Wednesday, April 29, 2009

How NOT to Save General Motors

GM Bailout May Mean Government Becomes Biggest Holder

How NOT to Save Chrysler

Plan gives unions majority stake in Chrysler

What I Found On Twitter: #Specter

The big news in Washington for the past two days have been Sen. Arlen Specter's defection from the Republican Party for the Democratic Party. "Benedict Arlen" was the ultimate "RINO" who often went against the party line, such as voting for Pres. Obama's Stimulus Package, which passed in February. Below are some interesting articles on a "defection" that will eventually make the GOP not weaker, but stronger.

New York Times: "We Didn't Have to Lose Arlen Specter": Sen. Olympia Snowe

Sen. Snowe states that the GOP needs to get back to being a big tent party like it was under Pres. Ronald Reagan. I couldn't agree more, but listening to her is not the way to do it. From a Senator who voted for Obama's "spendulus" package and is pro-choice, she is consistently against the very principles of Reagan conservatism. Ronald Reagan won two landslide elections by "communicating" conservatism to the middle class and "selling" our ideas better than anyone else. Not by pandering to the Dems in Congress. No wonder the NY Times lets her write on their Op-Ed page. I don't think that newspaper page is concerned in the GOP regaining power in Congress.

Daily Beast: Arlen, You Let Me Down: Meghan McCain


Meghan McCain often makes statements that are controversial, but never fail to make you think about the future of the Republican Party. She is right in saying that we need to let more people feel like they have a place in our party, but that is not by being "Dem-light," which she sometimes professes. I would love the GOP to attract more of the youth, hispanic, gay, and african-american vote, but not by pandering to them. We must treat everyone as an individual and not as a member of a group, since Republicans care about every single person being able to enjoy freedom and liberty, regardless of their demographic. We must not exclude anyone from hearing our ideas and principles. We will need people from all walks of life in order to regain influence and power in Washington

Power Line: What the Specter Switch Means: Sen. John Cornyn


Sen. Cornyn makes a great point: if Al Franken is confirmed as Senator in Minnesota then the Dems have filibuster proof 60 votes...so anything that goes wrong until November 2010 is on their watch. President Obama is taking the country very far left in his economic policies and eventually it will come back to hurt the Democrats. I expect the big blow to come not in 201o...but 2012...when Dems will have controlled government for 4 years and people will be looking for "change."

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

The Torturous Torture Debate

Gallup released a new poll regarding opinions on torture. The results are pretty interesting.

According to Gallup, 51 percent of all Americans want to see a further investigation into our use or supposed use of torture against terror suspects. But only 40 percent of those "following story very closely" favor an investigation.

Further, 55 percent of all Americans, according to Gallup, feel the use of "harsh interrogation techniques" was justified. 61 percent of those "following story very closely" felt such methods were justified.

The hay being made by the liberals and their media robots is amazing. Think about it. The enemy is out there making You Tube videos of themselves in ski masks cutting peoples' heads off. Over here, we're prepared to string up our nation's entire intelligence apparatus because a handful of scumbags had to involuntarily bob for apples.

We had better get wise to the true nature of the world we are living in, or we will truly be dealt a blow that we won't easily walk away from.

Of Switching Parties and Ditching Voters

Sen. Arlen Specter's name has been synonymous with RINO for as long as I can remember, so when I heard today that he was finally making the switch to the Donkey Party, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I bid him good riddance. The Republican Party's got enough troubles without having wafflers in its ranks.

Why'd he do it now? Because his chances of winning a Republican primary against Pat Toomey were dwindling by the week. And it's speculated that he won't have any problem being reelected as a Donkey.

So there's your pragmatism. But where's the responsibility to the people who voted for him? Frankly, all that loyalty to the voter malarky is secondary to incumbency. Of course, Specter himself didn't believe that when Jim Jeffords switched parties in 2001.

Chalk another one up for the DC hypocrites.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Obama + Low Flying Plane + NYC = Photo Op? Try Panic

So our President decided to conduct a photo op today.... with low-flying planes and our beloved Manhattan skyline.

The Result: PANIC

I think New Yorkers are a little sensitive (rightfully so) when it comes to planes and our skyline.

Shouldn't we have gotten SOME sort of warning? I mean really... REALLY! Just let NY1 know for Pete's sake.

