Hillary having a cow

FRIDAY 2-29-08…Hillary Clinton is “having a cow” over some political mailers sent out by the Barack Obama campaign. Those mailers criticize her universal health care plan, which is pretty strange since Hillary’s camp has repeatedly criticized Obama’s health care mailings. I guess it’s okay for Hillary to do it, but not okay for Obama.

In the Obama mailers, he points out that Hillary’s plan would force everyone to purchase insurance, even if they can’t afford it. She even subscribed to the idea of garnishing wages from workers who don’t –or can’t afford–to purchase coverage. Obama’s plan doesn’t include an individual mandate but does require parents to buy insurance to cover their kids.

When one begins to question each candidate’s ideas for solving the health insurance crisis, one needs only to look back during Bill Clinton’s first term as his wife is said to have performed as his “co-president.”

As co-president, she assumed authority over Health Care Reform, which turned out to be a process that cost the taxpayers over thirteen million bucks. She told both Bill Bradley and Pat Moynahan, key votes needed to pass her legislation, that she would demonize anyone who opposed it. But, it was opposed; she couldn’t even get it to a vote in a Congress controlled by her own party.

But now, she’s trying to demonize Obama and his campaign for merely pointing out the differences between his plans and her plans. Personally, I don’t think she’ll be anymore successful in this latest “demonizing” than she was Bradley and Moynahan.

No donuts for you!

 

THURSDAY 2-28-08….I see where our state legislators are hard at work creating legislation to protect us…..from ourselves! One of ‘em is a holdover from last year that never got anywhere, but certainly could this year. It’s a bill that would require chain restaurants to post nutritional information on menus.

As legislative thinking goes, if you walk into a restaurant with the idea of ordering steak and lobster, you will probably change your mind and order a fruit salad instead. If you walk into a Dunkin’ Donuts expecting a cup of coffee and a donut, you might just change your mind, go someplace else, and order bean sprouts and wheat water instead.

It isn’t just a California boondoggle; other states are toying with the idea. According to the Center for Consumer Freedom, the food cop campaign to plaster our nation’s menus with warning labels received a major setback. It came from University of Alabama researcher and Obesity Society president-elect, Dr. David Allison. He presented expert testimony to the U.S. district court against mandatory menu labeling.

He told the New York Times he wasn’t taking sides in the obesity epidemic fight, but was merely laying out the facts. And the facts show that labeling might deter over-eating, but might not…..and in fact might even be harmful.

His 43-page affidavit to the court demonstrated two key points: First, there’s no credible evidence that calorie displays on menus would affect consumer choices. Second, there is evidence to suggest the new rules could backfire by adding to the forbidden-fruit allure of high calorie foods, or by sending patrons away hungry enough that they will later gorge themselves even more.

The Center for Consumer Freedom says “with no proof to support the food cops outlandish claims, how can nutrition activists justify the imposed costs and possible unintended consequences of menu labeling? The bottom line is, they can’t.”

Lets hope California legislators get the hint and quit trying to be our nannies.

 

Climate Change and Ice

from Cryosphere today – see post on Anthony’s blog

WEDNESDAY 2-27-08…Reports from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, (NOAA) reveal that almost all of the allegedly lost ice has come back. The report shows that ice levels that had shrunk from five million square miles in January of ‘07, to just 1.5 million square miles in October are almost back to their original levels. I wonder why we’re not seeing those reports in the mainstream press or on the evening news?

A report last week in the London Daily Express showed that there is nearly a third more ice in Antarctica than usual. Again, our mainstream press isn’t interested. In that Daily Express article, it pointed out that the previously used photograph of the polar bear clinging to a melting iceberg (a photo used by Al Gore in his “Inconvenient Truth” lectures) was actually taken during the month of August three years ago, when melting is normal.

That was a little “inconvenient truth” that Al Gore decided wasn’t really necessary for you to know.

Scientist Dr. Henry Clemmey, Leeds university academic says “Climate change is something that we can’t stop or prevent –but we do need to be knowledgeable about its potential effects.” He says “I think that so many debates about climate change take place against an ignorance of both time and scale in terms of the earth’s evolution.”

An interview appearing in the Manchester Evening News, Dr. Clemmey concludes “If you look back through the history of the planet, you will find a whole series of cycles. You will also see that these cycles have taken place before, and will take place again in the future.”

Again….our mainstream press isn’t interested in what Dr. Clemmey has to say. Nor were they interested in what General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz had to say about global warming. He told reporters in Texas “global warming is a total crock of s—!” And I say, if global warming doesn’t kick in soon, we’re all gonna’ freeze to death.

Hillary’s qualifications

TUESDAY 2-26-08…Over the next couple of weeks, we’re all going to start hearing about how “qualified” Hillary Clinton is to be the next Commander In Chief. Her campaign says they’ll use that ploy in hopes of diminishing Barack Obama’s popularity. But, when I hear the words “Hillary” and “Commander in Chief in the same sentence, it has to be the greatest oxymoron since that word was invented.

