OBAMA 'S REQUEST- "I NEED ANOTHER $1.2 TRILLION IN FUNNY MONEY"

OBAMA’S REQUEST, “I NEED ANOTHER $1.2 TRILLION IN FUNNY MONEY” And funny money it is – being printed on the constantly running Federal Reserve printing press, and whatever isn’t printed is borrowed from China through the sale of worthless U. S. Treasury Bonds.

When Obama drags himself off the golf course and returns from his $4 million vacation, he will be asking Congress to increase the government’s debt limit by $1.2 trillion – again. This increase is the third step that was part of a deal approved back in August. The debt ceiling was increased $400 billion in August and $500 billion in September, and now $1.2 trillion will be asked for.

Now you would think there’d be a big fight in Congress over approving this increase. You’d think the Conservative Republicans would say hell, no, but you’d be oh, so wrong. The bill that was passed in August stated that Congress can only vote to block the debt ceiling increase with a “disapproval resolution.” This means after Obama requests the increase, lawmakers have only 15 days to vote it down. If Obama asks for the increase on January 1, Congress will have until January 14 to say “no.” But Congress will not be in session on January 14. They are in recess past that date. Oh, didn’t Obama plan this to perfection? Raise the debt ceiling now before Congress gets back to stop it. Isn’t he the clever one.

Once the debt ceiling is raised, the total amount Obama will be allowed to spend is $16.4 trillion. Want to know how bad this is? In eight years of the Bush administration our debt increased by $4 trillion. In the first 3 years of the Obama administration Obama has increased our debt $6 trillion.

So Congress can’t stop this madness. I’m not sure Boehner would have the guts to do it even if Congress were in session then. He’d probably flop, whine, whimper and waffle, and after a couple of weeks of press conferences he’d cave in.

Remember something, Folks. In over 1,000 days there has been no budget from Obama. He’s running the richest country on earth without a plan, a budget. No wonder he has to keep asking for more and more and more money. 

How do we know how much he is spending? We don’t. How do we know where he’s spending it? We don’t – except when the government backed Solyndras of the world go bust. We don’t know because there is no budget. He’s the sorriest excuse of a leader to ever occupy the White House. Vacation and golf are more important than creating a budget, decreasing our debt, and getting our financial house in order.
Want to know what Obama himself thought about raising the debt ceiling when Bush was in office? See it here. And remember this when you vote in 2012. Four more years of record spending, no cuts, no planned budget, raising the debt limit and passing Continuing Resolutions to run the country are the tools by which we will become Greece sooner rather than later. We are teetering on the precipice right now.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS

MERRY CHRISTMAS, UNEMPLOYED AMERICANS, YOUR PRESIDENT HAS YOUR BACK!


Well, the first documented Keystone Pipeline job LOSSES have happened – and right before Christmas. Sure makes for a joyous Christmas season, doesn’t it?

Weispun Tubular Company today announced they were laying off dozens of employees. The reason Weispun cited? Weispun makes steel pipe for the oil industry. They say there are miles of steel pipe laying dormant on the land that was to have carried the Keystone Pipeline from Canada to Texas.

Weispun says they had to make staffing reductions due to the Keystone Pipeline material not being shipped out. “We have 500 miles of pipe just sitting in the yard, expected to be shipped out, that some of the employees were working on,” said President Dave Delie.  Remember a month ago when Obama "delayed" the project?  Said he wouldn't make a decision until after the 2012 election.  Well, due to Obama's delay of the project, there is no place to ship the product. 

The next problem facing employees of Weispun? The company will have to soon shut down a portion of the site because THERE IS NO WORK. The shut-down project will leave 200 workers with no income.

The Republicans in the House have approved a bill that includes a provision that would force Obama to make a decision on the Keystone Pipeline. He delayed it to keep his big givers, the Sierra Club and the environmentalists, happy, and he has stated that he will VETO the Republicans' bill when it gets to his desk. But it's costing Americans 20,000 immediate jobs and the potential for over 100,000 well paying jobs.  He's vetoing desparately needed jobs. 

But what would you expect? The majority of his votes in the Illinois Senate and the U. S. Senate were “Present.” Couldn’t make a decision then and can’t make one now. He doesn’t give a hoot about how you are going to feed your kids or whether you have a roof over your heads or a way to pay your bills. He’s too busy spending over 4 million dollars on his Hawaii vacation, to which Michelle had to fly alone. Sounds like she can’t stand to be in a plane for 9 hours with her hubby. Can’t say that I blame her.

Thank’s for the jobs, Mr. Obama, and thank you to all the mislead Americans who put this train wreck into office.  I wonder how many of you Obomamaniacs still have your jobs?  I sure hope you smarten up and see the light before 2012. 

"I'M THE FOURTH BEST PRESIDENT IN HISTORY"

Good grief, People, have you seen the video of Mr. O. claiming he's the fourth best president in history?

Quit Laughing! He believes it! In a 60 Minutes interview he's quoted as saying "...you know, I would put our legislative and foreign policy accomplishments in our first two years against any president...with the possible exception of Johnson, FDR and Lincoln...just in terms of what we've gotten done..."

In the course of the interview he mentions it three times. One can extrapolate from his words what he really meant. He excepted THREE presidents, and only three, so it follows that in his estimation the rest of our Presidents do NOT measure up to him. That puts him at Number Four Best Prez Ever.

He's deluded, arrogant, pompous, egotistical and bigheaded about what he thinks he's done "for" America. Watch the video. You will agree that he is living in a dream world. I wonder what he's been smoking in the White House?

GOVERNMENT JOB NUMBERS SKYROCKET

This video was created by Government Gone Wild late spring 2011. I have posted in the past about the extraordinary increase in federal government employees since 2009. This video adequately explains the reality of the situation, and the narrator is correct. We either enact large spending cuts in the federal government, or we are doomed. We got along without the huge increase in government jobs before we had them, and we can get along without them now. It's a very short video. Watch it here.

BIG LABOR GETS A BIG BREAK IN RECALL WALKER MOVEMENT

Did you hear the news today? The Government Accountability Board has established the “rules” to be used to validate signatures on the Recall Walker petitions that are soon to be submitted to the GAB. The “rules” that were unanimously approved by the Board say simply that all signatures will be considered legal. When asked if Mickey Mouse or Adolf Hitler would be okay? The Board replied yes. Stunning admission, don’t you think? A GAB representative stated on the record that all signatures that included a proper date and WI address are presumed “valid.”

The GAB says that verification of all signatures falls on Walker, or some other independent group. It is up to the parties being recalled to discover fraudulent signatures among the thousands of recall forms that will be submitted. Holy Moly, then what are we paying the GAB staff for? It’s obviously another government office that isn’t effective and should be eliminated.

