Monday, May 11, 2009
Kudos: Jake Tapper Critical of Obama's 'Tiny' Budget Cut Efforts
With much fanfare, President Barack Obama rolled out his intentions to cut $17 billion from the federal budget on May 7. But despite the spinmeisters, not everyone was buying it.
"The White House today played up its proposed cuts to the federal budget," ABC "World News" anchor Charles Gibson said on his May 7 broadcast."That budget plays up to $3.6 trillion. The White House wants to trim a tiny fraction - $17 billion. The president, arguing that seemingly small amount is a step in the right direction."
Tapper wasn't buying the premise that the $17 billion in cuts were a major accomplishment. In fact, he pointed out that President Barack Obama wasn't impressed with a similar dollar amount eight months ago at the height of the presidential campaign.
"Of the president's $3.6-trillion budget, the proposed $17 billion in cuts amount to a reduction of less than one-half of 1 percent," Tapper said. "On the campaign trail last year, then-Sen. Obama seemed to belittle the impact of his opponent's call to cut earmarks - $18 billion worth." [snip]
"Let's do this - let's you and I walk down on the street today," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said. "Let's interview maybe a dozen people and ask them whether they think $17 billion is a lot of money."
So that's what Tapper did. Before putting the $17 billion in context of the entire budget people thought it was a lot of money.
But after he explained that is part of a $3.6 trillion budget, those he interviewed on camera, weren't impressed...
[Context is key.]
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Obama schools the press on how to report his 'budget cuts'
[HT:NR]
Brian Montopoli of CBS News quotes the president giving instructions in how to spin the miniscule budget cutting efforts of his administration:
... And he told journalists directly that they should stress the fact that the cuts are "significant" - a surprisingly direct appeal to reporters concerning which angle they should take in their coverage.
"It is important, though, for all of you, as you're writing up these stories, to recognize that $17 billion taken out of our discretionary, non-defense budget, as well as portions of our defense budget, are significant," he said. "They mean something."
Obama as his own propagandist is an interesting twist. Perhaps some enterprising blogger will scan the MSM this morning and see how many reporters actually took that tack - that $17 in cuts is "significant."
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Memo to Clueless Media: Obama's $17 Bil in 'Cuts' Aren't Real Spending Reductions
President Obama announced $17 billion in "spending cuts" Thursday.
But as anyone who actually read the bill would recognize, the alleged cuts mean almost nothing, according to the Heritage Foundation's Brian Riedl, who cut through the misdirection earlier today at The Corner (bolds are mine):
..... Virtually every dollar “saved” would automatically go towards new spending instead of deficit reduction.
Here’s why: The president already proposed a specific discretionary spending level (which included these proposals), and Congress has already approved a budget that would spend $1,086 billion on regular discretionary spending in FY 2010. The discretionary savings proposals affect only the composition of such spending. Thus, even if the entire $12.5 billion in discretionary spending cuts are enacted, the savings would automatically be plowed into other programs to maintain discretionary spending at that pre-set $1,086 billion level. So this exercise is about reorganizing — not reducing — government.
Even on the entitlement side, $3.6 billion of the $4.6 billion in 2010 savings comes from phasing out the subsidized student-loan program, with all savings redirected into expanded Pell grants. There is virtually no deficit reduction from these reforms.
If anyone in the establishment media caught what Reidl did, I haven't seen evidence of it. Among many others, it's not this LA Times story; it's not at this piece at the Caucus blog at the New York Times; a Poltico story fails to even mention the total size of the federal budget... [snip]
Obama's spending increases are real. As shown earlier, the spending "cuts" are just a mirage.
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Taliban move to new Pakistan area ups peace doubts
ISLAMABAD – Gunmen attacked a Pakistani paramilitary force sent to a Taliban-infiltrated district just 60 miles from the capital Thursday, killing a police officer and feeding growing doubts about the government's peace deal with extremists in the area. (Snip)U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told American lawmakers in an unusually blunt statement Wednesday that Pakistan's leaders were "basically abdicating to the Taliban."