You do remember Hillary as “First Lady” don’t you? Yes, the same “First Lady” who prohibited anyone in a military uniform to enter the White House. You may also remember the First Lady’s husband, Bill Clinton who admitted that he “abhorred” the military. So, now we’re being told that she is the most qualified to be Commander in Chief of the military.

In an interview with the on-line homosexual magazine The Blade, Hillary says, as commander in chief, she would rescind the “don’t ask, don’t tell” regulations of the military, and allow homosexuals to serve openly.

Hillary’s top strategist and poll taker is Mark Penn who told reporters that her campaign will focus on the issue of who is better qualified to be commander in chief. He says Hillary would be the better commander of the nation’s armed forces than both Obama and Senator John McCain. I’m not sure if Penn has been smoking those funny little cigarettes or whether he just doesn’t remember Hillary as “First Lady.”

I certainly do. I remember when the First Lady finally left the White House, she had to return $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork she had stolen. How’s that for a potential “commander in chief” of the military?

She, and her husband hold the military in contempt, and apparently, they both want to have another crack at the White House furniture, china, and artwork.

Behind the scenes shenanigans in Democratic presedential race

 

MONDAY 2-25-08…There are some strange things going on in the Democrat party’s race for the presidential nomination. Some behind the scenes shenanigans that are reminiscent of behind the scenes shenanigans democrats pulled off nearly four decades ago. Bobby Kennedy was a shoo-in to win it all until he was felled by an assassin’s bullet. Senator Eugene McCarthy stepped in to fill his shoes, and Bobby Kennedy’s followers gravitated to McCarthy.

Most of ‘em were young, college age students, left-wing liberals, and anti-war protesters. It was 1968, and McCarthy was promising to end the war in Vietnam immediately upon assuming office. Then came the democrat convention in Chicago. It was there, that the democrat “machine” selected Hubert Humphrey to be the democrat’s standard bearer. Notice, I said “selected”.

That move resulted in the rather infamous Chicago riots which were eventually put down by Mayor Richard Daley’s truncheon-wielding police department. Fires were set, cars were burned, …and when the smoke cleared, those disenchanted college students, left wing liberals and anti war zealots didn’t even bother to vote in the general election, which was won by Republican Richard Nixon.

Today, we’re hearing some Democrat leaders expressing concern that the tight contest between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton might ultimately hinge on the positions of some 700 party insiders known as super delegates.

Those are the elected lawmakers or governors, and other party big wigs who are supposed to exercise their independent judgment to vote contrary to public opinion if they believe another candidate has a better chance of winning.

According to Obama’s campaign manager, the Clinton campaign says they have two options for trying to win the nomination; attempt to have super delegates overturn the will of the Democrat voters, or change the rules in order to seat non existing delegates from Florida and Michigan. Sounds to me like the Democrat “machine” is getting oiled up for a repeat of 1968.

Nanny Government: coming to a legislature near you.

FRIDAY 2-22-08…California isn’t the only state where legislators create controversial pieces of legislation. I already told you about Mississippi and it’s bill to make it illegal for restaurants to serve fat people. Fortunately, that bill died by way of a pocket veto. The Virginia General Assembly has come up with a bill to restrict payday lending. The bill limits to five, the number of loans that any one person can have in a year.

While payday loans, along with their usury interest and late fees have caused problems for some people, the question is…is it really the state government’s business? Tim Miller, Communications director for the Center for Consumer Freedom says no….and he makes a good point.

He says “if the General Assembly chooses to limit our consumption of goods and services, where may this lead? Some consumers like Twinkies, maybe they should be limited to five per year, lest they get fat. ATM transactions can be as costly per $100 dollars as payday loans. Perhaps the General Assembly should limit ATM use to five times per year. How about five lottery tickets per year? Five cans of soda? Five cuss words? Five unkind thoughts?”

Many great Virginians built this American democracy on freedom of choice and individual liberty. The current delegates and senators in Virginia should take their cue and allow current consumers those same freedoms.

Hold on to your wallet! (if you can)

 

THURSDAY 2-21-08 So, our state legislature made the necessary budget cuts to prevent the state from running out of money before the fiscal year ends in June. Collectively, they say hard choices were made. Collectively, they say the next round of cuts will be even harder. That’s the round that’ll try to balance the budget for the 2008/09 fiscal year. That’s the 14.5 billion in red ink facing the state under current spending levels.

To give you a little “heads up” at what lies ahead, Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata says “we cannot cut our way out of this. We have to figure out how we get some balanced revenues in there.” Translated, that means we really don’t wanna’ cut spending, we wanna’ raise taxes.

