analysis policy in all the world

Thứ Năm, 2 tháng 6, 2011

Just another government story [JP]

JP writes:

Not a really big story, but I went to get my 87-year old mother's RX filled today. She's had gout for at least 20 years.

She's been on the same medicine the entire time, a generic, and it cost her about $20.00 a month.

Today the prescription was $120.00. She can no longer afford to get it filled. It would seem that the generic has been ordered off the market by the FDA. It's the most common medication prescribed for gout, a very common condition that is, like most degenerative conditions, on the rise.

I'd like to help her out but I'm entering my second year of funemployment and my husband lost his job a month ago. Your depression photos featuring "The Golfer" resonate especially well with me.

Keep up the good work. Without people like you I would sink into complete despair.

God bless you and your family, JP.

We're thinking of you in these tough times. And let's all turn these Statists out in 2012, once and for all.

Say, about that DNC plan to make the auto bailout a central theme of the 2012 election...

Jim Geraghty tracks the inevitable expiration date that must accompany all of Barack Obama's promises.

Politico, May 14:

President Barack Obama and his allies in two big industrial unions appear poised to make the auto bailout — begun under President George W. Bush in 2008 — a central issue of the 2012 campaign. With General Motors back on its feet — it announced $2 billion in new investments at 18 GM plants Tuesday — and losses from the government’s intervention shaping up to be minimal, Democrats hope to punish Republican presidential candidates for their early opposition.

The news, today: “WASHINGTON – The Obama administration said Wednesday that the government will lose about $14 billion in taxpayer funds from the bailout of the U.S. auto industry.”

Taxpayers spent only $14 billion to get GM to make $2 billion in new investments! Yay!

Also note this comment from the president, which he has probably forgotten, or that he hopes everyone else will forget:

President Obama, July 29, 2010: “We are going to get all the money back that we invested in those car companies.”

As I may have mentioned a time or two, all statements from Barack Obama come with an expiration date. All of them.

Gee, I was never too keen at math, but $14 billion spent... minus $2 billion in realized investments equals... carry the one... $12 billion. That's how much Obama stuck the taxpayers -- actually the taxpayers' kids and grandkids -- with. And yes, I ended a sentence with a preposition. That's how exasperated I am with this disastrous president.

And where did that $12 billion go?

The United Auto Workers (UAW) union, one would assume.

And where will most of it end up? You've got it, Sparky,

Right back at the DNC for the 2012 election cycle.

As a wry commenter observes, "It's the Circle of Democrat Life, Simba."

Larwyn's Linx: The Disgraceful Anthony Weiner Must Resign

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QOTD: "About a year after Tim Geithner literally top-ticked the economy with his first Op-Ed, "Welcome to the Recovery", which came days ahead of the QE 2 announcement, he has just released his Op-Ed #2 "A Rescue Worth Fueling" in the WaPo, in which he praises the administration for using billions in taxpayer capital to save a few hundred thousand union jobs. His bottom line: "The domestic automakers are getting stronger. For the first time since 2004, each has achieved positive quarterly net income." Perfect release timing: just as both GM and Ford announce a drop in monthly sales, and GM discloses record channel stuffing. If there is one call to fade and short all the US automakers, this is it." --Tyler Durden

Thứ Tư, 1 tháng 6, 2011

Weiner's little problem: why does the housekeeper's son look like a miniature 'Conan the Barbarian'?

Today's best Weiner comments emanate from the erudite (that's a first: two seven-letter words that start and end with the letter e -- in the same sentence?) New York Magazine:

Weiner's little problem (hah, a jest) is that if he DOES call in law enforcement and he's full of crap, well he can go to jail for telling fibs to the FBI. Which oh just might es'plain why he's seemingly shy about pursuing prosecution for a breach of online security of a person with a high security clearance (yeah, nobody would bother with such a prosecution, would dey?).

Most likely scenario: they suddenly discover a "staffer" that "had access to the accounts" and did this terrible thing as a "bad joke." Weiner declines to prosecute and said staffer disappears into the wilderness with a bag of money or a cushy job in some government department somewhere (the media will have zero interest in what happens to the staffer, so we'll never hear the story).