I can only assume he was looking for a first-hand account of how our economy is doing...

AP Article

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What I Found On Twitter @42109

It's quite amazing what interesting bites of information you can get while surfing through Twitter. Here is what I found:

Huffington Post: Smiles for Smirks: Sean Penn

There is way too much to refute hear...so let me just list what the Academy Award winner had to say in this short 3 paragraph column:

  • Former President Gerald Ford should have put Richard Nixon in jail.
  • President Obama gained a "strategic advantage by "smiling" at Venezuela dictator Hugo Chavez.
  • Former Vice President Dick Cheney is the only man alive proven wrong on every topic.
  • Limbaugh, Hannity, & O'Reilly are all cowards who hate the principles America was founded on.
Sean Penn is out of touch with America and lives in a fantasy land that is detached from reality. He is a extremely talented actor who makes great movies...but he should stop embarrassing himself with his naive politics.

Huffington Post: Jeanine Garafolo on Racism: Sophia A. Nelson

The Huff Post decides to let one left-wing extremist (Sean Penn) write for them, but then throws another (Jeanine Garafolo) under the bus? However...great point by Nelson who says that Garafolo has no idea about racism, since she never spent a day in "Black America." Well said. Even lefty Huff Post can see Garafolo's statements were idiotic, since there was no evidence to back them up.

Spero News: Palin is a Feminist who Feminists love to hate
: Mary Ann Kreitzer

Feminists were upset by the fact that Sarah Palin was able to ascend to governor of Alaska, while being a mother to five children including one with down-syndrome. She was a poster child for why legalized abortion is not the "sole" answer to female independence and their chance for ascesdancy in American society. This is why feminists felt she had to be destroyed. No matter if like Palin as a politician or not, she was unfairly demonized by the mainstream media for holding a positon on an issue that many in our society share.

Janeane Garafalo Thinks Teapartyers are Racists

Wow. If she could please explain the link between protesting tax-and-spend policies and racism, it might help me understand exactly what on earth she is talking about. Isn't it ironic that someone who bases her entire political philosophy on progressive, tolerant ideals can be so intolerant and small-minded towards people who just think their government is too big?

Read an article about it here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1661145/janeane_garofalo_tea_partiers_are_racist.html?cat=9

Thursday, April 16, 2009

NYC Tax Day Tea Party: A Strong Movement Begins

Last night at City Hall Park in New York City, people stood up and said that they were willing to fight against government intrusion in their life. They would not let the government get away with reckless spending and irresponsible tax policies.

According to the New York City Police Department, 12,500 people attended the Tax Day Tea Party for one reason...and one reason only. THEY LOVE LIBERTY AND FREEDOM. They don't need great speeches, stagecraft, or platitudes like "Hope & Change" to come out. Pres. Obama's appeal was celebrity, but the Tax Day Tea Party's appeal was issues and people's love of America.

Below are articles and blog posts covering yesterday's great event, which the first step in America's movement toward fiscal sanity.

Parcbench.com: The Power of 'We The People': Brett Joshpe

Brett gets it absolutely right, stating that no matter what critics says about these tea party's or the people who attend them, a spark has been lit. Hey...the American Revolution only started with a few people and so did Anti-Vietnam protests. This is the next major revolt against government intrusion in our country. Liberals, Democrats, and the Mainstream Media are terrified that this could lead to a robust opposition that will throw them out of office. What happened last night was the first major moment of a movement that only is going to grow. Richard Nixon decided to resign after finding out he lost support from the South. The same could happen to Democrats in 2010 by losing the Northeast. That's the goal...and we must all work hard to achieve it.

Other Accounts of the Tea Party:

World Magazine, The New Clarion, Atlas Shrugs, Urban Infidel, Free Republic

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Early Coverage of Tax Day Tea Parties

Today was a great day to be an American as people everywhere in this country stood up to big government, reckless spending, and high taxes...and said enough is enough.

New York Times: Tax Day Is Met With Tea Parties

The "Grey Lady" gives a liberal slant to today's Tea Parties focusing more on the speeches by politicians, then the atmosphere of the events. No comments from people who attended the tea parties in the article. Also...they highlighted that only 200 people showed up in a very rainy Philadelphia, rather than the massive turnouts in New York City, Atlanta, and Sacramento. The Mainstream Media just doesn't understand this movement....or just is scared to report on it truthfully.

