pursue indictments was made by top Justice Department officials, according to a person familiar with the investigation, who asked not to be identified because federal officials had not disclosed results of the probe.

“It’s over. There’s nothing. It was killed in Washington,” the person told the Associated Press.

Commenting further:

DoJ drops prosecution of top Dem

An unpleasant smell attends the Department of Justice decision to not prosecute New Mexico Governor (and Obama ally) Bill Richardson. Fresh on the heels of the Department declining to prosecute the New Black Panthers for voter intimidation, while appointing a special prosecutor for CIA interrogators, the appearance of a politicized Justice Department is being created.

D’ya think?  (Yep, sure do!)

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Obamacare Privacy? What Privacy?

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Reported by CBS – not exactly a bastion of the VRWC…

Democratic Health Care Bill Divulges IRS Tax Data

Firstly, as written, the current (House) bill REQUIRES full access to individual tax records:

Section 431(a) of the bill says that the IRS must divulge taxpayer identity information, including the filing status, the modified adjusted gross income, the number of dependents, and “other information as is prescribed by” regulation. That information will be provided to the new Health Choices Commissioner and state health programs and used to determine who qualifies for “affordability credits.”

Section 245(b)(2)(A) says the IRS must divulge tax return details — there’s no specified limit on what’s available or unavailable — to the Health Choices Commissioner. The purpose, again, is to verify “affordability credits.”

Section 1801(a) says that the Social Security Administration can obtain tax return data on anyone who may be eligible for a “low-income prescription drug subsidy” but has not applied for it.

In case you went to Harvard please note the citation numbers. These identify actual sections of the proposed legislation, which seem to be written in English. It’s not the Chief inventing this…just passing along information.

Meanwhile, there’s still the electronicization of health records mandated in the stimulus porculus bill…and not much worry about privacy:

A better candidate for a future privacy crisis is the so-called stimulus bill enacted with limited debate early this year. It mandated the “utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by 2014,” but included only limited privacy protections.

It’s true that if the legislative branch chooses to create “affordability credits,” it probably makes sense to ensure they’re not abused. The goal of curbing fraud runs up against the goal of preserving individual privacy.

If we’re going to have such significant additional government intrusion into our health care system, we will have to draw the privacy line somewhere. Maybe the House Democrats’ current bill gets it right. Maybe it doesn’t. But this vignette should be reason to be skeptical of claims that a massive and complex bill must be enacted as rapidly as its backers would have you believe.

Based on past performance…the Chief is HIGHLY skeptical that the Congs will do what is necessary to install adequate privacy protections.

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Administration Channeling Hillary’s VRWC

White House Blames E-Mail Controversy on ‘Sinister Conspiracy Theories’

The White House is blaming the controversy over its Web site and mass e-mails on viral rumors, “fear-mongering” and “sinister conspiracy theories” even as it acknowledges problems with its online practices.

Sounds like Hil’s “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy” is still officially out there! Oh, yeah – no big deal meanwhile: nothing to worry about concerning those pesky “problems with on-line practices” that they found.

After confirming to FOX News over the weekend that third-party groups could be responsible for official White House e-mails that have been sent to people who never signed up for them, President Obama’s new media director took to the official White House blog to “clear up” the confusion.

Oh-oh. To “clear up confusion”? We’re in trouble now!

In a posting Monday night, Macon Phillips again pointed the finger at “outside groups of all political stripes” but downplayed the backlash over the unwanted e-mails spam….Phillips confirmed that the White House had implemented new security measures on its Web site to prevent the problem. He insisted that the White House does not want any unsolicited e-mails spam going out.

Translation: lefty groups were “salting” the e-mail list, but we can’t just blame them, so we’ll be inclusive with the “all political stripes” label to appease our pet bloggers, and we HAVE say something since nobody likes spam-mail.

Phillips also confirmed that the e-mail account set up to field submissions from the public on “fishy” information about health care reform has been deactivated. This development was reported Monday morning by FOX News. Critics had raised questions about how that information would be used and some accused the White House of fishing for entries for an “enemies list,” a charge the White House rejected.

Again…another problems solved! Right? WRONG! Read on:

Phillips said the e-mail account was closed and the public was redirected to the “reality check” site to “consolidate the process.

“People can still submit “fishy” information about health care reform through the “reality check” Web site, set up by the White House last week to rebut health care rumors.

Translation: We’ll keep doing the same thing as before, but we’ll change the web site and call it something different now. “See? With that nasty ‘flag@white house.gov’ gone, the problem is solved! Nothing to see or do here anymore, move along and go back home.”

