This Week in America July 31, 2009

1. President Obama has started his backyard beer drinking tour. How do I get on this list?

2. The Cash for Clunkers program has already exceeded its planned budget in the first week. By the way, it was budgeted through to the end of October. Congress and the President say it’s a great success. Since when is something a success when you overruns a three month budget in one week?

3. In the legislators-not-reading-bills-they-are-voting-on segment, Representative John Conyers, head of the House Judiciary Committee, said this week that he loves when other congressmen get up and ask the question, “did you read the bill?” His response is to know how you can read a 1000 page document in one or two days and understand it. He said that if the congress read everything they voted on, they would never get anything done. HEY, not doing anything, now that might be a concept.

4. An Inspector General’s report released this week said that 64% of the U. S. Department of Energy failed to use proper climate controls in their buildings resulting in $11.5 million in wasted energy. That’s enough to power 9,800 homes for one year.

5. Senator Christopher Dodd announced this week that he has Prostate Cancer. Since he and Senator Ted Kennedy are fighting cancer, and they are the champions of the President’s healthcare reform, I wonder if they will even be able to stomach using the antiquated and failing healthcare system here in America?

Well, I’m off to see the Wizard!
Bill

Today in America July 23, 2009

Here is a new slant to give Quick Points a little added shock to the system. Hopefully several points a day to give everyone something to think about. Maybe five or ten points a day.

1. Did anyone notice in last night’s “News Conference” that President Obama completely took aim at every aspect of our healthcare and law enforcement? Not one time did he even thank or show any sort of appreciation for the work of the American medical professionals – NICE!

2. He also took the time to point out that even though he knew very little about the incident, he felt the Cambridge, Mass. Police Department acted stupidly. Nice word to use to describe a situation that he admittedly knew little about. And on national TV no less – AWESOME!

3. Another special point from the Obama Hour was when the President made the case that this healthcare issue had to be taken care of as soon as possible. WHY? At a time when it appears that many Americans want some sort of healthcare reform, why not take some time and find a bill that a true majority can agree on.

4. Why is it okay for the president of the Black Chamber of Commerce to refer to Senator Barbara Boxer as “ma’am” but when a General of our Army respectfully calls her “ma’am” she jumps up on her high horse and demands he call her “Senator?”

5. Joe Biden is running around the country proclaiming that the stimulus plan is working as advertised and predicted only a few weeks after he said the country was worse off than predicted after the stimulus because conditions were worse than they had originally thought. That Makes Sense – kind of. GO-JOE-GO!!!

6. Did you know the U. S. Government has a Bureau of Public Debt? Shocking, someone should check on just what it is they do over there.

Enough for now, more tomorrow…maybe!
Bill

New Hampshire Creating Jobs!

Hats off to New Hampshire, they are charging forward with this stimulus thing! According to the New Hampshire’s own Office of Legislative Budget Assistant, the state has received $413,600,000 of federal stimulus money and has created – wait for it – 50 new jobs.

50 NEW JOBS – OUT-FREAKIN-STANDING!!!!!

Of course only 34 of those jobs are going to be permanent jobs, the rest will be full-time “temporary” jobs (don’t ask, I have no idea what that means). For those in the temporary status, don’t worry, all of these jobs will be state employee jobs and like all government jobs they are pretty much forever.

For those math nuts out there, that comes to just about $8,272,000 for each job created, or roughly a pay rate of about $5,000 an hour. Hurry now, apparently job applications are going fast.

Time to polish up the old resume,
Bill

Government Creating Competition?

The last week Goldman Sachs reported a better-than-forecasted second quarter earnings and now able to repay the bailout money. Something that should make every U. S. tax payer feels better about the current economy. But wait, even Goldman Sachs admits that much of their success is due to less competition in the marketplace.

Goldman Sachs CFO, David Viniar, called it a “fragmented competitive environment” and went on to say that fragmentation came from the failure of its two main competitors; Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, while the others were either bought out, failing or in some sort of reformation process, with government help.