So what happens when someone signs a petition more than once, like the Milwaukee man who admitted to signing over 80 times – same name, same address, same signature. Potentially, every one of his so-called signatures will end up being counted. And I don’t believe for one minute that this is the only dim-wit who signed a petition more than once. But this is one dim-wit who admitted to it.

And how about the Conservative talk radio host whose name appeared on a petition? She categorically states that she did NOT sign any petition to recall Walker. After all, she’s a Conservative. And yet, her name is clearly signed. It was discovered when someone who knows the host was asked to sign the same petition and discovered the host’s name, immediately informing the host of the situation. According to the GAB, her name on the petition will be valid.

What a frightful, fraudulent, deceitful, reprehensible scam the Recall Walker movement has become. But what would we expect when unions from all over the country are dumping millions of dollars into WI to force their agenda down our collective throats? They are so fearful of losing their power, they are willing to do anything to get rid of Walker.

Intimidation is running rampant. Recently Alexandra Carney was attempting to drive her two small children to McDonald’s when she was stopped by petition circulators who were blocking the road. They asked her to sign a petition to recall Walker, to which she politely shook her head no as she attempted to drive away. Quickly the petition circulator raised his middle finger to Ms. Carney, called her an offensive name and threw an egg at her windshield. Ms. Carney stated that “it was truly terrifying,” for her and her children. She honked her horn and continued moving her vehicle forward in an attempt to drive away from the scene before the crowd could access the inside of her vehicle. Does anyone else wonder why the petition circulator had eggs in their possession? Why were the circulators allowed to block traffic? But I guess the rights of the few circumvent the rights of anyone who gets in their way.

Folks, you should think twice before signing a Recall Walker petition.  If you sign you become part of the scam.

Watch the video below to see the GAB in action.  Don't laugh.  This is a real government board.

CLICK HERE to report MISCONDUCT OR FRAUD during the petition process.

NEWT?? NOT FOR ME

Newt for President? I hope not. He's one of the worst serial flip-floppers, maybe worse than Romney, and Newt has oh, so many skeletons in his Washington closet. For instance, I'd like to know how he can take 1.6 million dollars from Fannie and Freddie for what Newt calls "advising," but we all know was for lobbying. And this happened while Fannie and Freddie were going broke! And what about his connections to lobbyists while he was Speaker of the House in the 80's?  Newt is the consummate Washington insider, and we've had enough of them. A vote for Newt is a vote for the same-old same-old. Besides, he shoots off his mouth before he thinks about what he's saying. Newt is absolutely No Conservative.  Is this the best we can come up with?  Yowsers, we are in trouble.   

SINGLE MOTHER OF 15 KIDS DEMANDS SOMEONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HER KIDS - AND IT ISN'T HER

Oh, what our Socialist welfare society has created. Watch this video. This single mother has 15 kids living in a motel room, and says someone has to take care of them - someone is responsible - but not her. Good grief, is there such a thing as forced sterilization?

REP. MIKE KELLY TAKES CONGRESS TO THE WOODSHED WITHOUT A TELEPROMPTER

Have you seen this video? It's circulating the Web, but it's so good I wanted to make sure my readers see it. Freshman Rep. Mike Kelly (PA) tells the entire Congress what we'd all like to tell them - "The time is now, quit The Blame Game and do something to stop the dismantling of our nation through fiscal irresponsibility and regulation." He speaks for millions of Americans. Mr. Kelly is a Chevy/Cadillac dealer in Western PA, a businessman who knows what it's like to do business in an America hamstrung by regulation, taxes and no leadership.

I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR --

“I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter; So help me God.”

This is the oath that our elected officials swear to when entering office. NOTE: It does not say that I will discharge my duties in favor of my political party while sacrificing my country. But this is what the Debt Reduction Super Committee has done. They threw in the towel on reducing America’s $15 Trillion Nightmare. But I expected it.

The problem, it seems, is the Democrats want to raise taxes by a cool trillion dollars. The Republicans have said nothing doing. The Republicans want to cut spending by a cool 1.2 trillion dollars. The Democrats have said nothing doing. Stalemate, bottleneck, deadlock, gridlock, standoff, face-off? Washington is at it again.

The appointment of the Committee was designed to fool us into thinking that something was going to be done about our massive debt. But how could they succeed? It’s an ideological impasse. Left-wing vs. Right-wing. These terms have historically been used to identify political parties, political positions or political ideologies.

Here’s the difference. Left wingers (Democrats, Progressives, Unions) believe that governments should focus on social justice and social equality and should intervene in individual’s lives to ensure that social justice and equality is achieved, no matter what it costs or who has to pay for it. They state that since every individual is not the same, government policy needs to be aimed at creating substantial equity for everyone. To the Left, substantial equity includes things like affirmative action, social rights, social programs, cultural parity, and unlimited government funding to achieve these objectives.

Right Wingers (Republicans and Conservatives) believe that governments are too big and inefficient, that governments are unwieldy, cumbersome and onerous, and governments should not interfere with people’s lives. Right Wingers believe that government interference impedes an individual’s right to liberty. They believe that the government and the law should treat everyone equally. To the Right, equality includes equal pay for equal work, the same civil rights for all citizens, limited government and limited government spending.

Hence, Left Wingers have historically favored “big” government and more spending while Right Wingers have historically favored “small” government and less spending, not to say there haven’t been “pretenders” in both camps.

The Democrats on the DSC were not willing to address much needed reform in social programs (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid) without at least $1 trillion in job-killing tax increases. These programs comprise 40% of all federal spending and suck up more of the federal budget every year. There is no possibility of balancing the federal budget without reforming these social programs and cutting thousands of other useless departments and programs throughout government. But the Dems said no to any changes and/or cuts.

The Republicans were not willing to agree to revenue increases of $1 trillion but they put $300 billion in revenue increases on the table, achieved through tax reform. This was a huge compromise for the Republicans, but the Democrats said no, they wanted a trillion dollars in revenue without agreeing to spending cuts.

So if the job of the DSC was to “cut spending” why were tax increases and revenue enhancements on the table at all? Constitutionally the Debt Super Committee should never have existed. The Constitution clearly gives the House the power of the purse. Creation of the DSC strips the House of that power. It was unconstitutional and was designed to fail.

Here’s what the failure means for Americans. It adds to the uncertainty that’s stifling businesses. It reinforces the fear that Washington can’t resolve our debt problem. Our $15 trillion fiscal crisis is increasing daily. Future generations will financially suffocate thanks to this generation of politicians who are putting their party first and the country second. Congressional action is now effectively dead. Mr. Obama will blame Republicans as he continues his run for reelection. The Bush tax cuts will be a major issue in December 2012. And fundamental differences between the two political parties will become even more important.