In the Chief’s former Naval environment, a situation like this would be pungently describes as something including the adjective “cluster”. ’nuff said.

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Change you Better Believe In

No guarantee taxes won’t go up
2 Obama administration officials can’t guarantee middle-class Americans won’t see tax hike

Surprise, surprise, surprise!

President Barack Obama’s treasury secretary said Sunday he cannot rule out higher taxes to help tame an exploding budget deficit, and his chief economic adviser would not dismiss raising them on middle-class Americans as part of a health care overhaul.

As the White House sought to balance campaign rhetoric with governing, officials appeared willing to extend unemployment benefits. With former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan saying he is “pretty sure we’ve already seen the bottom” of the recession, Obama aides sought to defend the economic stimulus and calm a jittery public.

Relax folks…it’s only a middle class tax increase…forget about those pesky campaign promises…that was just politics, right?

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and National Economic Council Director Larry Summers both sidestepped questions on Obama’s intentions about taxes. Geithner said the White House was not ready to rule out a tax hike to lower the federal deficit; Summers said Obama’s proposed health care overhaul needs funding from somewhere.

“There is a lot that can happen over time,” Summers said, adding that the administration believes “it is never a good idea to absolutely rule things out, no matter what.”

Even that stronghold of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, the New York TImes (All the news that fits, we print) has checked in on this:

Obama’s Pledge to Tax Only the Rich Can’t Pay for Everything, Analysts Say

Behind Democrats’ struggle to pay the $1 trillion 10-year cost of President Obama’s promise to overhaul the health care system is their collision with another of his well-known pledges: that 95 percent of Americans “will not see their taxes increase by a single dime” during his term.

President Obama has promised that 95 percent of Americans “will not see their taxes increase by a single dime” in his term.

This will not be the last time that the president runs into a conflict between his audacious agenda and his pay-as-you-go guarantee, when only 5 percent of taxpayers are being asked to chip in. Critics from conservative to liberal warn that Mr. Obama has tied his and Congress’s hands on a range of issues, including tax reform and the need to reduce deficits topping $1 trillion a year.

So what’s it mean to the rest of us? BOHICA! (Bend Over Here It Comes Again)

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How revolting!

Here comes California’s May 19 Rebellion

Whoo-hooo!

California voters head to the polls next week with predictions of doom echoing in their ears if they decline to endorse the massive tax hikes prescribed for them by big Democratic majorities in the statehouse, Arnold and a handful of now ruined-politically Republican legislators.

“Shrill” doesn’t begin to describe the campaign designed to stampede the Golden State electorate. The latest ad has a weary, soot-covered fire-fighter urging a yes vote on the tax hike. The message is clear: Vote no and your homes will burn down.

Not even this sort of fear-mongering is moving the needle towards “yes” on the massive tax surge on next week’s ballot as poll after poll shows all the key measures put forward by the tax-and-spend-and tax-again crowd failing badly.

Good for California, if this trend continues.

Arnold is doing his best to summon up the old magic but his appeal long ago hit Gray Davis-levels. Arnold was elected to slash taxes and spending, and somehow he confused that mandate with orders to throw in with the public employee unions. Too bad. He could have been a contender.

The GOP “leaders” who signed on to this roadmap to ruin have been dumped by their caucuses, and go down in California history as the biggest marks to have ever had a seat at the poker game known as the “Big Five” negotiations wherein the governor and the top Republicans and Democrats in the State Assembly and Senate hash out budget matters.

Jerry Brown, Gavin Newsom and every other would be Democratic governor are watching their chances in ’10 swirl down the drain as deep disgust with the tax-addicted grows.

Looks like the voters aren’t buying into the Governator’s transplanted version of Austrian-style National State Socialism.

What happens next is anyone’s guess because very few people think Arnold has any game left and so the state is effectively leaderless after its voters deliver an unambiguous message to carve state government back to the bone.

The first logical step would indeed be massive downsizing in the state government outside of public safety and education. Public assistance budgets will have to be slashed, and public employee pensions renegotiated to manageable levels.

California’s budget woes are much greater than those of GM and Chrysler combined, but no give-backs have even been requested of the public employee unions beyond a symbolic loss of a holiday or two lost. Entitlement payments have to be slashed and state assets sold.

The Golden State is bankrupt. It needs a quasi-bankruptcy proceeding, and it needs it now.

It’s fitting that the film Terminator Salvation is coming out too…looks like the voters are taking the title to heart, and seeking their salvation.

Culture Wars, SD Politics

South Dakota: Free Indeed!

Are things perfect here? No – not by a long shot…but then again, compared to some other places…not too shabby at all!

