Good, Now Sue the Sanctuary Cities!

So the Obama Administration is going to sue the State of Arizona for its Immigration law under the Supremacy Clause – REALLY. Instead of suing over the Arizona law based on how the administration has been attacking it from the outset for some discrimination infractions or for the creation of a new law that infringes on the “rights” of the poor downtrodden illegal aliens; the Department of Justice decided to sue over the Supremacy Clause.

Basically, the feds are saying the Arizona law is trying to supersede federal law by creating a law that is somehow contradictory to established federal law. While the whole lawsuit issue will be solved in court, the Obama Administration really needs to take a look at just where the federal immigration laws are truly being ignored and superseded – “Sanctuary Cities.”

Sanctuary Cities are places where federal immigration laws are not enforced by local law enforcement by direction of and on the written or implied orders of the elected and appointed officials in charge of these cities. Many Politicians, like former Houston Mayor and current Texas Gubernatorial Candidate Bill White, say they are only continuing the inherited standing practices of allowing their cities to remain a sanctuary city. What they are really doing is rejecting federal law, or as the Supremacy Clause calls it, the Law of the Land.

This rejection of federal law is a direct threat to the supremacy clause and if the Department of Justice and the Obama Administration believes that the Arizona law is in violation of the supremacy clause then it would be negligent of them to not file suit against cities such as Houston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Detroit, and New York City.

Auf Wiedersehen,
Bill

When 6 months equals 3 years.

Tonight President Obama called for a six month moratorium on deep-water offshore drilling to satisfy his base and received a big hurrah. But let’s look at this from a logical and realistic standpoint. First off, I think it is important that it be made clear that this is a tragedy and at this point still a crisis that needs to be handled with the maximum use of government and private resources.

President Obama wants to look tough and thorough in dealing with an issue that quite frankly should have been dealt with a little more seriously at least 50 days ago rather than on day 57. So rather than coming up with a plan to allow the oil industry to continue to function while the operating procedures of the industry are evaluated, the President calls for a moratorium of on the entire offshore drilling industry.

The President has the opportunity to appoint a commission of industry specialists, safety professionals and engineering scholars; however, he has gathered a group made up of environmentalists, legislators and other “experts” who have at best only a marginal background in the oil industry – Great. Just like the rest of his administration, this commission will be made up of individuals who are not necessarily in their field of expertise, but will once again be filled with cronies and Yes-Men who will follow the Obama agenda and fail to give the real analysis that is needed.

But let’s go back to this moratorium; tonight the President said he understands that this will negatively affect the region while the moratorium is in place, but let’s not hide from the truth. This moratorium will effectively negate the offshore drilling industry in the Gulf of Mexico region for at least the next three years, if not longer. Let’s be clear on this, the drilling rigs currently in use in the Gulf will leave and be moved to places like China or Africa where they will be able to drill.

There is no oil company that is going to pay for a rig to sit idle in the Gulf while they wait for the Obama Administration to remove the moratorium – they will go away. And once those rigs are moved to foreign shores they will stay there on location and not return until the move back to the Gulf is profitable; which is not likely to happen soon. If moving the rigs back is not profitable, then the gulf region will have to wait for new rigs to be built and at last estimate shipyards are about five years behind on the production on new oil rigs.

So let’s look at the financial impact of this decision. Anyone who works on those rigs will be out of a job unless they want to go overseas to work. All those individuals who are in the service and supply businesses will suffer. Transportation companies that supply the rigs with people and supplies will lose out on work. But most importantly to taxpaying citizens, the country will lose out on tax money and royalties that are paid by offshore drilling.

The premise for a moratorium is not lost on anyone; however, a moratorium that stops drilling effectively takes those rigs away from the Gulf and from the workers of the oil industry thus taking away jobs and a significant tax base from the American south. With a country suffering from an unemployment level already higher than the Obama Administration “experts” predicted following the passage of the stimulus bill, is it really a time to squash an industry that produces revenue to the government, fuel to the county, and jobs for our citizens? Probably not!

Sincerely,
Bill

This Week in America – June 8, 2010

Haven’t ranted in awhile so I thought I would get a little of it out of my system. Here we go!

1. We’re well into the second month of this oil spill and the only individual representing the government who looks like he has any idea of what he is doing is Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen. All of the other academics, idealists and social advocates inhabiting the Obama Administration can’t even figure out how to give a unified response much less a real direction for the Administration to go in handling this “crisis.” Even the folks on his hastily formed response advisory team have no real experience in dealing with a disaster such as this. Congratulations to Admiral Allen – Maybe he would consider a run for the White House!

2. The liberal icon that inhabited the front row of the White House Press Room for 50 years preying on those at the podium like a rabid lion hunting legless gazelles, Helen Thomas, is gone. Many times in the past her anti-Semitism had been spoken of; however, due to her iconic value to the liberal press, her prejudice towards the state of Israel was often overlooked. But after 50 years in the White House Press Corps, she finally let her tongue get the best of her and blasted Israel from a purely anti-Semitic point of view exposing her prejudice and causing her removal from a pressroom she should have been made to leave decades before. Goodbye Helen, enjoy anonymity.