Obama promised to halve the deficit by the end of his first term. He didn’t. Factually, the three largest deficits in American history (each over $1 trillion) have happened in the 3 years of Obama’s first term. He has spent the country into bankruptcy. He is responsible for the first economic downgrade EVER. We’re sinking into a financial abyss and all Obama can say is “It’s not my fault.” “The Republicans are to blame.” “It’s Congress’s fault.” If Obama really wanted the DSC to succeed why was he missing in action throughout their negotiations?

The most depressing thing, though, is that the $1.2 trillion target of the DSC should have been easy to achieve. It’s less than 3% of projected spending over the next decade. But this cut in spending would have had little effect on our debt. $1.2 trillion in spending cuts will amount to only about 12% of the projected debt INCREASE over the next 10 years. In other words, the $1.2 trillion in cuts are not real cuts at all. That figure is ONLY a cut in the projected spending increases. It’s all smoke and mirrors and lies.

I am grateful to the Republicans who held the line on tax increases and said nothing doing. Their numbers are small. Their only voice is in the House, but it’s a powerful voice. They did what they were elected to do. But unless they control the White House and the Senate, their ability to hold the line on tax increases and cut spending is limited.

If you want increased spending, increased government regulation and more federal programs, and ever ballooning debt you can vote Left in 2012. If you want to slash spending, slash programs, balance our budget, decrease our debt and restore fiscal sanity to our government, vote Right in 2012. There are 15 trillion reasons to seriously consider which direction you cast your 2012 vote.

CHRIS I-FELT-A-THRILL-UP-MY-LEG MATTHEWS TURNS ON OBAMA

TIME: 2008 presidential primary season. After hearing a speech by candidate Obama, Chris Matthews (MSNBC commentator) said the following? "My, I felt this thrill going up my leg." His effusive comment was hailed as an prime example of obvious main stream media bias. And that it was.

But oh, what a difference 3 years makes. Here's a recent video of Mr. Matthews crying out, begging for leadership from Obama. Sure took Mr. M. a long time to realize that Obama is in way over his head. But let's not be fooled. I don't believe Matthews is "changing sides." He's mad because Obama has been a missing-in-action leader. Obama hasn't jammed through ENOUGH Socialist policies to suit Chris Matthews.

What Obama has done is split the country and pushed us into the second Great Depression. He is sitting in the most powerful chair in the world. He could be a Great Leader, or he could be a Miserable Failure. Obama has chosen Miserable Failure. And Chris Matthews finally sees the light.

Now, how long do you think it will be before someone on the Left accuses Matthews of being a racist? That's the usual label slapped on Obama criticizers. Ah, but don't hold your breath.

OBAMA'S AMERICA - ANOTHER OPINION

BELOW IS A LETTER THAT APPEARED IN THE KNOXVILLE NEWS SENTINEL. THIS LETTER IS MISTAKENLY BEING CREDITED ON THE INTERNET TO THOMAS SOWELL. IT APPEARS IT WAS WRITTEN BY JACK FURNARI. YOU MAY HAVE SEEN IT BEFORE. IT IS HERE BECAUSE HIS WORDS ARE IMPORTANT AND ALL TOO TRUE.

The current Occupy Wall Street movement is the best illustration to date of what President Barack Obama's America looks like. It is an America where the lawless, unaccomplished, ignorant and incompetent rule. It is an America where those who have sacrificed nothing, pillage and destroy the lives of those who have sacrificed greatly. It is an America where history is rewritten to honor dictators, murderers and thieves. It is an America where violence, racism, hatred, class warfare and murder are all promoted as acceptable means of overturning the American civil society.

It is an America where humans have been degraded to the level of animals: defecating in public, having sex in public, devoid of basic hygiene. It is an America where the basic tenets of a civil society, including faith, family, a free press and individual rights, have been rejected. It is an America where our founding documents have been shredded and, with them, every person's guaranteed liberties.

It is an America where, ultimately, great suffering will come to the American people, but the rulers like Obama, Michelle Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, Joe Biden, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, liberal college professors, union bosses and other loyal liberal/Communist Party members will live in opulent splendor. It is the America that Obama and the Democratic Party have created with the willing assistance of the American media, Hollywood, unions, universities, the Communist Party of America, the Black Panthers and numerous anti-American foreign entities.

Obama has brought more destruction upon this country in four years than any other event in the history of our nation, but it is just the beginning of what he and his comrades are capable of. The Occupy Wall Street movement is just another step in their plan for the annihilation of America.

Jack A. Furnari, Knoxville
2011, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.

OBAMA'S CHICKENS HAVE COME HOME TO ROOST

Ah, class warfare, isn't it great? For 3 years our president has been yapping about the evil rich, the horrible, awful rich, who are sucking the economy dry, taxing the rich until they have nothing left, taxing businesses more and more (like Obama's buddy, GE, who pays nothing in taxes). Obama has divided the lousy one percent of "rich" Americans, whom he says control most of the money, from the rest of the 99% who he calls the "disadvantaged."

Well, take a look at what is happening in America today. The Occupy Wall Street gangs infesting American cities are a direct result of Obama's rhetoric, his plan to split America into two camps, his plan to cause chaos in the streets. Looks like his plan is working, and he's got blood on his hands.

There have been many reports of sexual assaults, murders, disorderly conduct, defecating in public, sex in public, masturbating in public, crapping and peeing in public, petty theft, violent episodes, Molotov cocktails being thrown, police being attacked and injured, lice infestations, graffiti, death threats, drug use, scabies, tuberculosis transmission, destruction of property, and on and on. I need a shower just thinking about it.

Click here for links to over 250 incidents to date. Check out just a few, and you'll get the idea. And the number grows daily.

This is what Obama's America looks like, an America where lawlessness and anarchy rule. With the help of the unions, the Democratic Party, the Communist Party of America, many prominent Democrats in Congress,the main stream media and the radical Left, Obama has done an artful job of destroying the fabric of this great nation.

Obama early on backed the Occupy Wall Street crowd, and he continues to do so. Want proof? Take a look at these two links.

First Amendment rights do not allow Americans to behave like animals. Nor do First Amendment rights allow anyone to infringe on other citizens' rights. But that's what's happening daily.

What is the purpose of the infestors setting up mini-tent cities? To show they are "angry" and want their "demands" met. They are the "have-nots," don't you know? But look at photos and videos. How many laptops, cell phones, electronic gadgets and designer clothes do you see? I guess this type of gross poverty is unacceptable, since they are demanding more and more and more.

I wonder how much these anarchists are costing the municipalities for cleaning up after them, or how much money is being spent to cover medical expenses for them. How about overtime police presence, loss of wages for those who can't get to work in the infested areas, loss of income for the businesses that can't operate due to the crowds, loss of money due to the damage being done to business buildings?

Here's the truth of the matter, Folks. What we are witnessing is the rotten rancid underbelly of the Democrat party and the Liberal Left. This is Obama's base. It's the base he's depending on in 2012. God help us all.