Washington Times: Tax Demonstrators Teed Off


The article handles the tea parties accurately by explaining how the parties were a collaboration of grassroots anger and non-profit groups like "Freedom Works" looking to provide assistance. Also it mentions that the DC Tea Party had 1,000 people show up in the pouring rain.

Fox News: Thousands of Anti-Tax 'Tea Party' Protesters Turn Out In U.S. Cities

A summary of tea parties from around the country giving examples of signs seen at these events. My Favorite: Barney Frank, Bernie Madoff: And the Difference Is?

Fox Forum: Tea Parties-Mission Accomplished

Peter Roff makes a great point in this piece by saying that the tea parties are not represented by right wing lobbyists or radical extremists, such as white supremacists, but rather ordinary, middle class Americans who are angry at having to pay significantly more in taxes each year. So true.

Michelle Malkin: Massive Tax Day Tea Party

Great job by Michelle who aggregates comments and pictures from tea parties across the country. There was even a reenactment of the original 1773 Boston Tea Party in Sioux Falls, SD.

Meet me at SW corner of Barclay & Broadway

If you are a NYYRC member and you are coming to the Tax Day Tea Party in a couple of hours in City Hall Park, meet me at the Southwest corner of Barclay and Broadway. That's the SW corner of Barclay and Broadway, NOT West Broadway. When you enter "Broadway and Barclay" into Google Maps, it only brings up "W Broadway and Barclay." So I guess when you look for Virginia, you should be given West Virginia.

~ Matthew Hindin
NYYRC Campaign Chair

NYYRC Monthly Meeting TOMORROW

For Immediate Release April 14, 2009
E-mail: info@nyyrc.com

THE NEW YORK YOUNG REPUBLICAN CLUB, INC. TO WELCOME DR.KIMBERLY KAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF WAR ON WASHINGTON, ON APRIL 16:


New York, NY - Kimberly Kagan, President of the Institute for the Study of War on Washington, will speak with The New York Young Republican Club about winning the war on terrorism. Dr. Kagan is a military historian who has taught at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Yale University, Georgetown University, and American University. She is currently an affiliate of the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University. Dr. Kagan previously held an Olin Postdoctoral Fellowship in Military History at Yale International Security Studies in 2004-2005 and was a National Security Fellow at Harvard’s Olin Institute for Strategic Studies in 2002-2003.

She is the author of The Eye of Command (University of Michigan Press, 2006) and editor of The Imperial Moment (under contract with Harvard University Press). She received her Ph.D. in History from Yale University. Dr. Kagan recently published Iranian Influence in the Levant, Iraq and Afghanistan, Don't Short-Circuit the Surge in the Wall Street Journal, and The Patton of Counter-Insurgency in the Weekly Standard.

In addition, it's also time for Annual Elections at the NYYRC. You must be a member in good standing in order to be eligible to vote. The nominations for the 2009-2010 period are as follows: President: Lynn Krogh, Vice President: Gail Allen, Treasurer: Greg Dussaq, Secretary: Jennifer Gallacher, Chairman of the Board of Advisors: Chris Edwards. So come join us and be enlightened by Dr. Kagan, and come to rock your vote! The event will be held at 7:00 p.m. at the Women’s National Republican Club (3 West 51st Street btw. 5th & 6th) and is free of charge and open to the public.

The New York Young Republican Club, Inc. is a not-for-profit political organization that exists to bring Republicans aged 18-40 together to discuss the Republican Party platform and aid the Republican Party in the education of the public about the Republican agenda and the promotion of Republican candidates for office. To find out more about the New York Young Republican Club, Inc. please visit the Website at http://www.nyyrc.com

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Tax Day Tea Party Preview

Below are links from around the web of articles relating to Tax Day Tea Parties being held today:

Washington Independent: Tea Party Activists: Tax Day Events Will Attract 'Silent Majority'

  • Good article explaining the tension among conservatives, libertarians, and mainstream Republicans heading into today's tea parties. Many of those who began the tea party movement are afraid their message is being jeopardized by mainstream Republicans who supported the huge spending of former President George W. Bush.
Fox News: Tea Party Protesters Gird For Possible Liberal Backlash
  • Article addresses the fear of Acorn and other liberal groups coming to tea parties looking to make trouble with the protesters.
Wall Street Journal: Tax Day Becomes Protest Day
  • The opinion piece by Glenn Reynolds on Instapundit explains that the tea party movement could be a source of strength for the GOP in 2010 and 2012 as it is helping to revitalize the grassroots. He also makes the case that technology helped organize the movement through Facebook and other social media with no assistance from political parties or traditional political organizers.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Two Differing Views on the Tea Parties
  • Are the tea parties showing a revival of the conservative grassroots and their new found use of social media, or just an event that has grown from the promotion it has been given by Fox News?