Freedom in the 50 States: Index of Personal and Economic Freedom

index-of-freedom-header1.jpg

This paper presents the first-ever comprehensive ranking of the American states on their public policies affecting individual freedoms in the economic, social, and personal spheres. We develop and justify our ratings and aggregation procedure on explicitly normative criteria, defining individual freedom as the ability to dispose of one’s own life, liberty, and justly acquired property however one sees fit, so long as one does not coercively infringe on other individuals’ ability to do the same.

This study improves on prior attempts to score economic freedom for American states in three primary ways: 1) it includes measures of social and personal freedoms such as peaceable citizens’ rights to educate their own children, own and carry firearms, and be free from unreasonable search and seizure; 2) it includes far more variables, even on economic policies alone, than prior studies, and there are no missing data on any variable; 3) we adopt new, more accurate measurements of key variables, particularly state fiscal policies.

We find that the freest states in the country are New Hampshire, Colorado, and South Dakota, which together achieve a virtual tie for first place. All three states feature low taxes and government spending and middling levels of regulation and paternalism. New York is the least free by a considerable margin, followed by New Jersey, Rhode Island, California and Maryland. (Emphases added)

The Chief knew there were a number of reasons why he liked living in South Dakota. Many of them relate to the topics covered in this analysis. Check it out.

If you’re a South Dakota liberal, let not your heart be troubled…Minnesota is right next door and Eastbound I-90 will take you there easily.  Don’t let the door hit you in the — on the way out!

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Another B.O. Appointee with Problem?

Obama appointee on leave after FBI raid, arrests

An employee of the D.C. Office of the Chief Technology Officer and a private contractor were charged with corruption Thursday after an FBI raid at the former office of one of President Obama’s appointees, Vivek Kundra.

Kundra is on leave from his White House job until further details of the case become known, a White House source tells the Associated Press.

Kundra has not been linked to Thursday’s raid.

…yet.

As the raid took place, Kundra was giving a speech at FOSE – an annual government technology expo – about changing the way the government purchases materials from vendors.

You couldn’t make this stuff up!

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Fed I.G.’s Now Subjected to Political Review

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The RAT hiding deep inside the stimulus bill

…you probably haven’t heard about a provision in the bill that threatens to politicize the way allegations of fraud and corruption are investigated — or not investigated — throughout the federal government.

The provision, which attracted virtually no attention in the debate over the 1,073-page stimulus bill, creates something called the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board — the RAT Board, as it’s known by the few insiders who are aware of it. The board would oversee the in-house watchdogs, known as inspectors general, whose job is to independently investigate allegations of wrongdoing at various federal agencies, without fear of interference by political appointees or the White House.

In the name of accountability and transparency, Congress has given the RAT Board the authority to ask “that an inspector general conduct or refrain from conducting an audit or investigation.” If the inspector general doesn’t want to follow the wishes of the RAT Board, he’ll have to write a report explaining his decision to the board, as well as to the head of his agency (from whom he is supposedly independent) and to Congress. In the end, a determined inspector general can probably get his way, but only after jumping through bureaucratic hoops that will inevitably make him hesitate to go forward.

If the Chief were a gambling man, he would bet that the Donks who were SO fast to weep and wail about the possible political abuse of the Patriot Act will be only noticeable by their silence about this. Hmmmmm. Come to think of it, maybe it WOULDN’T be a gamble at all to bet on it!

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BOHICA!

Another massive spending bill on the agenda

After a week off taking a victory lap for passing an economic stimulus, Congress’ Democratic leaders return to Washington on Monday for a second race against the clock to pass another massive spending package.

This time it is a roughly $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill that would fund most of the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, replacing stopgap funding that expires March 6.

KEEP THE PRESSES ROLLING! That’s the only way they’ll ever come up with the money to even come close to meeting their stated goals.

Of course B.O. says we’ll raise taxes on…you know who…the job creating class, known to the Donks as the “filthy rich”, who already pay an excruciatingly high percentage of the entire income tax loot total.

(If you’re curious about the acronymic header on this post, refer to the “Site Jargonology” link – warning: it ain’t that pretty at all, but IMHO it DOES fit right in!)

SD Politics

Technophobes Dominant in Pierre

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Panel kills plan for online public notices

South Dakota law should continue to require government public notices to be placed in newspapers, not on the Internet, a legislative committee says.

The House Local Government Committee voted 7-5 on Thursday to kill HB1135, which would have given state and local governments a choice of using newspapers or Internet web sites to publish minutes, bid offerings and other official notices.

OK. They don’t want ot put public notices on-line.