3. The President speaking at a high school commencement ceremony in Kalamazoo, Michigan said that we are all responsible for ourselves and should take responsibility for our actions. Then later he blamed President Bush for _________ (fill in the blank here).

4. 21 year-old Stephen Strasburg made his Major League debut with the Washington Nationals tonight and the number one pick from last year’s draft did not disappoint. He just matter-of-factly went out and struck out 14 batters in route to a 5-2 win for the Nationals over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Yes it’s only the Pirates, but still, what a job. Oh, and he threw the ball 100 mph with movement – Incredible.

5. Finally; Avatar…if someone who liked that movie could explain to me the reason so many people thought it was so good I would love to hear your theories. I had to go back and watch the prequel again to understand it, but then daughter told me the Smurfs had nothing to do with Avatar, maybe that has something to do with why Avatar didn’t seem good to me. But it did remind me a major question I have always had, why is there only one female Smurf?

Well, it’s time to get some shuteye. See y’all later!
Bill

GM Repays their loan…SORT OF?

Okay, seems like everyone has seen the ads on TV where the CEO of GM is reporting that GM has repaid all their government loans ahead of time and with interest. GM, President Obama and Vice-President Biden have been all over the press lauding GM for repaying the loans it took from the government last year. But hold on, there is a fly in the ointment that is pretty glaring.

Neil Barofsky, the Inspector General for the bailout, also known as TARP (Troubled Asset Relief Program), came forward this week and announced that GM had indeed repaid the loans, with money it received from a TARP escrow account controlled by the Treasury Department.

So let’s get this straight, rather than GM paying this loan off with monies it earned from the selling of automobiles and thereby being profitable, it used a government controlled TARP slush fund to repay a bailout loan of TARP money. Essentially, they took from one pot of TARP money and put it in another pot of TARP money to pay it off – WHAT.

Where does a person sign up to get that deal? Imagine how easy it would be to pay taxes if this held true for everyone!

Once again it looks like truth in advertising has no affect on the GM and their new advertising; nor is there any truth with senior government officials who called the repaying of these loans (with government money) a major achievement for GM and for the nation.

America owes a big thank you to Mr. Barofsky for his diligent service and honest reporting.

Still driving a Ford,
Bill

How About a Regular Person

First of all, whether you agree with his positions on the issues of not, I think it is important to thank Judge John Paul Stevens for his more than 30 years of service on the high court of this nation. For those of you wondering, President Ford appointed Justice Stevens and he was then approved by the senate 98-0.

Some have criticized him for being too Conservative in his early career on the Supreme Court while many have labeled him the leading Liberal on the current high court. Maybe if President Ford would have known where Justice Stevens’ judicial philosophy would have ended up he might have rethought his selection…who knows. But that is the luxury and the responsibility of the being the president, you get to make these sort of appointments.

Much has been made of Justice Stevens stepping down and President Obama appointing a new justice. Will he appoint a middle of the road appointee, or a far-left appointee? I don’t think that is the question we should be asking ourselves. I think the question should be the same one we have been asking for a while of our elected officials. Are we going to have more of the same, or Change?

I believe whoever the president chooses as his nominee should be respected and allowed to serve, after all elections have consequences. I would like to make one recommendation though. When Justice O’Conner retired a few years ago, President Bush replaced her with an Ivy League selection making Justice Stevens the only non-Ivy Leaguer. Now that Justice Stevens is stepping down, President Obama is looking to appoint yet another Ivy Leaguer to the high court. He already did once in Justice Sotomayor, and likely will again.

Now I have nothing against the Ivy League, I just think that making another Ivy League alum a Supreme Court Justice, thereby having the entire high court made up of people from either Harvard, Columbia or Yale, would be a slap in the face to the rest of the entire country.

Yes I know President Obama is a Harvard Law man, but we need to realize that the people who have done the most and made the biggest impacts in American Society have not always, and not usually, from the Ivy League. Appointing yet another Ivy League Lawyer to the high court of the land just moves us one step closer to cementing the elitist ruling class; an Oligarchy that most Americans, from all walks of life, seek to avoid.

So with this said, it is incumbent on all of us to demand from our elected officials a few things of their political appointments. 1. That appointees are qualified for the appointment, 2. That the newest appointment somehow blends with the court to help it better represent America as a whole, 3. That the appointee is of sound mind and an unquestionable morale character that is beyond reproach, 4. And finally, if the appointee meets the preceding requirements, the approving authorities not challenge the appointment for the sake of partisan party rancor.

Yes I know this will probably not happen and that the whole thing will more than likely disintegrate into a political bloodbath. As a matter of fact, most people that read this will immediately begin to think, “Well if the (Democrats/Republicans) had not done this…” And that would be the wrong thing to do. If this nation is to ever come together and solve the problems that face us all, then we must first find a civil way to run government for the people and not for the ego-driven career politicians.