Come to the Tea Party!

Date: Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm
Location: City Hall Park, New York, New York


The NYC Tea Party will bring thousands of people to historic City Hall Park to protest against the reckless and wasteful government spending that is leading to higher taxes. The two-hour event will feature nationally prominent speakers and musical performances. Kellen Giuda, NYC Tea Party organizer and David Webb will emcee the Tea Party. Speakers at the event will include:

Newt Gingrich – American Solutions General Chairman and Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
Andrew Wilkow – Host of The Wilkow Majority on Sirius Patriot 144 and XM America Right 166
KT McFarland – National Security Advisor to President Reagan and National News Commentator
Jordan Sekulow – Syndicated Radio Host
David Webb – Radio Host, Political Commentator and Co-Founder of the Black Republican Forum
Michael Johns – Former Speechwriter to President George H.W. Bush
Brett Joshpe – Conservative Author, VP of Parcbench Media and General Counsel of American Civics Exchange
Janks Morton – Political Activist and Documentary Filmmaker of What Black Men Think
S.E. Cupp – Author and Political Commentator
Richard Brownell – Former President of the New York Young Republican Club
Thomas J. Basile – Commentator, Republican Strategist, Speaker and Professor at Fordham University
Alex Zablocki – Republican Candidate for New York City Public Advocate
Brandon Brice – Political Contributor to Hip Hop Republicans

Pirates of Somalia - What's Next?

Now that America has become intimately involved with the rampant piracy that has been going on off the coast of Somalia for ages, the debate is what do we do now?

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is downplaying any major military buildup. This statement comes as Somali pirates seized four more ships, and Rep. Donald M. Payne's (D-N.J.) plane was fired upon as he was leaving Mogadishu.

Any strategy that calls for less than dealing with this threat head-on is no strategy at all.

Maersk Alabama First Mate Shane Murphy said it best:

"We would like to implore President Obama to use all his resources and increase his commitment to end this Somali pirate scourge. Right now there are still ships being taken, right now as we are standing here. America has got to be at the forefront of this. It's time for us to step up and put an end to this crisis. It is a crisis. Wake up! This crew was lucky to be out of this with every one of us alive. We won't be that lucky again."

Monday, April 13, 2009

Today is Tax Freedom Day

Tax Freedom Day this year is April 13. That means that every day you worked in 2009 up until today went solely to pay for your local, state, and federal tax burden.

Check out this report from the Tax Foundation on the current state of criminal affairs courtesy of the Internal Revenue Service.

An excerpt:

Tax Freedom Day falls a full two weeks earlier in 2009 than it did in 2007. In fact, not since 1967 has Tax Freedom Day come earlier than this year's April 13 date.

This shift has been driven by two factors: the recession has reduced tax collections even faster than it has reduced income; and the stimulus package, a.k.a. HR 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, includes large temporary tax cuts for 2009 and 2010. Nevertheless, in 2009, Americans will pay more in taxes than they will spend on food, clothing and housing combined.

Read more here.

Remember Federalism? Let's Bring it Back

House Republicans have established a new Web site: GOP State Solutions to highlight the work that can be done in states and local communities to promote good governance.

From the site:

In a time of great challenge for the American people, real solutions start in states and communities across America, not with bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. Through the State Solutions project, reform-minded Republicans in Congress and in state capitols across America are working together to present better solutions to the challenges facing families and small businesses.
- House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Check it out at http://states.gopleader.gov.

More on Democrats Shafting DC School Parents

Mary Katherine Ham has a great post at the Weekly Standard blog about how Democrats are robbing DC parents of their rights to provide their children a decent education. I touched upon this yesterday here at the Record.