Go here to see photos of what is going on all over America.

OCCUPY WALL STREETER SAYS IT ALL IN COLORADO

The University of Colorado is "educating" our young-uns. This student says he wants to get 13 of the families that "own the world", including Bush, put them in front of the White House and hang them and shoot them. Sounds like a rope and a gun full of bullets will solve his problems.

Remember in 2009 when Nancy the Weeper Pelosi was distraught over what she called Tea Party rhetoric, emphasizing her fears that the protest could "lead to violence?" Wonder where her concern is now.

Our yearling is madder than hell, and he's not going to take it anymore. "There's a lot of stuff that needs to change and if it doesn't, violent revolution will come." Really, that's what he says.

He says he wants to be a doctor, but that's on hold for now - a hidden message for "I'm failing in under-grad and I'm giving up." Oh, yeah, he was going to take Chemistry, Biology, Human Anatomy, but he decided first he's gonna be an "artist." I wonder what his parents think of his life's plan? Oh, that's right, parents don't say anything negative to their kids. It might "hurt" their feelings and ruin their self esteem.

This is what the socialist public school system is teaching your kiddies - Socialism, Marxism and Communism. And this is what the next generation looks like. We are in Deep Trouble.

WATCH IT HERE. BE AWARE, THERE IS ONE REALLY BAD WORD. THANKS, KELLY MAHER, OF THE DAILY CALLER, FOR TAKING YOUR LIFE INTO YOUR OWN HANDS BY GOING TO OCCUPY WALL STREET IN COLORADO AND ASKING QUESTIONS.

MEDAL OF HONOR WINNER SAL GUINTA AND MR. OBAMA

Here is a great video depicting the amount of respect Mr. Obama has for our military heroes. Be sure to watch to the end for a commentary by a Marine. The video documents part of the ceremony when Sal Guinta received the Medal of Honor, the only recipient to be alive when he received it.


CLICK HERE FOR MEDAL OF HONOR VIDEO

GREATEST BOAT LIFT IN HISTORY ON 9-11

This video was created to honor the 10th anniversary of 9/11. It's been available since 9/8/11. I believe millions of Americans have not seen this. I doubt whether it was prominently shown in the media.

This is what America is: doing great, noble and selfless things when called upon. It shows there is great good in the world, no matter how bad it gets. 500,000 civilians were rescued from downtown Manhattan by boat in 9 hours -- an enormous fete, unless you are an American. Watch this soul-touching event. It will make you proud.

SCROOGE DECORATES YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE

Looks like the White House Scrooge wants to hang some tinsel on every fresh Christmas tree in America: a 15 cent tax. You read it right! This is not a Joke. But of course, Scrooge is calling it a “fee,” not a tax.

Obama’s Sec. of Ag wants to appoint a Christmas Tree Promotion Board to run “a program of promotion, research, evaluation, and information” to market the Christmas tree industry. No kidding! Obama wants the feds to handle promotion and public relations for Christmas trees, and they want to tax every fresh tree sold 15 cents. Seriously?

Oh, yes. But it’s all okay because tree sellers could pass along the 15 cent tax (I call it graft) to consumers. It’s just 15 cents, after all. So who among us thinks the Christmas Tree Promotion Board wouldn’t evolve into a full-fledged federal agency with all the fraud, deceit, corruption, wastefulness and inefficiency that exists in most federal agencies?

No matter what Scrooge calls it, it’s a TAX. And we don’t need to send the government any additional tax revenue to fund their dim-witted ideas, like running the Christmas tree industry. Are Scrooge and his Czars really that daft??

The story is this. Many businesses in the Christmas tree industry don’t want to participate in ANY tree promotion program. The industry tried more than once to collectively conduct advertising programs based on voluntary contributions. Every time they tried it the revenue declined to the point where the programs were ineffective. The tree sellers decided they didn’t want to participate. And that should have been the end of it.

But what does Scrooge do? He creates a mandatory tax to force compliance of a program that the businesses involved do not want.

It appears that Obama does not understand free enterprise. Surprised, anyone? In addition to forcing us to purchase his version of health insurance, he also wants us to pay a “tree tax” to support a government promotion scam that failed to entice voluntary contributions.

How many jobs are expected to be “created?” None, except more government workers to enforce the Christmas Tree Tax boondoggle. Instead of shrinking government, Scrooge is determined to expand it. Oh, Big Government, ain’t it just great?

After this Ghost of Christmas Future story was picked up by The Drudge Report, more than a million people read it. The outrage was swift and fierce, and Obama’s Christmas Goose was cooked. Scrooge decided to delay hanging his Christmas tree tinsel tax on your fresh tree while the Dept of Ag “reconsiders” its position.

If Drudge hadn’t highlighted this and if Americans hadn’t thrown a not-another-tax-fit, a new mandate and tax from the feds would have come to pass without our knowledge.

The Power of The People, doesn’t it just give you a Holiday Tingle?

STIMULUS HATCHET JOB

In 2010, the Bend, OR Bulletin wrote an article about Oregon forestry contractors using millions of federal stimulus dollars to hire foreign workers for jobs intended to be filled by unemployed Oregonians.

After an investigation in 2011 the Labor Department concluded that those companies exploited legal loopholes but violated no laws.

Wow, does that mean stimulus funds were wasted, again? Job creators are sometimes crooked? The federal contracting process is corrupt? The “system” has been gamed? It would appear so.

Four Oregon companies were responsible for most of the “gaming”: Medford Cutting Edge Forestry, Summitt Forests of Ashland, GE Forestry of Central Point, and Ponderosa Reforestation of Medford.

These four companies hired 254 seasonal workers holding temporary U.S. work visas and were given at least $7 million in stimulus dollars to pay for those jobs.

And this is how they bamboozled the Stimulus Money Spigot. To hire the work visa holders, the companies were required to advertise the forest cleanup jobs and prove they couldn't be filled with local applicants.

The companies “gamed” the system by advertising the jobs in small, obscure papers, for instance, the Intermountain News in Burney, CA, with a circulation of 3,200. They also hired four months before the work began which is a big problem for anyone drawing unemployment benefits.

By now you’re probably wondering what would motivate these companies to hire foreign workers in times of devastating unemployment.

Well, the businesses say “the locals don’t want to work, Hispanics are more motivated, they don’t have unemployment to depend on, if they don’t work they go back to Mexico.”

But Grayback Forestry advertised for 14 jobs in 2009, had 500 applicants, and many of them were “locals.”

Whose fault is this idiocy? Start with the Bush administration. By administrative rule, Bush allowed Oregon companies to pay foreign work visa holders a "prevailing" wage equal to the lowest such wages in the country. An administrative rule is what’s used when an administration wants something and doesn’t want to ask Congress. They just issue an administrative rule.