ALL RISE,
Bill

CBO Scoring

Just a quick note on the Federal Congressional Budget Office (CBO) and their scoring process – OK, quick for me.

As designed, the CBO was set up to be a non-partisan federal agency inside the federal legislature that among other things would score, or project, the future efficiency of a bill before debating and voting on a bill. This organization has worked well in the past, but has been little noticed up until the beginning of the Obama Administration. Suddenly, the CBO has become big news over and over as we try and determine just how much damage the actions taken by the country’s Democrat leadership will actually do to our country.

Now, before making the next two points, it is important to remember that this organization was established with the best of intentions. It would be good to believe that it was awesome forethought and a desire for true public introspection by the federal legislature to create an organization such as the CBO; however, without truthfulness in reporting by the legislature, the CBO can only do so much. So with that said, let’s look at the two things that need to be pointed out.

First thing is that the CBO looks at budget, tax, and revenue figures for proposed legislature and makes projections only as far out as the next ten years. This is significant when looking at the proposed federal healthcare bill and the seemingly positive scoring that the CBO has given it. While the projections for the next ten years are positive, many on the CBO have publically estimated that the projections become gravely worse in the second decade of this healthcare bill. We won’t even discuss beyond that.

Second thing to remember is that the CBO scores bills via the vacuum of variables contained within the bill for scoring. A simple (and yes cheesy) example of this would be id a bill were presented with an explanation of funding that would show how the bill should be funded by a leprechaun with a pot of gold behind the rainbow. Yes that is simplistic, and fantasy-laden, but it explains how the CBO Scores within a vacuum. This is how the CBO can score the healthcare bill positively when the same healthcare bill states that much of the funding comes from money saved from Medicare cuts and that those cuts will be spent twice later in the healthcare plan.

Opposing the CBO’s official report in the case of the current healthcare bill, some members of the CBO privately leaked to the press that they believe the healthcare bill will not reduce the deficit as reported, but instead will drive even deeper the hole created for our grandchildren. This private acknowledgement is based on the fact that the healthcare bill provides flawed figures (the variables) used to show how the bill will be funded and not factual evidence.

Basically, when created in 1974, the CBO was a needed agency for use by the federal legislature; however, in today’s world of information manipulation and tragically partisan politics, the CBO’s use is not directed as it was intended and is not utilized to the benefit of America as it should be.

Did anyone see my calculator?
Bill

Liar?

So, I guess Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) made one mistake when he said “You Lie,” to the President during his September speech before a joint session of Congress – He Apologized. I mean, come on, was he not telling it like it has turned out to be. So while I am writing this, let’s look at the record and check out just a few of our president’s non-truths. I could include them all but I have to go to work tomorrow.

During the election, Senator Obama said he would end the “Rendition” program of taking prisoners to foreign countries for further interrogation. This has been policy for many years and under many presidents. Actually known as Extraordinary Rendition, this program has been used in some form since the Reagan administration, but it was President Clinton who actually signed an executive order to allow this to occur.

During the campaign, then Senator Obama said he would do away with the program and only two days after the inauguration he did just that signing an executive order ending the policy as part of a larger order that also would close the Guantanamo Bay Prison (a whole other debacle). But eight days later, by February 1, 2009, many papers reported that President Obama signed an executive order allowing Rendition to continue under the operational control of the CIA. Of Course this was on a weekend after the normal weekly press cycle. You’ll see this pattern more and more.

Another lie, during the Campaign, Senator Obama said he would do away with warrantless wire-tapping and even lambasted President Bush for using legal tools under the state’s secrets privilege to continue the practice and stifle any legal effort to end the practice. Then between January and April, and in small quiet Friday afternoon steps, President Obama makes the necessary moves to continue the practice he so readily railed against while on the campaign trail.

Also while on the campaign trail, then Senator Obama proudly went from event to event touting the firm call to eliminate lobbyists from an Obama Administration saying “lobbyists won’t find a job in my White house.” Uh-Oh, according to the Washington Times and the National Journal, by May 7, 2009, 30 of the Obama Administration’s 267 senior administration officials came straight from the private sector where they were working as lobbyists. So much for that pledge.

Then throughout the campaign, Senator Obama said repeatedly that the healthcare debate would be televised on C-SPAN. He even whipped up on poor old Hilary in a debate in Austin for the Clinton’s healthcare failure and said part of the reason it failed was because the Clinton’s meetings were held in private and that he would have the meetings held on live on C-SPAN. Of course we know where that one stands.

So maybe Joe Wilson should not have taken the beating he took for calling the President a liar when Obama said illegal aliens would not be able to take part in this healthcare plan. With a track record as good as Obama’s and a Senate plan that pulled an around the back shuffle to include illegal aliens in the coverage, maybe we should apologize to Rep. Wilson for simply trying to warn us.

Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!
Bill