A sample:

Alas, it seems that is not to be, despite recent revelations that the evaluation Durbin was so interested in was released a month after the vote on the program and revealed— wait for it— "After 3 years, there was a statistically significant positive impact on reading test scores." There is some question as to whether Duncan suppressed the study until after the vote in the Senate, as it appears to have been ready by the time of the vote, but not officially released.

Read more here.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Reasserting the Freedom of the Seas

U.S. Navy Seals, proving once again that you don't mess with U.S. Navy Seals, rubbed out three of the four pirates who held Maersk-Alabama Capt. Richard Phillips hostage since Wednesday. The fourth is in custody and faces a life sentence in the U.S. for piracy and hostage taking.

Phillips's family could not have received better news on Easter Sunday than to hear about his rescue and safe return. The man is indeed a hero for being willing to trade his own life for that of his crew and he should be duly recognized as such.

President Obama deserves a nod of support for his actions here, too. Truthfully, I feared that his relative silence on the situation would lead to his attempt to try to engage the pirates diplomatically. That is laughable prospect, but this administration hasn't been a dazzler on the foreign policy front so far. I'm glad he proved me wrong here.

Vouchers Work But That Doesn't Seem to Matter

A recent study by the Department of Education on the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program (a.k.a. DC school vouchers) found significant improvement of reading scores and parental satisfaction for those who accepted vouchers to attend private schools rather than stay in the public school system.

In all fairness, the study does not indicate that the voucher program is a smashing success, but it definitely proves that there is validity in offering a lifeline to students stuck in failing public schools.

Despite the report's findings, Education Secretary Arne Duncan echoed the Obama administration's sentiments that the program should not be allowed to continue. They argue that instead of diverting resources away from the failing schools, we should continue to dump taxpayer money into the beleaguered public school system. The liberal wisdom, which is guided by national and state teacher unions, appears to be that we will someday reach a magic budget number at which suddenly public schools will turn around and deliver the education that our children deserve.

For all the talk about challenging the status quo, Obama and Duncan have indicated they have no intention of making any real changes to our education system. Surprised? I wasn't either.

Corporatist America

Steven Malanga has a great essay at Real Clear Markets that is a must read for anyone looking to understand how the Obama administration is looking to fundamentally change and ultimately control our economic way of life.

"Obama and the Reawakening of Corporatism" rejects that Obama is merely drifting toward socialism. Instead,

it is to corporatism, the notion that elite groups of individuals molded together into committees or public-private boards can guide society and coordinate the economy from the top town and manage change by evolution, not revolution.


Either way, it is a rejection of traditional market capitalism. Read more here.

NY 20th CD Race Drifts Back and Forth

In the special election to fill New York's 20th Congressional seat, the race is so close, that each and every vote can make or break it for Jim Tedisco. When we first noted it over a week ago, Tedisco was ahead by 12 votes according to The Politicker.

But on April 9, Congressional Quarterly reported that "All re-canvassing is now complete, and four counties are done counting regular absentee ballots" and "With approximately 20 percent of absentee ballots counted, Murphy...was ahead by eight votes."

And on April 11, The Hill reported "With most of the district-wide recanvassing complete as of Friday, [Democrat Scott] Murphy leads Tedisco by 35 votes."

Note the lack of cohesion on whether all the recanvassing had been completed or not (or even if "recanvassing" is hyphenated or not).

The counting and the confusion continues.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Tax Capital of America

I couldn't say it any better than the Wall Street Journal already did.  New York is in deep, deep trouble thanks to its tax-and-spend Democratic leadership.  

Thursday, April 09, 2009

Cap and Trade Really Means Cap and Tax

A clever post from The Heritage Foundation's Foundry blog today:

In just over a dozen months, the global economic recession has succeeded where decades of carbon cap and trade policies have failed: reducing global carbon emissions.... No one should be surprised that a terrible economy has produced an outcome environmentalists love.

Read more.

A Useful Tool for Tracking Local Spending in NYS

The Empire Center for New York State Policy at the Manhattan Institute has unveiled a handy new benchmarking tool to "compare and evaluate per-capita spending and tax rates for counties, towns, cities and villages."

The Benchmarking New York tool is easily used and quite handy. “By giving taxpayers the information they need to ask smarter questions," said E.J. McMahon, director of the Empire Center for New York State Policy, "the Benchmarking New York database will promote a more-informed public discussion of the forces driving high local taxes in every corner of New York.”