Effectively the Bush administrative rule allowed these forestry companies to hire foreign workers and pay them $4 an hour less than the local Oregon prevailing wage. It’s all about the bottom line, I guess, and that’s okay. It’s a company decision.

But the public should expect that “stimulus” dollars spent to stimulate American jobs would go for American Jobs – not jobs for temporary foreign workers.

This is another example of an injudicious, brainless use of Obama stimulus dollars and further evidence that the feds can’t be trusted to be good stewards of taxpayer money. Nobody in Washington is watching the purse strings, while our debt increases by the minute.

OCCUPY WALL STREETER GETS WORTHLESS DEGREE AND IT'S OUR FAULT

Did you hear Rush Limbaugh today? He had a segment on some Occupy Wall Street demonstrator whose picture was taken while she was writing in a journal. Apparently the journal entry was visible in the picture. She was lamenting about the fact that she is graduating from college this year with a degree in "Classical Studies." She is whining that her "job prospects are zero." Her writing also indicates that she has student loans and is very "ticked off."

Now I ask you, People, why would anyone get a degree in Classical Studies? Where in the world do you go to apply for a job with a degree like that? The bigger question though is why would anyone with an ounce of common sense accumulate potentially $100,000 in student loan debt (approximately what a 4-year state college degree costs now) just to get out of school with a throwaway degree? What did she think, the world was going to open its door and snatch her up for any job she wanted just because she was able to get a Classical Studies degree?

C'mon, she should have used her head for something besides getting a piece of paper that's worth a bucket of warm spit. I don't feel sorry for her. Oh, I forgot. Now she wants someone else to pay off her student loans. That'd be you and me.

OUR BIG FAT GREEK BAILOUT

Hey, if you haven’t heard about this, Greece is being “bailed out,” and this week the stock markets responded with glee. Investors must think the world’s financial problems are over.

Greece is the birthplace of Democracy, where Capitalism once flourished. But let’s look at Greece today. It has become the poster child for the Womb to Tomb version of the Nanny State. How did Greece go from Capitalism to Socialism? They had a Big Fat Greek Wedding where the bride, the groom and all the guests were showered with presents, hand-outs, party favors, and gifts, and all future offspring blissfully jumped on the gravy train. But now the honeymoon is over.

Greece borrows 50% of what it spends. (The U.S. borrows 40% of what it spends.) Greece spends their borrowed money on over spending, over compensating, over promising, over regulating, over taxing, and over extending. Does this sound familiar?

Greece is leading the insolvency race, but watch out, here comes Portugal, Italy, Ireland, and Spain not far behind. Who’s to blame? European Socialism did this. The Greeks have become completely dependent on government social programs. And now they realize the government can no longer finance their schools, their colleges, their pensions, airports, hospitals, medical facilities, health care, and welfare programs. Greece has learned a brutal lesson. Socialism does not work.

Any government that cannot pay its bills cannot be trusted to handle its money. Greece has been unable to get anyone to lend it any more cash. It is saddled with extraordinarily high interest payments on loans Greece has already been given that they cannot repay. So Greece appealed to the European Union to bail it out. In other words, Greece wants other people to pay its debts.

Now the EU has agreed to do so, and here’s how it’s going to happen. This is such a convoluted plan you are going to have to pay attention here.

The European banks who have already loaned money to Greece will get back 50 cents on the dollar from Greece. Those same banks will then look to other governments they do business with for the remaining 50 cents. Example, if a German bank loaned one million Euros to Greece, they will expect Greece to repay ½ million, and the German government will pay the other half million. Now you are probably wondering where will the German government get their ½ million? From the German taxpayer. And when the German taxpayer can’t or won’t make the payments where will the money come from? You’ve got it! The Federal Reserve. And when the Federal Reserve can’t or won’t come up with the cash where will it come from? The International Monetary Fund. What is the IMF, you ask? That’s the loony Socialist World Bank, 1/3 of which is funded by the American taxpayer. That’s a cool one hundred billion dollars.

So now you know the truth. The ultimate Knight in Shining Armor for the Greek Socialist economy is YOU.

Now, you would expect that Obama would not approve of us financing the Greek bailout. After all, it’s not as if we have money to burn. And it would seem reasonable that he would understand, oh, you know, that banks and people who make risky investments must accept the consequences of those risks and cannot look to the taxpayer for a handout. Otherwise what’s to prevent them from making crazy, reckless investments in the future? You’d think that no one would lend a penny to the Greek government, since they’re obviously lacking in debt management skills. You’d think that Obama or someone in Congress would say NO to our involvement in this financial charade.

But you’d be oh, so wrong. This week Greece’s Rich Uncle Obama praised the solution and stood fully behind the IMF providing bailout funds to Greece. YOU are the answer to Greece’s financial problems.

While we have unemployment over 9% and while we borrow 40% of everything we spend from China, what are we doing bailing out Greece? To you Obamabots, is this what you elected him to do? Has Congress authorized this? No.

We are experiencing 5% inflation if you include food and fuel, continued high unemployment, and the continual erosion of the dollar. So why has Your Guy lubed up the feds money printing press and pledged billions of dollars of our kids’ future income to bail out Greece?

Does the U. S. Constitution allow The Bailout King to spend billions of taxpayer dollars on a European bailout? No, but he’s doing it anyway while thumbing his nose at the Constitution, at Congress, and at every American, while sending our debt clock into overdrive.

And it’d be so easy for him to Just Say No. He could do it by Executive Order. He uses the EO for everything else. This is one time where it would do some good.

COST OF ONE VOTE? $4 TO $8 PER MONTH

Smoother than a Snake Skin Suit, your president is at it again. He’s slithering all over the media gibing and fibbing about his Executive Order that’s supposed to provide relief to people who have student loan obligations. But if you look closely at the proposal, it swiftly sheds its skin and morphs into the worm that it is.

According to the Atlantic Monthly, 82% of outstanding student loan debt was accrued by students over the past 10 years. That means a college education has become extremely costly and more and more people are chasing that pricey degree. And why? Because for decades our young people have been told they can’t succeed in life without getting that ever necessary college degree. Do you think they’ve been warned about the fact that depending on the degree, they very likely won’t be able to find a job in their field? Or have they been warned about the income expectations in relation to the debt they will amass getting that wall ornament? And I wonder if they’re now being educated that there are no jobs available for them?

There are three main provisions of Obama's Executive Order. One, he will limit the amount of student loan payments to 10% of a borrower's income. It is currently 15%. Two, he will allow debt still outstanding after 20 years to go bye bye, in other words, be forgiven. Currently student loan debt is forgiven after 25 years. Third, he will allow consolidation of loan balances, combining all of an individual’s student loans into one big loan.


Now Obama is touting this as a big deal for people with student loan obligations. But the reality is that the “consolidation” of loans will save the borrower a teeny, tiny hiss of an amount. The average savings per student loan borrower would be between $4 and $8 PER MONTH. This is clearly not a stunning amount of money.