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87% Worried About Security of Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons
Eighty-seven percent (87%) of U.S. voters are now at least somewhat concerned about the security of nuclear weapons in Pakistan as the radical Islamic Taliban continues to make gains in that country. Sixty percent (60%) are Very Concerned.
Just 10% are not concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons in the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
But voters still rank Pakistan as just third on a list of the nations they view as the biggest threats to U.S. national security. Iran is viewed as the biggest threat by 35%, followed by North Korea (23%), Pakistan (14%) and Afghanistan (12%). Sixteen percent (16%) are undecided.
This helps to explain why voters are evenly divided over whether the United States should send troops to Pakistan to help combat the Taliban. Thirty-three percent (33%) say yes, but the identical number (33%) disagree and 34% are not sure.
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Judge Shocks America
...Before last year, the courts always recognized the enormous difference between prosecuting criminals and fighting a war. Habeas corpus applies to American citizens or people on American soil as part of domestic policy. When invoked, it requires the government to apply all of those rights listed above. It’s a civilian process deliberately biased in favor of defendants that is focused on our courts under Article III of the Constitution.
War, on the other hand, is a military matter. It’s part of foreign policy under the president’s commander-in-chief power in Article II of the Constitution. It’s deliberately biased in favor of American power, intended to protect American lives and our national security.
Then Boumediene v. Bush came along, striking down the military commission system in Guantanamo Bay. For the first time, with a 5-4 split decision, the Article III branch chose to override the Article I Congress that created the military commission system and the Article II president who was fighting a war. The four conservative justices that dissented in that case warned that America would regret the majority’s decision.
Today may be the beginning of that regret.
Habeas here means everyone captured on battlefields is presumed innocent and gets taxpayer-funded defense lawyers and every right of Americans. 
That includes making the soldiers involved to be flown back to the U.S. for the terrorist’s trial, where they’ll have to testify and defend themselves. The soldiers will have to provide evidence to prove their allegations about the terrorist defendant. If they can’t prove every part of what they say, the terrorist will go free.
[We've serious problems with the Judicial Branch, it needs be brought back under citizen control, and not vice-versa.]
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Report: Region may be a hotbed for terrorist recruiting
A new report produced by a branch of the Virginia State Police portrays the state's colleges and universities as potential breeding grounds for terrorism.
The 200-page report, intended for distribution to law enforcement, intelligence and military organizations, says "a wide variety of terror or extremist groups" have links to Hampton Roads and singles out the area's two historically black universities for special mention...
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‘Islam against enforcing sharia by force’
[good sign from 'over there']
PESHAWAR: Ulema and religious leaders on Thursday declared that Islam did not allow anyone to enforce sharia by force.
They unanimously said Islam did not permit anyone to take up weapons to force people to accept sharia, adding that Islam ordained the use of peaceful means to spread the religion’s teachings.
The religious leaders expressed the views at a conference of clerics and religious scholars organised by the Auqaf and Religious Affairs Department at the Auqaf Auditorium.
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Queen's Trinity Cross medal scrapped... because it's 'too Christian'
[Meanwhile, in the 'West']
A medal personally established by the Queen is being withdrawn after it was deemed offensive to Muslims and Hindus.
The honour - known as The Trinity Cross of the Order of Trinity - has been ruled unlawful and too Christian.
Groups representing the Caribbean islands' Muslim and Hindu communities - which account for around a third of their 1.3million-strong population - argued that the words 'Trinity' and 'Cross' were 'overtly Christian'. They also said the use of a cross insignia was offensive.
Five British law lords, all members of the Privy Council, have ruled that the honour breached the right to equality and the right to freedom of conscience and belief.
It will be replaced with the Order of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago - a circular medal featuring a sun, stars, water and a map of the islands.
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Sims nomination mocks Obama’s transparency claims
President Barack Obama has settled on a train-wreck of a nominee for Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). On Tuesday, the Senate, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee approved Ronald Sims in a voice vote.