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Oh, SURE... Blame it on the Gremlins!

As I'm certain you've heard, Spitzer's desperately attempting to be relevant after his 'Client 9' fiasco. Our own Brian Morgenstern discusses it right here on The Record:
http://nyyrcrecord.blogspot.com/2009/04/hes-baaaaaack.html#links

but instead of taking responsibility for one's actions, the Former-Governor blamed..............

the Gremlins?

Yep -- and brilliantly, Sean Delonas puts in on paper for the NY Post:



Now we've heard some good ones... but I doubt the Gremlins would be happy to hear that. Better make sure to bring a jug to water with you to bed at night Eliot... those Gremlins are sneaky and mean!

Monday, April 06, 2009

Catholics Revolt Against President Obama

Michael Gerson in the Washington Post states that President Obama is becoming increasingly unpopular with Catholics showing that his disapproval ratings are up 14% and have risen 21% among non-Hispanic church members.

This is important politically for the president since, according to Pew Research, he won Catholics by 9% this year...after the George W. Bush won the same group by 5% in 2004. It looks from these recent numbers that the Democratic gain among Catholics has been lost. Gerson points out that this could prove crucial in Midwest and Southern states, which have become increasingly Catholic over the past decade.
«Read More»

Remember, if you take away swing states Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, & North Carolina from President Obama, then he will be easily lose the presidency in 2012. Catholics are a crucial constituency for him and Democrats to protect, but yet they are promoting a radical agenda on the issue of abortion

Today, the United States Senate in a 56-41 vote defeated an amendment that would have allowed workers and hospitals to refrain from administering abortions if they are morally opposed to the procedure. This issue is more than being "pro-life" or "pro-choice," but it has to do with protecting individual freedoms that were granted to all Americans under the constitution.

Forcing a person to perform a medical procedure against their moral beliefs has no place in a democracy. People who are morally opposed to abortion see it as the killing of an unborn child, and therefore disallowing the conscience clause will make these health care workers and institutions face a decision of committing what they believe is "murder" or losing their jobs. No person should be forced to administer the death penalty, euthanasia, or abortion against their will. People were given the right to religious freedom in America, which sadly may be lost for some citizens due to the policies of President Obama and Congress.

If the "conscience clause" is not upheld, Democrats will suffer the price politically and in 4 years President Obama may be fighting for his political life as he sees the very Catholics who elected him, throw him out of office. However, by that point, he will have ruined the lives of everyday health care professionals who were forced to either compromise their morals or become unemployed. If this is "change we can believe in," then count me out.

If you would like to make you voice heard on this disturbing proposition, send a message to the Department of Health & Human Services.

He's Baaaaaack

Former Governor Spitzer is testing the waters of public life again. Sometimes there is a fine line between tenacious and shameless. This is not one of those close calls. http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/spitzer-uses-economy-to-re-emerge-after-scandal-2009-04-06.html

You can (A) run for governor, or (B) purchase the services of a prostitute with your credit card and hope to get away with it. You can't do both. I hoped that our former governor had learned that lesson.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) Delivers Budget Address

On youtube.

One thing is for sure, we can't keep spending more and money and expect to get out of debt! U.S. government solvency is threatened by the Obama budget.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

TEDISCO AHEAD BY 12!!!!

Politicker is saying that Tedisco is ahead by 12 as the recanvassing goes on........... Fingers crossed folks.

Paper ballots won't be available until April 6th -- Donate today HERE

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Tedisco Race: Hold Your Breath

Results of the special election for the 20th Congressional District: Too close to call.

The margin has been pegged at 25 votes with the advantage going to Democrat Scott Murphy.

So now we wait for the absentee votes to be counted on April 13.

Stay tuned...

Tax Cheats in the Administration, Again

Seriously, how many times do we have to go through this?

Now Health and Human Services nominee Kathleen Sebelius has had to admit to errors in her tax filings and pay $7,000 in back taxes.

If the White House had any shame, they would dump her. If the media wasn't in bed with the White House, they'd make a big deal about this. Pathetic is the only word I can think of short of resorting to foul language to describe this situation.

The Alternative to Spending Our Lives Away

Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that the Republicans have no alternative to the liberal policy prescriptions of higher taxes and crushing debt. That is not true. It's just that Pelosi won't allow their ideas to see the light of day.