Supposedly this is so it’s more accessible to print in local newspapers, but how many people have on-line access virtually 24-7 at their home compared to taking the additional expense and hassle of either subscribing to a paper and/or making an extra trip to get one in the town where it is available…but which is off the beaten path, and NOT a normal destination point?

Of course a lot of the opposition to this comes from the dead-tree media, so what else could they say?

The bill would have allowed people to request that they receive government notices by mail, rather than through the Internet. That feature of the bill would increase public notice costs to local governments, said David Bordewyk of the South Dakota Newspaper Association.

“I would suggest you are creating quite a cost,” Bordewyk said.

IF anyone wanted a paper copy, it is one heck of a lot handier to jut print it from the computer than demand snail mail.

He also questioned whether digital records could be altered, either maliciously or unintentionally.

“Putting information online does not equate to ink on paper,” Bordewyk said.

Apparently no one at the newspaper association has ever heard of, or understands, or is willing to admit that they know how Acrobat PDF files are set up.

Rep. Darrell Solberg, D-Sioux Falls, questioned whether Internet postings would be accessible to as many people as are local newspapers.

“Readership on the Internet, in terms of legal notices, is meager,” Solberg said.

So he thinks that lengthy legalese notices, printed in a newspaper in microscopically small print is a hot item for readership? The Chief thinks it more likely that readership of legal notices in a newspaper, even among newspaper readers is “meager”.

Besides, if no one looks at stuff on the internet, why do ALL the newspapers have websites with their leading news coverage? Surely a lot of someones are looking at the sites, or else the newspapers themselves are themselves “creating quite a cost” to no good result.

Give me a break.

This just fits the trend of government at all levels dragging its feet at moving into the e-information age….If they did that, maybe they would even have to account more to the voters for what they do when most people aren’t looking over their shoulders.

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Note from a Republican in Exile

Governor Romney’s Remarks to the House Republican Conference Retreat

This was presented by the Governor to the House GOP, right after they said “Thanks, but no thanks!” to B.O.’s & the Donk Congs’ bloated bailout bill.

Just a few highlights:

This is a time of hardship and uncertainty for millions of Americans. The question is: whose leadership and ideas will turn things around. And in such a moment, it’s our job to offer the clear answers, the proven solutions, and resolute leadership that will make this country strong again.

The new President and the Congressional majority are having a difficult time doing that. After all, they have a lot of campaign rhetoric to make good on. And they’ve got plenty of special interests to pay back. As the opposition party, we’re entirely free to do what is right for the country. There are certain advantages to that kind of freedom, and I suggest we make the most of them….

That begins with a clear analysis of what’s needed to get the economy moving again. Predictions that we are almost out of the woods, based on the length of prior recessions, are wishful thinking. Americans have lost some 11 trillion dollars in net worth. That translates into about 400 billion dollars less annual consumer spending in the economy.

There’s something else people don’t talk much about: The pool of investment capital—all the money available for new investments, business start-ups, business expansions, capital expenditures, and new hiring. The size of that pool has shrunk by trillions of dollars. This was a huge loss in value, and the effect could be felt for years—in businesses that don’t start up or grow, in jobs that don’t get created….

We’re on an economic tightrope. That’s why it is so important to exercise extreme care and good judgment. So far, the Democratic leadership hasn’t shown a great deal of that. They’ve passed 355 billion in infrastructure spending, 60% of which won’t be spent by the end of 2010. Billions for electronic medical health records—it’s a fine idea, but it won’t produce jobs for years and years.

Even worse are the liberal payoffs—50 million dollars for the National Endowment for the Arts, hundreds of millions of dollars to the states for STD prevention and education. Until your loud protests got it dropped from the bill, there even was 200 million dollars for the DC Mall. That might have grown some grass, but it wouldn’t have grown the economy. And they’re doing this when the economy is on a tightrope….

We need to stimulate the economy, not the government. (emphasis added) A true stimulus package, one that respects the productivity and genius of the American people, could lift this country out of recession. And experience shows us what it should look like.

First, there are two ways you can put money into the economy, by spending more or by taxing less. But if it’s stimulus you want, taxing less works best….

Second, any new spending must be strictly limited to projects that are essential. How do we define essential? Well, a good rule is that the projects we fund in a stimulus should be legitimate government priorities that would have been carried out in the future anyway, and are simply being moved up to create those jobs now….

Third, sending out rebate checks to citizens and businesses is not a tax cut. The media bought this line so far, but they’ve got it wrong. Checks in the mail are refunds, not tax cuts. We tried rebate checks last year and they did virtually nothing to jump-start the economy….

Fourth, if we’re going to tax less and spend more to get the economy moving, then we have to make another commitment as well. As soon as this economy recovers, we have to regain control over the federal budget, and above all, over entitlement spending. This is more important than most people are willing to admit….