They did so despite having credible information indicating financial mismanagement and ethical transgressions, including two egregious abuses of a state freedom of information law...
[Appointments are policy.]
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IL Treasurer’s Intimidation of National Bank, and Union's Invocation of TARP, Is Not National News
Shoot, he's only talking about pulling $8 billion in state-controlled money because a bank won't go easy on a business borrower who can't pay. What's the big deal?
Well, the story involves the company that makes suits for President Barack Obama (pictured at right). Beyond that, the union at that company is citing the US Treasury Department's Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) as a reason that company's bank should in essence bail it out.
You might think that these two factors, combined with what I'm characterizing as a loyalty oath all financial institutions who do business with the State of Illinois must soon agree to (covered later), might make the Treasurer's and union's threats a national story. You would be wrong.
Here is most of the very short AP item, carried at the Springfield (IL) State Journal-Register;
State to deny banks that refuse community investment pledge
Illinois State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias is demanding that Illinois financial institutions reinvest in the communities they serve if they expect future state money.
Beginning June 1, Giannoulias will require all financial institutions to sign a three-point community reinvestment pledge before receiving or renewing state deposits.
It would appear that we're beginning to get a handle on the real reasons why the Treasury Department won't accept TARP repayments. They want to give a club to any and every activist and politician who wishes to use it to impose their will on any financial institution that might get in their way.
And this isn't of interest to anyone outside of Illinois?
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Gangster government gives Chrysler to UAW
[HT:HE]
Give President Barack Obama credit — he at least made the proverbial offer Chrysler’s secured creditors couldn’t refuse. The way Obama strong-armed creditors who rightfully expected to be treated justly under the law was right out of Juan Peron’s playbook.
Like the Argentinian strong man, Obama muscled the owners and creditors out of a productive private company and gave it to union leaders, who will then fill his campaign coffers in gratitude for his generosity.
The Examiner’s Michael Barone — who has forgotten more about American government and politics than most Washington, D.C., political experts know — was correct to dub Obama’s Chrysler heist “an episode of Gangster Government.” [snip]
Contrasting mightily with the Pennsylvania Avenue Gang’s thuggery is the quiet confidence of Ford Motor Co.’s president and CEO, Allan Mullaly. When GM and Chrysler headed hats-in-hand to Washington last fall, Mullaly said Ford didn’t want a bailout. With a guy like that at the helm, it’s enough to make people who love American free enterprise go out and buy a new Ford.
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'Green' Cars Hailed as Savior of Ford, Michigan Economy
We were told all throughout the 2008 presidential campaign and on up into the debate over the stimulus that the way out of the current economic malaise is through growing a green economy. "NBC Nightly News" is still on message.
On the May 6 broadcast of "Nightly News," anchor Brian Williams explained that Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) didn't accept federal bailout money, but all the while it has been producing green cars - as if the two were related.
However, Ford's success has little to do with the green cars, but instead its success with its restructuring plan, as a May 6 Reuters story pointed out."Ford Motor Co remains on track in its restructuring and has sufficient liquidity to fund the plan which includes conversion of plants and investment in future products, company executives said. Ford, the only U.S. automaker not operating under bailout funds, also has continued to consolidate its dealer network, but sees no need for the type of aggressive culling rivals GM and Chrysler plan"
But is was the new green Ford plant that was portrayed was the driver of recovery for the entire company, despite its being just a drop in the bucket when the plant has only 3,200 workers while unemployment rates are over 12 percent in Michigan...
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Return of High Oil Price Predictions: CNBC Segment Warns of $300 Oil
Kevin Kerr of Global Commodities Alert explained $300 oil was still a possibility - since the momentum to drill for more oil, improve infrastructure and develop other sources of energy has waned with the decline in the price of crude."Look, $300 isn't going to happen overnight," Kerr said. "But the same situation that we had, when we saw oil prices get to $147 - the same things still exist. We do not have more drilling. We do not have more infrastructure."
