Special Fourth Of July Quote Of The Day
From Barack Obama, former Constitutional law professor and current President of the United States, explaining and lamenting his inability to unilaterally enact his ambitious and costly agenda:
I say that’s a feature, not a bug.
So Beat It, Just Beat It
John Steele Gordon explains why it is so difficult to rid ourselves of venal, dumbass politicians, no matter how bad or ineffective they are:
“Computers have turned gerrymandering into a fine art and the effect has been deeply pernicious. Gerrymandering effectively disenfranchises millions of Americans. It makes primary elections more important than general elections. That, in turn, empties out the center from which this country has always been governed, as primary electorates tend to be dominated by the left and right. That makes politics ever more partisan, bitter, and vindictive. Legislators entrenched by gerrymandering easily become both corrupt and indifferent to public opinion, and thus more willing to do the bidding of special interests. Gerrymandering is also one of the main reasons the public favors so strongly what politicians hate so much: term limits.“
Political Miscalculation Of The Decade
Eighteen months before he was hanged, Saddam Hussein told the FBI he pretended to have WMD because “he was more concerned about Iran discovering Iraq’s weakness and vulnerabilities than the repercussions of the United States for his refusal to allow UN inspectors back into Iraq.”
He’s Just Not That Into You
Chad Pergram explains Phil Hare’s vote for the cap-and-trade Waxman-Markey bill:
Rep. Phil Hare (D-Hack) was concerned about the impact on farmers. He even got a call from White House Chief of Staff and former fellow Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel to plead for his vote . . . But Hare said he already made up his mind to support the bill by the time Emanuel phoned. . . . “I told him, ‘I hate to be the bearer of bad news. You don’t have to scream at me.’ Hare said.
Screw the farmers and the rest of the 17th CD—Hare answers to a higher power.
Our good little lockstepper don’t need no stinkin’ constituents—he takes his marching orders from San Fran Nan and ShyTown Rahm.
Our district is in the very best of hands.
Oh The Games People Play Now, Every Night And Every Day Now
“[Pat Quinn's] attempts to create political chaos by placing high-profile ‘feel good’ programs on the chopping block is disingenuous. By failing to address the state’s fundamental spending and inefficiency problems, Quinn is setting up Illinois taxpayers for even greater future fiscal disaster.”
In other words, we could be California.
But the craven and cynical games being played in Springfield go beyond the typical craven and cynical Democrat politics as usual.
The Dispatch quoting Republican Gary Dahl:
“We’re telling our human service groups that this budget that was passed on May 31 was a budget that was totally unfair to them . . . Everything else was funded at 90 percent; some things were funded at 100 percent, and some things more than 100 percent. The’re the only ones getting the short end of the stick. . . . This was a ploy by the Democratic leadership to attempt to create a firestorm, which they did, and make everybody vote for a tax increase, which obviously didn’t happen . . . I think people are smarter than that.”
Well, maybe some people, but obviously not our Sen. Jacobs and Rep. Verschoore who were duped into backing tax increases.
So all those stories you’ve been reading about how the poor, infirm and downtrodden will be hurt if we don’t raise taxes, just remember—-all other government programs are being funded at 90%, 100% or 100+%
In a perfect world, these manipulative Democrats would get kicked out of office in ‘10—but this is Illinois.
They Told Me If I Voted For John McCain Politics Would Trump Science . . .
. . . and they were right!
First They Came For The Financial Bloggers . . .
. . . but I was not a financial blogger so I did not speak out.
“New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the [FTC] can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest . . . It would be the first time the FTC tries to patrol systematically what bloggers say and do online.”
This is the Nanny State gone berserk in order to protect and save those who believe it must be true if they saw it on the internet.
Sheesh!
Why Bother?
An out-of-the-way item in The Dispatch announced that Jim Widdop would be sworn in today as RICO’s regional school superintendent.
Following the usual MO of the RICO Politburo, the previous super stepped down AFTER being elected in November, and Widdop was appointed by the Democrat elites to fill out the term. Of course Widdop doesn’t see this as an interim appointment; the article says he plans to file papers to run for a full term in the November ‘10 election.
Isn’t that special?
The Politburo must fear competition because when people have to actually compete for public office, you can get debacles like the Rock Island mayor’s race—or Al Franken as Senator.
But still, the county could save a lot of money by suspending elections for county officials since everybody runs as an incumbent anyway and there are never contested elections—just like the old Soviet Union.
The RICO GOP plays its part as useful idiot by refusing to run anyone against the powerful cabal of RICO Democrats, so they could do us all a favor by disbanding and heading out of the county—that is, if they have the will to break up their bridge club, or whatever it is they have been doing for the last several decades.
When even a school superintendent doesn’t have to face a contested race or face the public, what’s the point of elections?
Our Wonderful President Explains The Difference Between Republicans And Democrats
In an article in The New York Times Barack Obama explains the difference between the 44 Democrats who voted against Waxman-Markey and the Republicans who also voted against it:
“I think those 44 Democrats are sensitive to the immediate political climate of uncertainty around this issue . . . They’ve got to run every two years, and I completely understand that.”
Here’s what Obama says about the Republicans who also voted against Waxman-Markey:
“Those Republicans ‘are 16 years behind the times . . . They’re fighting not even the last war . . . They’re fighting three wars ago.”
OK, let me get this straight—Democrats are victims of the two year election cycle, but Republicans are not. Republicans are not voting the wishes of their constituents like Democrats, they are just “fighting three wars ago”, which Democrts are not.
OOOooooKaaayyyy Barry, whatever.
Gee, it seems eons ago when Obama employed his soaring rhetoric and sweet smile to claim there were no blue states or red states, just the UNITED STATES to thundering applause—at the Democrat Convention, no less.
But like so many other Obama statements, his claim of post-partisanship has reached its expiration date.
Conservatives And Liberals Finally Discover Common Ground
Paul Krugman in today’s New York Times:
“And as I watched [those who oppose Waxman-Markey] make their arguments,I couldn’t help thinking that I was watching a form of treason—treason against the planet.”
Nicole Belle in the leftwing blog Crooks and Liars is in full froth over Fox News coverage of the climate change bill:
“. . . Fox Nation writers, in order to put it in right wing terms the pitchfork gang can understand and appreciate, tweaked [an AP story about Waxman-Markey] thusly: ‘Treason? House Passes Direct Assault On Industrial Base’ . . . But then, in Fox Nation, anyone who dares disagree with the solons of right wing dogma is are traitors.’
Or a leftwing traitor—I’m so confused!
Leftwinger Paul Krugman calls voting against the climate change bill “treason”.
On the other hand, Fox News characterizes Waxman-Markey as “treason”, so which is it? Or is it both? Or neither?
What about anyone who dares disagree with the solons of left wing dogma being branded a traitor?
I’m just happy the left and right finally agree on something—-Waxman-Markey is treason.
Unfortunately, in all this bipartisan comity, I do believe the word “treason” has become another useless, meaningless word.