And that’s going to be the major fight of the next round. It’ll boil down to what taxes and how much to raise ‘em. If all democrats vote to increase taxes, they still can’t get it to pass without Republican votes. Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines says GOP members remain opposed to taxes because they drive down overall state revenue. He says tax increases are economic disincentives.

In this current era of belt-tightening by consumers, and dreary economic predictions ahead, let’s hope Republicans stick to their philosophy. Taking even more money out of consumers pockets could be devastating to this state’s economy.

Consenus ain’t what it used to be.

WEDNESDAY 2-20-08…One of the news items that moved over the wires reads this way: “Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the leading component of greenhouse gases, which scientist say are playing a key role in warming the globe.” Another news item that appeared in the newspaper Investors Business Daily states “Not every scientist is part of Al Gore’s mythical consensus. Scientists worried about a new ice age seek funding to better observe something bigger than your SUV — the sun.

So, while Al Gore and SOME scientists, politicians, and other doomsayers say it’s all fossil fuels fault, the earth is warming and we’re all gonna’ die….other scientists at the Danish Meteorological Institute have released a study that shows global temperatures closely track solar cycles. So, why is that some scientists have jumped on Al Gore’s global warming bandwagon, while scientists who haven’t, aren’t being listened to?

Canadian scientists are seeking additional funding for more and better eyes with which to observe the sun, which they say “has a bigger impact on Earth’s climate than all the tailpipes and smokestacks on our planet combined.” Then, there was the Hoover Institute Study which examined historical data. According to Hoover fellow Bruce Berkowitz, the effects of solar activity and volcanoes were impossible to miss. Temperatures fluctuated exactly as expected, and the pattern was so clear that, statistically, the odds of the correlation existing by chance were one in a hundred.

He said “Try as we might, we simply couldn’t find any relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption and changes in global temperatures.”

That certainly shoots Al Gore’s theory full of holes…and yet he wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

The writer of an editorial in the latest issue of Chico News and Review should get a peace prize too, because that writer has a theory just as Al Gore did. The person writes “there is one hugely important thing we as consumers can do to help slow climate change. We can eat less meat.” Yep, that oughtta’ do it!

Documents? We don’t need no stinkin documents!

TUESDAY 2-19-08…I remember asking the question a few years back…”why is it that a person identified in the media as a homeless person, is mysteriously identified as a transient if they’re caught committing a crime?” In other words, why does a homeless person begging for spare change on the street suddenly receive a change in designation to transient if he’s involved in a crime?

We used to call people who begged for food and money, bums, tramps and hobos. Those terms went out because of political correctness and I’m sure self-esteem must have played a part. Calling them bums tramps and hobos would probably lower their self esteem, so they’re now called homeless. (Unless they’re involved in a crime, then they’re transients.)

It seems the media plays the same game with illegal aliens. They’re not illegal aliens anymore…they’re undocumented immigrants. This short paragraph in the Sacramento Bee confirms that. It reads “The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 53 percent of the national agricultural work force is undocumented. The percentage of undocumented workers on California farms is believed to be substantially higher.”

Why don’t they just say it like it really is? We all know they’re illegal aliens. If the mainstream media wants to soft-pedal illegality, let’s take it a step further, just to be fair and non-discriminatory. From now, don’t call a bank robber, a bank robber. The person merely made an unauthorized withdrawal. That drug dealer on the corner, or in the alley? He’s just an unlicensed pharmacist.

Recess! Lets get outta Dodge!

MONDAY 2-18-08…There’s always been a question mark over this democrat-controlled Congress. The question being “are they really serious about being tough on terrorism?” Oh, they’ve said they are, but the democrats historical record of wanting to run up the white flag of surrender in Iraq, their calls to shut down Guantanamo and move all the terrorist prisoners into the criminal justice system of this country, complete with lawyers and a bill of rights, certainly gives folks a reason to doubt their sincerity.

Late last week, the democrat Congress removed all doubt! Congress adjourned for a twelve-day recess without acting on the Protect America Act. That act authorizes the U.S. Intelligence community to quickly monitor terrorist communications coming into this country, and originating in this country to countries overseas.

Because the democrat congress felt their vacations were more important than the lives of American citizens, the Protect America Act expired Saturday night at midnight. Oh, they had a chance to vote on it and approve the Senate version, which would’ve kept the Act in existence. Instead, they voted in favor of contempt of court citations against two White House aides….the adjourned and headed out of Washington. The democrat’s game of “gotcha”…more important than the safety of America’s cities.

Republican minority Leader John Boehner said “As Members of Congress return to their congressional districts for the twelve-day recess, terrorists will continue plotting to attack our nation and our allies. The American people will have every reason to ask why House Democrats have undermined the ability of our intelligence officials to protect us.”

Let’s hope the American electorate continue to ask that question right up to the November general election.