It is important to point out that at the time Goldman Sachs received its bailout money the former Treasury Secretary who issued the bailout also happened to be the former Goldman Sachs CEO. Is that why Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers received no government bailout money, they had no big government connections?

What is the point of all of this? Well, before everyone gets excited with the possibility of an economic upswing based on the performance of the bailout gang, remember, a major part of their success is driven by less competition. A situation controlled by federal government involvement.

Look Out Ford,
Bill

Hillary – Keeping her word

Months ago a certain senator proved that he was not being true to his words and now here comes Secretary of State Clinton doing the same. Yes, it shouldn’t shock anyone that a career politician is not keeping their word. After all, this is a world where a politician who actually sticks to his or her word is as shocking as finding an automaker not looking for a handout – wait, that’s a different rant.

As a U. S. Senator representing the great state of New York, Hillary Clinton abhorred the idea of allowing foreign governments to NOT pay taxes on their diplomatic residences. She championed that cause and railed against the loss of tax money that would ensue should these foreigners be allowed to get away with such a travesty, much of which happened just last year.

Now, as the Secretary of State, she has CHANGED her position on this issue, much to the chagrin of the very voters she once called her own people (wait, isn’t she from Illinois or Arkansas or somewhere – oh never mind). This is a tax evasion that would essentially allow foreign countries to not pay New York a little over $260,000,000 in back taxes and $7,000,000 in annual taxes in the future.

But remember New York, she now serves at the pleasure of the man she once vehemently criticized as being unprepared for the office of President. As a result, it would seem that pleasing our foreign friends is much more important than you, and that your pettily tax revenue problems are no longer her (or the President’s) concern.

Does Milam County have a diplomatic residence?
Bill

So Why Is Sarah Stepping Down?

Okay, This week the big news in America was that Michael Jackson was still dead. On a minor note, the Governor of Alaska announced that she was stepping down. This was big news and as such I thought I would shed some light on this – at least from my perspective. Before I start let me throw in that I do not believe she had the intention to seek another term as Governor. These are the reasons I think she stepped down in no particular order.

1. She actually did not want to continue on as a lame duck and she would have, as it would have been necessary to announce her intention to run for reelection soon with the election coming up next year.

2. By stepping down, the Lt. Governor will be able to function as Governor and run as an incumbent, which is always a strong position.

3. It will help to keep the press from feasting on her as they have this last year. Obviously it won’t eliminate it but it will help to curve it – Maybe.

4. She can travel more and create the network necessary to run for office, be it the congress or the White House.

5. Gives her the time she needs to bone up on the issues, build a campaign team, and be better prepared for a run at office in 2012 (I think you know what I am talking about).

Of course this is all speculation but Sarah Palin is definitely unorthodox so who knows; however.com.org.net.edu…she may just be fed up with it all – NAH!

More To Come,
Bill

Who’s To Blame?

With the ascension of Al Franken to the U.S. Senate, the Democrats now have no one to blame for anything in Washington going forward. They have the ball, so to speak, and are in command. They now have a filibuster-proof Senate, a majority in the House of Representatives and have a Democrat sitting in the White House. What else do they need?

As a result, no longer can President Obama blame the GOP for delaying anything. He can pass whatever he wants, provided he can get the congressional Democrats to go along with it. No longer can he, or any of the Democrats call the GOP in Washington obstructionists trying to stop his agenda. He has the votes he needs to overcome those obstructionists.

Now what he and the rest of the Democrat party needs is to stand up and take responsibility for the decisions they make. Not blame the Republicans for their failings. They are truly the party in power and will have answer for their actions, or lack thereof. I have always told my children to stand up and be counted, take responsibility for those things they do – right or wrong. Now the Democrats in Washington have to learn that.

Maybe they should call Stuart Smalley?
Bill