One variable many experts attribute the decline of the price of oil to is the drop in demand, due to the economic slowdown. But Kerr contended the economy is turning around and so will oil's price."You know, oil prices have swung all the way back down to around $30 - Everybody was talking about a $30 sustained oil price or maybe even lower and that's just unrealistic. Demand is starting to comeback. We're starting to see the seeds of a recovery."
[And when it does we'll realize {and be shocked no doubt} that we did nothing to improve our energy footing when we had the chance and are again under the thumb of OPEC...]
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PBS NewsHour Slants Story on GOP, 'Too Conservative and Unwilling to Listen'
The defection of Arlen Specter is still drawing stories bashing the Republican Party as too conservative. On Thursday night's NewsHour on PBS, correspondent Kwame Holman announced "Specter's departure from the GOP has reignited the debate over whether the Republican Party has lost ground with the public because it has become too ideologically conservative and unwilling to listen to moderates in its ranks."
The soundbite count was very slanted, with nine snippets of leftists decrying the party's tilt (counting one from the departing Specter, since it's his rationale for party-switching) to just two clips from conservative Sen. Jim DeMint... [snip]
Speaking of a "losing strategy," PBS's Holman never discussed how the number of moderate Republicans in Congress diminished -- they were mostly defeated by Democrats in general elections, not by conservatives in primary races.
If going toward the center is a winning strategy, doesn't the declining number of moderates offer a counterpoint worth reporting?
[Apparently not, just as we're to conveniently forget that the Republican party just ran its most 'moderate' candidate in history, a fellow by the name of McCain - and how'd that turn out?
I.e., the enemies of conservatism are working overtime to give them 'advice'? Sure. Sadly, many idiots in the GOP are actually listening to them. It's a formula for securing a permanent minority.]
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Time Mag on GOP: 'Extremely Conservative Ideas' for 'Extremely Conservative Base'
How may times can you use the discrediting term “extremely,” suggesting extremist positions, in a single sentence describing the state of the Republican Party? Three, if you're writing Time magazine's cover story. Michael Grunwald contended “the party's ideas -- about economic issues, social issues and just about everything else -- are not popular ideas.”
He then asserted in the article for the May 18 edition of the magazine:They are extremely conservative ideas tarred by association with the extremely unpopular George W. Bush, who helped downsize the party to its extremely conservative base.
An excerpt from “Republicans in Distress: Is the Party Over?”, which is part of the magazine's “Endangered Species” cover story package:
....Republicans actually have plenty of ideas.
That's the problem. The party's ideas — about economic issues, social issues and just about everything else — are not popular ideas. They are extremely conservative ideas...
[Don't be fooled by the pervasive campaign to label all things conservative 'extreme' by definition: this nation remains a center-right country and conservative {mind you} ideas can only be seen as extreme in their distance from the ultra-liberal agenda of the current administration & congress {and MSM}.
Unfortunately as 2008 taught us, ceaseless repetition of any mantra, no matter how fallacious, has the desired effect on many who get their news from TV...]
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Newsweek's Disrespectul Treatment of 'Amateur Econo-Cultist' Jack Kemp
Two days after the death of G.O.P. icon Jack Kemp, Newsweek Senior Editor Michael Hirsh posted a classless obituary on Monday, "The Dangers of Amateurism," calling the football player, politician, and self-taught economist Kemp an "amateur econo-cultist."
For the record, Reagan's "drastic tax cuts" of 1981 based on Kemp's model, resulted in tax revenues continuing to rise throughout the Reagan years, despite the reduction in tax rates.
And speaking of amateurism -- what are Al Gore's environmental science credentials again?
Hirsh concluded his Kemp tribute by portraying today's "economic disaster" as the most enduring part of Kemp's legacy.
Classy.
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CBS Says Palin Popular 'Despite Latest News,' But Not One Substantive Issue Discussed
This is just the sort of bias against Sarah Palin and her family that is de rigeur in the Old Media. CBS seemed taken aback in an April 6 report that Governor Sarah Palin could possibly still be relatively popular "despite the negative news" that she has been confronted with of late.