--Commener peterike

Awfully suspicious. And not in a why-won't-he-release-the-birth-certificate way or a the-maid-was-a-plant-by-his-political-opponents way, but in a that-housekeeper's-kid-looks-a-lot-like-conan-the-barbarian way.

--RealityCzech

Ann Coulter insists that this entire matter be settled in Small Claims Court.

But, Melvin, he's so historic: 'we’re on the verge of a great, great depression'

LC writes:

Today, CNBC, a media outlet that was an unofficial arm of the 2008 Obama campaign, rang the fire alarm on the US economy. Below, CNBC refers to "near panic," a "sputtering" economy, "low yields," on the verge of a "Great, Great Depression." No, this isn't FOX News, Glenn Beck, or even Rush Limbaugh. It's... brace yourselves, folks... it's from N... B... C.

Oh, my.

Wall Street Baffled by Slowing Economy, Low Yields: Trader

01 Jun 2011 | 11:06 AM ET

Wall Street is having a hard time figuring out what to do now that the U.S. economy appears to be sputtering and yields are so low, Peter Yastrow, market strategist for Yastrow Origer, told CNBC.

"What we’ve got right now is almost near panic going on with money managers and people who are responsible for money," he said. "They can not find a yield and you just don’t want to be putting your money into commodities or things that are punts that might work out or they might not depending on what happens with the economy... Stocks extended losses after the manufacturing fell below expectations in May and the private sector added only 38,000 jobs during the month.

"Interest rates are amazingly low and that, thanks to Ben Bernanke, is driving everything," Yastrow said. "We’re on the verge of a great, great depression. The [Federal Reserve] knows it.

"We have many, many homeowners that are totally underwater here and cannot get out from under. The technology frontier is limited right now. We definitely have an innovation slowdown and the economy’s gonna suffer."

If this Republic is to survive, we need to elect a president in 2012 who will operate using a playbook unknown to the Left:

The Constitution.

The document upon which politicians swear to the Creator to protect and uphold. And then, in the case of Barack Obama, promptly ignores.

The Constitution. Faith, family, individual liberty, private property rights.

Not big government, unchecked entitlements, mandated light bulbs and shower heads; not Europe-lite.

The Constitution. Thousands of years of human experience codified into a single document that created the greatest system of government ever seen on the face of the Earth. Not perfect, because no system is perfect, but the most perfect ever created.

We need to elect a president in 2012 that will protect all Americans, not the racial separatist groups, not the race-baiters, not the imploding welfare state addicts, not the politicians addicted to unlimited power. A president who will protect all Americans and, by logical extension, the American system of government itself.

It's 2012 or never.

Rep. Dan Landry (R-LA) rips invitation to Obama White House into tiny pieces, lights the pieces on fire, then urinates all over them

Well, metaphorically speaking, that is.

A freshman GOP lawmaker rejected an invitation to the White House on Wednesday, saying he didn't want to be “lectured” by President Obama... Rep. Jeff Landry (La.) said ... “I don’t intend to spend my morning being lectured to by a president whose failed policies have put our children and grandchildren in a huge burden of debt.”

Landry said he would not sit down with Obama to negotiate on a deficit reduction compromise until Obama produces his own budget plan... “Until the president produces a responsible deficit reduction plan, I’m not going to the White House to negotiate with myself. Our conference has put out for months where we would start the process..."

...Landry also criticized Obama for neglecting to meet with the Louisiana delegation about a drilling moratorium off the Gulf of Mexico... “The President has done nothing, just like he has for the people of the Gulf Coast... For months, the Louisiana delegation has sent the president numerous requests to meet with him or his chief of staff concerning the de facto moratorium issued in the Gulf of Mexico, a de facto moratorium that has driven gas prices up and now threatens to derail economic recovery; the president hasn’t even had the courtesy to write us a note back... [this meeting is just] political grandstanding” on Obama’s part.