Fifth, we must begin to recover from the enormous losses in the capital investment pool. And the surest, most obvious way to get that done is to send a clear signal that there will be no tax increases on investment and capital gains….

And finally, let’s exercise restraint in the size of the stimulus package. Without restraint, it may grow as the days go by. Last year, with the economy already faltering, I proposed a stimulus of 233 billion dollars. The Washington Post said, and I quote: “Romney’s plan is way too big.” So what critique do they have for the size of the Democrat’s package? I’m afraid they’ve caught a bad case of liberal laryngitis. It’s everywhere these days.

In the final analysis, we know that only the private sector—entrepreneurs and businesses large and small—can create the millions of jobs our country needs. The invisible hand of the market always moves faster and better than the heavy hand of government.

The difference between us and the Democrats is this: they want to stimulate the government, and we want to stimulate the economy.

Sounds a LOT better to the Chief than most of what spews forth from the banks of the Potomac these days.

The Governor goes on and also comments on other issues…healthcare, the union card-check scam, abortion funding, and the status of GITMO and the war on Islamoterrorism.

Too bad that Romney wasn’t carrying the banner in November instead of The Manchurian Candidate.

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Bureaucracy expands to meet the needs of the expanding bureaucracy

Clinton moves to widen role of State Dept.

Even before taking office, Hillary Rodham Clinton is seeking to build a more powerful State Department, with a bigger budget, high-profile special envoys to trouble spots and an expanded role in dealing with global economic issues at a time of crisis.

Mrs. Clinton is recruiting Jacob J. Lew, the budget director under President Bill Clinton, as one of two deputies, according to people close to the Obama transition team. Mr. Lew’s focus, they said, will be on increasing the share of financing that goes to the diplomatic corps. He and James B. Steinberg, a deputy national security adviser in the Clinton administration, are to be Mrs. Clinton’s chief lieutenants.

Well, a Clinton, is in the end…a Clinton. When in doubt go for more power.

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A Failure to Communicate

CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS RELEASE REPORT LAMBASTING FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN

Initially received via e-mail from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national ham radio society.

Doesn’t exactly sound expeditious at the FCC:

On Tuesday, December 9, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce — the congressional committee that oversees the Federal Communications Commission — released its majority staff report “on the bipartisan investigation of the FCC’s regulatory processes and management practices.” The report — “Deception and Distrust: The Federal Communications Commission under Chairman Kevin J. Martin” — stated that the investigation was prompted “by allegations to the effect that [FCC] Chairman Kevin J. Martin has abused FCC procedures by manipulating or suppressing reports, data and information”

“Our investigation confirmed a number of troubling allegations raised by individuals in and outside the FCC,” said Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations. “The Committee staff report details some of the most egregious abuses of power, suppression of information and manipulation of data under Chairman Martin’s leadership. It is my hope that this report will serve as a roadmap for a fair, open and efficient FCC under new leadership in the next administration.”

One can always hope for a change…wait a minute…didn’t that happen?

Unfortunately, the new administration doesn’t seem poised to improve the situation…what with the talk about a revival of the late, un-great “Fairness” Censorship Doctrine.

“Here comes the new Boss, same as the old Boss.” – The Who (Won’t Get Fooled Again)

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B.O. Aiming at Presidency, or More?

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Rep. calls Obama Marxist, warns of dictatorship

Maybe this isn’t anything to worry about, but who knows for sure? Something to keep an eye on, for sure.

A Republican congressman from Georgia is calling President-elect Obama a Marxist and warning that he might be planning to form a Gestapo-like security force so he can rule as a dictator.

Two-term Rep. Paul Broun of Athens cited a July speech that has circulated on the Internet in which Obama called for a civilian force to take some of the national security burden off the military.

Broun said he was not fearmongering but wants to warn people that the nation could be going down that path.

His comments came in a Monday telephone interview with The Associated Press after he called Obama a Marxist at a Rotary Club meeting in his district over the weekend.

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Transparency vs. Golden Rule

Fed Defies Transparency Aim in Refusal to Disclose

The Federal Reserve is refusing to identify the recipients of almost $2 trillion of emergency loans from American taxpayers or the troubled assets the central bank is accepting as collateral.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said in September they would comply with congressional demands for transparency in a $700 billion bailout of the banking system. Two months later, as the Fed lends far more than that in separate rescue programs that didn’t require approval by Congress, Americans have no idea where their money is going or what securities the banks are pledging in return.

Looks like the Golden Rule wins: “THOSE WHO HAVE THE GOLD, MAKE THE RULES.”