But all the "negative news" that CBS is so sure should torpedo Palin is little else but the soap opera of family struggles, none of it is based on any substantive issue that is a result of her actual efforts in office.
It appears as if CBS wants to see Palin destroyed because some of her extended family have seen troubled times of late and not on the actual work she's done as governor.
[The fear persists. Why?]
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The Parallel Universe of Clinton and Obama
Those who ignore history and bound to get in the same old messes.
In 1993, many of the citizens who voted for Obama last year were probably still in grade school. They can be forgiven for not remembering the early years '93-‘94 of the Clinton administration. Their parents, however, have either lapsed memories or are simply simple-minded.
The man who loathed the military immediately cut the defense budget and laid the background for future attacks on the U.S. and its interests. In 1993, the World Trade Center was bombed. Clinton treated it as a criminal act rather than a national security threat. Sending a message to terrorists that the U.S. was a paper tiger.
Bill Clinton campaigned on cutting taxes for the middle class and raising them only on the upper class. The campaign succeeded in promoting class envy but as soon as Clinton became president he broke that promise weeks after taking office. Clinton also had a stimulus package of $60 billion that turned out to be mostly pork for socialist programs.
Remember the defunct $64 million inner-city midnight basketball?
Clinton's early missteps in governing the country cost the Democrats the control of Congress in 1994 and for the first time in 40 years, the Republicans became the majority party in both houses of the legislature. Thanks to the mainstream media, the electorate continues to credit the Clinton administration for the economic recovery for which the GOP Contract with America was largely responsible.
If the GOP saves the economy again, it should expect the same ingratitude...
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Letterman Finally Makes Obama Jokes -- All Bashing Bush
As NewsBusters reported Monday, comedians just can't bring themselves to poke fun at Barack Obama.
This problem apparently is troubling CBS "Late Show" host David Letterman who, realizing this wouldn't be good, got one of his writers to finally come up with some Obama jokes.
But as you'll see from the embedded video below the fold, they all bashed -- wait for it!!! -- Bush.
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Congressmen to Introduce Bill Recognizing Nation’s Judeo-Christian Heritage
Americans need to understand the nation’s spiritual heritage – that the United States was founded and built upon Judeo-Christian principles.
So says the bipartisan Congressional Prayer Caucus, which is introducing legislation -- “America's Spiritual Heritage Resolution” – to recognize the role that prayer and spirituality have played in the nation's history.
“Before they went out and announced that they had done away with the Articles of Confederation and had written an entirely new document for our country, Ben Franklin stood up and he called the assembly of delegates to prayer and said, ‘Scripture teachers us that the sparrow can’t fall to the ground without his notice. Is it likely that an empire will rise without His aid?’ If we don’t go to prayer, he said, ‘We will be no more successful than the builders of Babylon.’”
“Folks don’t know Ben Franklin said that,” McIntyre said. “We have Founding Fathers who knew the importance that this is a nation founded upon principles that we ought to affirm, and we ought to celebrate and we ought to recognize and we ought to educate.”
[Amen - past time {said the devout atheist}...
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Then > ]
"SUPPORT 'AMERICA'S SPIRITUAL HERITAGE RESOLUTION'"
House-Pelosi: http://speaker.house.gov/contact/
YOUR Congressman: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml
or: Speed Message them with your personal distribution list...
and as always, pass it on...
.
NBC and Newsweek Liken Obama to Spock: Both Victims of Prejudice
Concluding a Thursday NBC Nightly News story on summer movies, correspondent George Lewis previewed the new Star Trek film, set to open on Friday, and found it relevant to highlight how ''some Trekkies have compared the Spock character, the product of a mixed marriage between a human and a Vulcan, to President Obama.'' Those ''some Trekkies'' would be Newsweek's Steve Daly...
[Pathetic]
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