Quote Of The Day
From New York car salesman Rob Bojaryn on the “Cash For Clunkers” program, which has been suspended due to a backlog of red tape:
Maybe this should be “Understatement Of The Day”—Cash for Clunkers is only a $1B program—the proposed health care “reform” will cost trillions.
Your Tax Dollars At Work
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) received $80M to support starving artists whose work is too bizarre to be supported by private donors.
Out of that $80M “stimulus” funds, $50,000 was used to finance “the world’s only underground kinky art porno horror film, complete with four men, three women and a gorilla”.
Boy, I can’t wait to see that one!
Of course, the NEA defends this “film” by saying your tax $$$$ are helping “preserve jobs in danger of going away . . because of the economic downturn.”
Auto workers, investment bankers, gorillas—-what’s the diff?
As we all know, pornography would wither and die away if not for the support of taxpayers like you.
But you knew this would happen when you voted for Obama and Democrats; a political party that lionizes an alcoholic, womanizing murderer like Ted Kennedy isn’t likely to get agitated by a sex film featuring four men, three women and a gorilla, now is it?
Quick, Look Over There! It’s A Birther!
With his approval ratings tanking along with public support for his “progressive” and expensive social programs, Obama has been backed in a corner, which is unfamiliar terrain for him.
Like all trapped animals, Obama acts on his survival instinct by employing his tried and true trifecta:
1. Soaring rhetoric and sweet smile
2. Blame Bush ™
3. Demonize and/or marginalize his opponents.
I had not intended to wade into the “Birther” controversy because I’m not much of a conspiracy enthusiast , and these fringe ideas have been around for some time and will never go away; I’m thinking about the theory that the Clintons killed Vince Foster, the 9/11 attacks were an inside job and Trig Palin is Sarah Palin’s grandson.
Interesting, but wacky.
But in his desperation, Obama allowed his shill, Robert Gibbs, to bring this out in the open by answering a planted question by fair and balanced Air America about Obama’s citizenship. It was the most clear and concise answer Gibbs has ever given to ANY question.
Unfortunately, Gibbs lied when he said nothing could be done to quell the controversy about Obama’s nativity because all Obama would have to do is show his original birth certificate.
What has been presented is a “summary” of the certificate, just as Obama only released a “summary” of his health records. His grades from Occidental, Columbia and Harvard are evidently a state secret because he hasn’t released those either. It seems Obama is a duskier Dick Nixon.
I have no idea why Obama won’t just release the original and be done with it, but I’m sure he has his reasons, which only fuel the controversy.
As Obama worshipper Andrew Sullivan said:
Sullivan should know since he believes Trig is Sarah Palin’s grandson.
But at least people won’t be dwelling on what a miserable failure Obama is—-so, mission accomplished!
My Graft Is Better Than Your Graft
Of course he promised “reform” like all Democrats, including Blago, and is campaigning against Republicans who have no power and George Bush who hasn’t run for election since ‘04.
I guess that is what keeps The Faithful fired up, but he couldn’t help fudging the facts by “blaming the economic recession on Republicans who controlled the federal government for the past eight years.”
The inconvenient truth is that Democrats have controlled Congress for the last two and half years, but we can’t let the facts get in the way of a trite talking point, can we?
Should we elect a man to the US Senate who is this dumb or dishonest? Oh, I forgot—this is Illinois!
He continues with his dishonest and banal campaign talking points by blasting the GOP for taking PAC money from corporations.
Of course Democrats take money from corporations too, but when asked about this blatant piece of dishonesty, Giannoulias had this dumbass riposte:
“The difference is we don’t take money from PACs that are for-profit.’
Yeah, those trial lawyers and Big Labor organizations are completely different.
Theme Day At The Dispatch
Today’s front page theme at The Dispatch is Your Tax Dollars At Work.
At the top of the front page is a story with the headline $4M In Bonds For Land about how the City of Moline is considering taking out $4M in bonds to pay off Mike Shamsie’s bank loan and to finance asbestos removal and demolition of a building on Shamsie’s failed residential development, One Moline Place.