“I refuse to partake in his political grandstanding that will ultimately do nothing for debt reduction and job creation,” Landry said.

As Darren 'Wall Street' Bettencourt said of 'The Transporter', "Hmmm, I like him."

This is one GOP freshman with stones and, for that, we salute you, Congressman. That is what you call speaking truth to power.

Hat tip: TrendingRight.com

Larwyn's Linx: Government against blacks

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Nation

Government Against Blacks: Stossel
Another Immigration Criminal Kills Another Houston Cop: RWR
PJM's DOJ FOIA Request Comes Back… Redacted: PJM

Army Ranger To Be Awarded Medal of Honor Hooah!: Dollard
House Says NO To Unlimited Debt: Hayward
Confirmed – Jon Huntsman Supported Insurance Mandate: VS

Weinergate

Weiner’s Actual Tweet Stream Disputes His Version: Riehl
Hoyer Agrees With NRO: 'Could Happen To Anybody': Ace
Weiner Won't Deny Twitter Pic Was Of Him: Insider

Weiner won’t deny that that’s him in the photo: Tatler
Was THIS What Happened in #Weinergate?: Stranahan
Too many coincidences in Weiner's tale: Post

What we know: Instapundit
Isn't Weiner on the Commerce and Energy Committees?: Ace
'Weinergate': NRO

Economy

SCOTUS Makes It Official: California A Failed State: Mead
Bank Employee Wins Settlement From AFSCME: NRTW
Study tells college students the worth of their majors: AP

Investors Shift Focus To Jobs, “Stubborn Unemployment”: RWN
More Money Sent Down the NSF Rat-Hole: RWN
Chart of the day: America the Dependent: Malkin

Climate & Energy

Major Oil Find in Texas, 3,000 Wells in 12 Months (Unless Obama Stops This Also): Lid
Of Course: Obama’s Commerce Nominee is a Global Warming Fanatic: Malkin
Ooops! Biodegradeable products release methane which is more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse gas: WUWT

Media

A 'media ignoring-frenzy slowly morphing into an explaining-away frenzy': Instapundit
Sesame Street Spreads Secret Political Messages, Insiders Admit: Atlantic
Ben Shapiro Interview: 'Primetime Propaganda: The True Hollywood Story of How the Left Took Over Your TV': RWN

The Difference Between Palin, West, Bush and Obama, In Pictures: Bruce
O’Reilly: We Demand a Statement From FBI on WeinerGate By Tomorrow (Video): BigGovt
Klein and Time Ride to Obama’s Rescue: PJM

DC Libs Happy to Sign Petition Banning Conservative’s Free Speech: RWN
Full interview: Sarah Palin & Greta on the tour bus: TRS
Hey Hollywood Moguls, Are You Following The First Social Media Agent On Twitter?: FastCompany

World

Europe at the Abyss: Samuelson
Will America see Europe-style riots?: Instapundit
FBI Official: Illinois Imam Wouldn’t Pass Background Check: Creeping

Another Narco Tank Seized in Mexico: DefenseTech
Kentucky: 2 Muslims from Iraq charged with terrorism: Creeping
Australia: Militant Quaker Gets Five Years For Multiple Sexual Assaults on Victims as Young as 13: Atlas

SciTech

AT&T ramps up lobby for proposed T-Mobile merger: WaPo
A Human-Powered Helicopter Takes Flight: PopMech
The need for an Alternative to Facebook: Altly

Cornucopia

Read this now if you are in despair: Andrew Lawton’s message: Malkin
Ronald Reagan centennial car wins Indy 500: Marathon
In Ben Affleck Homage, Armed Robbers Dressed As Nuns Hold Up Illinois Bank: TSG

Image: iOwnTheWorld (quote adapted from Porky's)
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Pepsi, Griffen & Sprite's Legacy Gift

"Regarding Erick Erickson's post this morning, which summarizes the four questions for Anthony Weiner posed by Dana Bash I have but one to add: Did Weiner ever sext others, particularly minors like the high school girl he followed for a time?" --Me, just now.