But Mr. O. is trying to make parents, students and taxpayers believe that his action is going to save the economy and create jobs, and oh, my gosh, it’s going to Help The Students. After all, it’s part of his “We Can’t Wait” stimulus effort. That’s his “unilateral” action that completely circumvents Congress – again.

So let’s discuss the payment limit of 10% of income. He’s trying to sell this as a God Send to borrowers. But the truth is that any borrower who graduated in 2011 OR EARLIER will NOT be eligible. It will be available only to those graduating in 2012 or in the future. Doesn’t that just give you warm fuzzies, those of you, parents and students and existing borrowers, who are currently paying on student loans or will be once your grace period expires? You get to pay all of your own loans, plus you get to subsidize the loans of all who come after you. Woo Hoo!

And then there’s the “whatever-you-don’t-pay-back-in-20-years-will-go-away” forgiveness provision. It will be at least another 10 years before borrowers have hit the 20-year mark in their loan payments so this executive order provision won’t save you anything currently. Don’t be fooled by his hyperbole. It’s not what he wants you to think it is.


But I would ask why does any borrower get excused after 20 years or ever? If borrowers know what they don’t pay back in a 20 year period will be excused, why would they make any effort to pay anything back? How many borrowers will sit tight and wait for it all to go away? There is NO incentive to pay it back. Oh, by the way, the taxpayer picks up the student loan debt for any borrower who decides not to bother paying it back.

But wait, that’s not all. I wonder if an Obama Executive Order can really do this? Shouldn’t Congress have a say in this type of policy change? Oops, I forgot, right after taking office Obama has already slapped Congress up ‘side the head when he ordered the federal government to take the Student Loan Program away from the banks.

The result of Obama’s changes to the Student Loan Program? Nothing, except it’s going to cost the taxpayer potentially billions of dollars. It’s estimated there is over a trillion dollars in student loan debt currently owed by borrowers. Who do you think is going to pay when they don’t?

Well, yippee, skippee, I have one question. Mr. O, you old Snake Oil Salesman, why are student loans more important than home mortgages? Explain that one if you can.


What, you can’t explain your own Double Talk? Well, let me guess. The student loan giveaway is nothing more than a campaign carrot because the Occupy Wall Streeters have demanded it, and yeah, that’s right, you support the OWS crowd, as you’ve publicly stated. How many jobs will your revolutionary action create for the OWS revolutionaries? Zip, Zilch, Zero, Nada.

This is nothing more than another redistribution of wealth giveaway. Thank you again, for nothing but more debt.

VATICAN RECOMMENDS WORLD BANK

Hold the Presses, major announcement coming, the Vatican, in all their wisdom, has called for the creation of a "global public authority" and a "central world bank." They want this new organization to rule over "outdated financial institutions." They want it to have authority with a "worldwide scope" and "universal jurisdiction" to guide economic policies. They want to make sure that developed countries don't take advantage of weaker countries. Holy Moly, is the Vatican being run by Socialist Progressives? This smacks of Distribution of Wealth. Who else have we heard use that term in the last few years? But the big question is, What makes the Vatican an expert on anything except The Catholic Church?

VATICAN RECOMMENDS WORLD BANK - READ ABOUT IT HERE

MOUNTAIN PLAZA RECEIVES EPA GRANT, THEN POOF, IT'S GONE

BE SURE TO WATCH VIDEO AT THE END.

Mountain Plaza truck stop in Dandridge, TN was given an Obama EPA stimulus grant of $424,000. The grant was part of $2 million dollars that TN DOT received from the Obama EPA as part of the Recovery Act of 2009. The money was for a truck-stop electrification project. The system allows truckers to hook up to air conditioning and electricity so they could shut down their engines and “wouldn’t burn diesel fuel while resting.” The project was funded by the EPA for the purpose of reducing the use of diesel fuel and cleaning up the TN air – another “Green Project” from the Obama administration.

Mountain Plaza’s owner is Ricky Hugo Lewis. Here’s a timeline which should make you go ballistic.

In 2002 Lewis was convicted of 31 counts of theft stemming from flawed sales tax returns he filed for a business he owned in the 1990s. He was found guilty, was placed on probation for 8 years, and he was ordered to reimburse the state nearly $70,000.

In 2003 Mountain Plaza and the Lewises filed for bankruptcy separately. Their debts again included local, state and federal taxes. They emerged from that bankruptcy in 2005.

In 2010, while still on probation, Lewis was indicted for writing worthless checks, including several for more than $10,000 each. This is important. Understand this. Lewis was still on probation and the worthless check charges were still pending when Obama/EPA/TN DOT approved the grant to his company, Mountain Plaza.
On May, 2010 U.S. Bank sued Lewis, his wife and Mountain Plaza because they failed to repay a $2 million dollar loan that was supposed to be used to refinance the truck stop.

On June 3, 2010 Mountain Plaza filed for bankruptcy. Debts included $18,000 owed to the IRS, $5,000 owed to the TN Dept. of Labor, $35,000 owed to the TN Dept. of Revenue, and $17,312 owed to Jefferson County.

On July 2, 2010 a state tax lien was filed against the company.
Focus on these dates, Folks. Here’s the worst of it.
Mountain Plaza applied for the $424,000 “grant” in September, 2009.

In December, 2009 Mountain Plaza received an “award letter,” basically a letter approving of the funding.

On May 18, 2010 contracts were executed and TN DOT sent them to the TN Dept. of Finance for approval.

On June 15, 2010 the funds were handed over to Rick and Bonnie Lewis, AKA Mountain Plaza. This is 12 DAYS after the company filed for bankruptcy.

In October, 2010 the TN DOT finally learned about Mountain Plaza’s bankruptcy.
Now the shiny new equipment languishes uselessly at the vacated site as U. S. Bank took possession of the bankrupt business after a sheriff’s auction at the County Courthouse failed to produce not even one interested bidder.

A review of public records would have exposed Mountain Plaza and the Lewises to the EPA and the TN DOT. Good Grief, anyone with a half a brain can Google Mountain Plaza, Rick H. Lewis or Bonnie L. Lewis. There’s a treasure trove of information readily available. But the EPA failed to do the most basic research before giving away almost a half million taxpayer dollars.

TN DOT spokeswoman B. J. Doughty admitted that “EPA did not require financial or criminal background checks or information to be disclosed on grant applications.” Well, of course not, because this was another “Green Project.” It sure is easy to be sloppy when it’s someone else’s money you are giving away.

But if any other American wanted a grant or wanted to borrow that much money you’d have to sign over your first born child, pledge your right arm, your left leg, both feet, and your life, along with every asset you currently have or expect to have in the future, and then sign the paperwork in blood. And you’d still be swiftly turned down. That is unless Obama considers your project “Green.”