Rep. Paul Ryan, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, offers just the alternative that we need to prevent wholesale collapse of the American economy at the hands of the liberals.

If the Democrats were truly confident that what they have to offer is a better plan, they would be willing to debate this issue on the merits.

The New GM - Goverment Motors

This is a sneak peek at the April 3, 2009 Friday Digest available at The Patriot Post:

President Obama took the unprecedented and highly dangerous step this week to get intimately involved in the private sector by forcing out General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner and giving Chrysler 30 days to merge with Italian automaker Fiat or face bankruptcy.

The move came after the federal government decided that the restructuring plans proposed by both embattled automobile companies did not go far enough to guarantee their continued viability. GM is now in the hands of COO Frederick Henderson and a leadership team that will be ultimately crafted by the White House. GM will receive financial support from the government for 60 days, during which time, Obama noted, “My team will be working closely with GM to produce a better business plan.”
«Read More»

How is it possible that a federal government that is piling up an $11 trillion deficit is capable of making the right decisions for GM? We’re talking about an auto company that reached its nadir in large part because it could not meet enhanced government fuel efficiency standards or the excessive demands of a labor union that walks hand-in-hand with the current administration and the liberal Congress. On the surface, Wagoner’s forced exit was a trade to ensure that the company would continue to receive taxpayer funds, but at heart it was clearly a sacrifice at the altar of the socialists. Now that the government has its hooks in GM, it can force the company to produce cars that meet the excessive environmental and energy standards of the liberal crowd, in other words, cars that are impractical that no one will buy.

A similar situation took place with Chrysler. Why of all companies was Fiat picked to be the majority stakeholder for the smallest of the so-called Big Three automakers? Fiat is famous for making lightweight fuel efficient vehicles that are all the rage in Europe. They don’t sell that well in America because they are so flimsy they are dangerous. If the design sense that made Fiat famous abroad and infamous here at home is applied to Chrysler, then the company might better be allowed to slip into bankruptcy, which may happen anyway if it can’t craft a deal with the cardboard car company from Italy in 30 days.

Obama said, “The United States government has no interest or intention of running GM.” Yet, that is exactly what he has in mind. And you can bet that this little experiment in socialism won’t end with the auto industry as long as the inmates are running the asylum in the Swamp.

Bygones are Bygones

From today's Washington Post: U.S. Seeks to Drop Case Against Former Sen. Stevens

President Obama's War On Charity

First, LBJ had the "War on Poverty," then Reagan launched the "War on Drugs," now President Obama has come up with the "War on Charity"?

Yes, President Obama wants to tax charitable contributions for households making more than $250,000 a year. His hope is that the government will earn $11 billion in additional revenue from this plan

This is not shocking since President Obama believes that government is the answer to all societal ills, rather than contributions from private citizens and organizations. However, I have a lot more faith in churches and non-profits in providing social services, then the federal government who has run up a massive deficit and bankrupted social security with our tax dollars. But the president is just concerned with growing government and not improving the lives of less fortunate among us.
«Read More»

It is clear that President Obama wants to continue his attack against the wealthy in America, by punishing them for their success, and therefore not allowing them to use their assets to help others.

Martin Feldstein in the Washington Post gives a perfect example why taxing the charitable contributions of the wealthy is bad idea:

The administration's plan would limit the amount that high-income individuals could deduct to 28 percent of their gifts, down from 35 percent, even though their incomes would still be taxed at a higher marginal rate. This raises the cost per dollar of giving from 65 cents to 72 cents, an increase of 10.8 percent that can be expected to reduce the total giving of these donors by about 10 percent.

What would this mean in practice? Suppose someone would give $10,000 to a university if that amount were deductible at 35 percent. That deduction would reduce the individual's tax bill by $3,500. Limiting the deduction to 28 percent would lower the individual's tax saving on a $10,000 gift to $2,800.

This is where things get interesting: If the 10 percent increase in the cost of giving caused the person to reduce his gift by 10 percent, to $9,000, his tax savings would be 28 percent of $9,000, or $2,520. The government's revenue loss would be reduced by $980 (from $3,500 to $2,520). The person's gift to the university would be reduced by $1,000, almost the same amount. Since this high-income person would pay $980 more in taxes but give away $1,000 less, he would end up with an extra $20 for personal consumption.