Shamsie’s part in this? Fork over a deed to the city after the work is done.
Such a deal!
Money (literally) quote from city administrator Lew Steinbrecher:
“This is very successful project . . . another huge benefit—we acquire control of the land . . . It is good deal for the city.”
I suppose if the federal government can run the auto and banking industries, Moline can engage in real estate development.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An obligatory article on the wonderful cash for clunkers deal headlined Q-C Dealers Report Surge In Car Sales fits the theme.
The consensus among local car dealers seems to be that this is a good thing and is pumping up their sales, even if it is taxpayers doing the pumping.
The “cash for clunker” bill was slipped into the latest war funding bill—the only war funding bill Phil Hare ever voted for.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An item about the Midwest High Speed Rail Summit held yesterday in Chicago headlined Midwest Governors Push Rail Network
The purpose of the summit is for governors in eight upper Midwestern states, including Iowa and Ilinois, to push for their share of the $8 billion “stimulus” money available for high speed rail.
I realize there is a lot of enthusiasm among our political class for this, but frankly I see high speed rail as a 21st Century govenment boondoggle on par with the I & M and Hennepin Canals, which by the time they were built were already made obsolete by the emerging railroads.
But hey, it’s only (our) money!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At first I didn’t think this story fit the theme; I thought it was just a nice human interest story about some women doing good works and public service by painting a 1.25 mile fence at a Cambridge cemetery.
But as it turns out in the story headlined Summer Job Offers Brush With History, these women aren’t volunteers, they are being paid from taxpayer “stimulus” funds.
I’m a history buff, but if this is Obama’s idea of the 21st Century New Deal, he needs a better idea.
Quote Of The Day
From udn.Dave:
“Only government can make beer drinking harder than it should be.”
Hope! Change! Reform!
Yesterday Chicago Democrat and Illinois Treasurer, Alexi Giannoulias announced he is running for Obama’s old seat in the US Senate, now warmed by Roland Burris.
Explaining his rationale for running, Giannoulis said this:
“If we are going to reform health care, or change energy policy or turn our economy around, we cannot go backward. We must embrace change and move forward . . .”
Poor Alexi—his talking points are so ‘08.
Polls show that confidence is falling for both Obama and his policies—especially the “stimulus”, public option healthcare and cap and trade .
In his announcement, Giannoulias touts his relationship with his “friend, my mentor and my inspiration, President Barack Obama.”
By 2010, the country, including Illinois may have had a gut-full of Obama’s “change” and “reform”, which means higher taxes and an expanding and intrusive federal government.
If that happens, then there is a possibility that we will have some REAL change in Illinois—less Democrats, more Republicans.
But if the tired mantra of Hope! Change! Reform! doesn’t work for Giannoulias, he can always fall back on the tried and true Democrat slogan that brought them victory in ‘06 and ‘08: Bush! Cheney! Neocons!
Should work like a charm.
Unfortunately I Have To Wash My Hair . . .
. . . otherwise I know I would be watching the riveting show on HBO tonight called “Yes Men”, which, according to TV critic Kevin McDonough, “combines meticulously planned pranks with a serious economic argument and social agenda—just my cup of chai!
Here’s the nut graff from McDonough:
“The Yes Men argue that our current economic system operates like a dangerous religious cult. They claim that for the past generation, people in both the public and private sector have worshipped at the altar of Milton Friedman and his faith in the virtues of personal greed, and that the elevation of the market as the arbiter of all things has been disastrous, dehumanizing and destructive.’
Unlike those kinder, gentler economic models like socialism and communism.
Is this why people watch tv now—to be indoctrinated in liberal dogma?
Thanks, but no thanks, they can stuff their leftwing propaganda—I’ll stick with Dancing With The Stars.
The Fawning Groupie Award . . .
. . . goes to Rachel Maddow for her remarks about Barack Obama’s Friday walkback from his stupid “stupidly” comment on Wednesday:
“Think about what it says about the president’s confidence on this particular issue that when he went out to stop the firestorm that had been burning for two days? His comments when he tried to fix it were again unscripted. No prompter. No apparent notes.”