Let’s call this what it is – more of Montezuma’s Revenge oozing from the putrid bowels of The White House.

TENNESSEE TRUCK STOP SURPRISE

JOE BIDEN - SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER??

VP Biden has sure gotten around in the last few weeks. First he gives a speech suggesting that rape, murder and crime stats are going up, and it's all the fault of those stubborn Republicans. The video is below. Be sure to watch to the end. And this scary dud is a heartbeat away from the presidency!

JOE BECOMES UNHINGED:



And then Joey is asked about his "rape and murder" comment. His reaction is, what should I say, so adult?

AND AGAIN - WATCH IT HERE:



And then the Clown Prince Vice President visits a number of schools to speak to 4th graders. This video is Goode Elementary in York, PA. Talking in a hushed voice to a class of 30 students, Biden tells the class that in order to rehire some teachers, police officers and firefighters, all that needs to happen is the federal government has to tax the wealthy only "$500 in additional taxes," and those jobs will come right back. He actually says the rich "can pay for all the teachers and all the police and all the firemen" to come back.

WATCH IT HERE, GOVERNMENT INDOCTRINATION OF 4TH GRADERS:



There is something profoundly outrageous about a vice president of the U.S. politicking to fourth-grade students and subtly trying to scare the kids into believing that if the President's jobs bill isn't passed, the kids will be deprived of an education. Are Joe and Barry this desperate? Don't they realize that 4th graders can't vote? Oh, but wait, now I get it. Their parents can vote, and you can bet Joe Baby was counting on these brainwashed 4th graders going home with stories about how Big Brother Joe is going to tax the rich so their teachers can come back to the roost.

Too bad Joe didn't tell them that by the time they are able to vote America will be a third world country, thanks to Barry's and Joe's spending mania. He should have said, "We're gonna give you some money to hire some teachers and then we're gonna put it on a Chinese credit card and hand you little kiddies the stinkin' bill." "And, Kiddies, by the time YOU have to pay the bill, Barry and I will be long gone."

Oh, if only Joe had told them the truth instead of attempting to scare them witless.

GOING APE, TAX REVENUE GOES UP IN SMOKE

According to 2009 figures released by the IRS, the average tax return paid $5847 in revenue. Using that number and the National Institutes of Health figures for grant money given to drug test Rhesus Monkeys, it costs 621.6 Americans $5847 each year.

Folks, there’s “a monkey on the back of every American,” thanks to the government.

NIH has spent $3,634,807 over the past decade funding research that forced monkeys to smoke and inject drugs. As specified in the grant, the ill-fated primates were forced to use “PCP, METH, heroin, cocaine, ethanol, and methadone.”

Once the monkeys were suitably smashed their behavior was studied, including during different phases of the female monkeys’ menstrual cycles and sexual activity of the drugged subjects.

The study also uses “interventions” as “treatment models” for monkeys who have been taught to use drugs. So we pay to addict them and then pay to treat them, oh, what a great program we fund.

In another federally funded study of drugged monkeys, the druggies were sometimes given a “trail mix” after their daily experimentation sessions, their reward for being obedient and submissive and not going ape during the sessions.

Another NIH project in 2001 gave $328,364 to a project called “A Primate Model of Drug Abuse.” The lead investigator was Dr. Marilyn Carroll, a professor at the University of Minnesota. A description of the grant as published by NIH: “Goals of the research are to use a rhesus monkey model of drug abuse to study factors affecting vulnerability to drug abuse and to evaluate behavioral and pharmacological treatment interventions. Routes of administration will include oral drug self-administration and smoking.” Yeah, you read it correctly.

The U of M study has been ongoing since 1990, costing 621.6 Americans $5847 each and every year.

The latest giftarama to Ms. Carroll of the U or M was on March 31, 2011, when she received her current award, $386,907 in tax dollars.

What have been the results of forcing monkeys to take drugs and get addicted? After studying them for decades and after huge expenditures of tax dollars, Ms. Carroll has determined that testing “revealed dilated pupils and slightly agitated hyperactive behavior.”

The result of the “studies” as reported by Ms. Carroll? “These findings indicate that smoked cocaine-base caused physiological effects similar to those reported in studies of human subjects.” What? It’s taken millions of tax dollars to determine what anyone with an ounce of common sense should know?

NIH has been giving away your money for years, under many administrations, for thousands of dubious so-called research projects, adding millions of dollars to the ballooning national debt, now approaching $15 trillion. Remember, 40 cents of each debt dollar we have is borrowed from China.

And right now, today? Obama wants to soak the “rich” for more money to fund more monkey tomfoolery. I’d say to him, Mr. Obama, the Census Bureau says the median household income in the U.S. is $52,000. How would you explain to America’s moms and dads who make $52,000 per year that the entire tax payment from 621.6 taxpayers went entirely to pay for meaningless monkey shenanigans?

How can you justify continuing to vilify the “rich,” demanding more tax money from them, when you have failed in your campaign promise to root out fraud, waste and abuse from the federal budget?

You, Mr. Obama, said you’d fix this, but you’ve done nothing to put a stop to this type of worthless monkey business, while at the same time spending us into bankruptcy and demanding more, more, more for you to spend. It will be my greatest pleasure to bid you farewell in 2012.

And here's a message for all you Obama Backers who have fallen into his "tax the rich" pit. We do not have a TAX problem, we have a SPENDING problem as evidenced by the drug-the-monkeys-program. Use your head. Think for yourself.

OHIO BANS PORK IN PRISONS - SMELLS LIKE PIG POOP!

What does Ohio have in common with Arizona, California, Florida, Maryland and Massachusetts? All have banned pork from their prison systems. Seems like Muslim inmates at these prisons don’t like the idea of pork being prepared in the same kitchens as the food they are expected to ingest. After all, the “pork” might contaminate THEIR food.

And why did the Ohio prison system capitulate to this outrageous demand? Two Muslim prison inmates filed a lawsuit claiming that the prison system’s failure to provide “halal” meals, prepared according to Islamic teachings, is a restraint on his religious freedom. One of the prisoners, Abdul Awkal, is on death row for murdering his estranged wife and brother-in-law. The other, Cornelius Causey, is serving 15 to life for murder and robbery.

Prison officials have offered vegetarian and non-pork meals. But that isn’t enough for the two murderers. They demand that their meals be prepared in a specific fashion, i.e., animals must be butchered by slitting their throats and draining their blood, to conform to Islamic beliefs. The prison says that removing pork completely from the menu is the only way to ensure the two murderers will be served “clean” food.

Hard to believe, isn’t it? What about the rights of the prisoners who enjoy a meal of pork and don’t care how it is slaughtered? What about Jewish prisoners who also don’t eat pork but have not demanded it be removed from the menu? They seem to find something to eat without filing lawsuits.

I maintain that if Muslims don’t like prison food, then they shouldn’t commit crimes. But since they are under control of the state they should be given no dining favors except for vegetarian meals. The fact that pork is banned because if offends two Muslims should chill every American. This is a glaring example of Creeping Sharia Law invading our institutions and courts.

This is America! If they don’t want to comply with our laws and traditions, then stay the heck out of our country. And if while here they commit a crime that lands them in the jailhouse, then they should shut up and eat what they’re served and be thankful they even get a meal.

There are plenty of prisons in third world countries, namely The Middle East, where they not only wouldn’t have a say in their meals, they wouldn’t even get a trial. They’d be tortured and very likely beheaded.

If given a choice, beheading or eating pork, I bet these model citizens would choose pork.

DICKIE DURBIN'S DAFFY SENATE TIRADE

Bank of America, they are coming to get ‘ya. Dickie Durbin (D-Ill), 2nd ranking Democrat in the Senate, is after your hide. He’s aiming for you. He can send the power of the entire federal government down on your head, so watch out. He’s telling your customers to leave: “Bank of America customers, vote with your feet, get the heck out of that bank. Find yourself a bank or credit union that won’t gouge you for $5 a month and still will give you a debit card that you can use every single day. What Bank of America has done is an outrage.” Yeah, that’s right, those are Durbin’s exact words.

Dickie’s tirade has to do with BOA’s new fee of $5 per month to users of BOA’s debit cards. He’s upset at the audacity of BOA charging for debit card services, so on the floor of the U. S. Senate he takes BOA to task and tells people to get the heck out of BOA.

The real truth is that BOA’s new debit card fee is a direct result of the Dodd Frank Bill, a behemoth regulation that is partly responsible for no jobs being created by the Jobs President. The Durbin Amendment to Dodd Frank floated around for almost a year before it was finally adopted when Durbin pushed the issue. The Durbin Amendment gives the Federal Reserve the power to regulate debit card swipe fees. Oh, sounds so warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? Gonna save the consumer from the horrible big banks, let’s get right to it. And so they did.

For the readers who don’t know what a “swipe fee” is, I will explain. Every time a consumer uses a debit card, any debit card, by the way, the business is charged a “swipe fee” by the bank issuing the debit card. This fee averages 44 cents per transaction. But Durbin and the Federal Reserve have taken the position that the 44 cent swipe fee is highway robbery, it’s bank chicanery, bank gouging. They have mandated that the most banks can now charge is 24 cents per swipe. Oh, this all sounds good for the consumer, wouldn’t you think?

But wait, The Fed released their final rule on the matter and determined that the combination of reduced fees, restrictions and caps is going to cost banks nearly $14 billion annually. Do the Fed and Dickie Durbin think the banks will just lose $14 billion annually without making it up somewhere? Could they be that stupid? I guess so because they are now regulating the swipe fee. They must not understand “unintended consequences.”

Now Durbin has come under great fire from media around the country who argue BOA’s new monthly fee is a direct result of Durbin’s amendment to the Dodd Frank so-called financial reform bill. The Chicago Tribune said the “charge, which other banks are likely to adopt, is a direct result of his lawmaking. Call it the Durbin Fee.”

Wells Fargo is going to charge $3 per month. J. P. Morgan Chase will be imposing a similar fee. All banks will eventually do the same thing. They are not about to “eat” billions in loses because Durbin and his compatriots are ignorant of how the market place operates.

And of course, now Durbin is pointing his finger at everyone else in trying to deflect attention from the truth of the matter.

Because Dodd Frank and Senator Durbin stuck their liberal noses into a marketplace issue, consumers are now being harmed as a direct result of their handy work.

While Dickie Durbin stands on the floor of the U.S. Senate and berates BOA and big banks, I wanted to ask him, if he hates big banks so much, why did he vote for the 2008 $45 billion bailout of BOA. If he really thinks big banks are crooks, cheaters and gougers, why’d he approve bailing BOA out of a mess that they created?

And the most important thing I’d ask him is who does he think he is using the floor of the U. S. Senate to encourage the American public to boycott a business? The Founding Fathers surely never intended the U. S. Senate to be used for such egregious, flagrant, grossly shameless behavior by a sitting U. S. Senator.

THE JOBS PRESIDENT IS AT IT AGAIN

Do you know the latest way The Jobs President is going to create jobs? Get ready, this is such exciting news!

According to The Dialy Caller, The Jobs President’s EPA is hiring 230,000 new bureaucrats to implement the EPA’s new greenhouse gas regulations.

But hold on just a minute, the EPA has said that the new greenhouse gas regulations are “absurd” in application and “impossible to administer” by the EPA’s target date of 2016. But the idiots running the EPA still want taxpayers to pay for 230,000 bodies who will be needed in an “attempt” to implement the new rules.

Cost to the taxpayer?? A cool $21 billion.

Where did the new regulations come from? Well, remember Cap and Trade? Obama and Company were not able to get it through Congress. It was soundly rejected by both Dems and Reps as a huge jobs killer and too expensive. So Obama performed a backdoor magic trick and proposed the Clean Air Act, which passed Congress when the Dems were in control. The Clean Air Act does not give the EPA explicit power to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, but the EPA is doing it anyway. Thankfully the authority of the EPA to move forward is being challenged in court. The argument is that greenhouse gas emission decisions should be up to Congress, not a bunch of highly paid bureaucrats in the EPA.

As of right now there are approximately 14,000 big businesses who have to comply with current EPA emission standards and must get permits and complete extra paperwork to operate. If the EPA new greenhouse gas emissions standards are left in place the number of businesses forced into a regulatory nightmare would grow to as many as 6.1 million. Well, that’s sure going to create lots of jobs. Gee, do you think companies will move overseas to avoid the strong armed sledge hammer of the EPA?

And the $21 billion dollar figure to hire the required 230,000 regulators? That figure does NOT include the economic cost of the regulations themselves.

Government jobs are the only kind of jobs The Jobs President knows how to create. From Jan. 2008 to the middle of 2010 the private sector lost around 7.9 million jobs, but the public sector gained 590,000. From Feb 2009 when the Obama stimulus bill was passed to the middle of 2010 the private sector lost more than 2.6 million jobs, but government positions grew by 400,000.

One more end-run around from the Obama EPA playbook. They have now banned over-the-counter asthma inhalers because of environmental concerns. What used to cost asthmatic Americans about $20 will not cost them over $60 because the only way to get the required EPA inhaler is by prescription.

And don’t forget the EPA ban on light bulbs. This little dittie drove light bulb manufacturing to China. There are no companies making bulbs in the U.S. any longer. Have you priced the new “required” bulb? Be ready for a shock. You can thank the Bush administration for this one.

And how many jobs have been lost due to protection of some snail or plant or wetland for decades and through many administrations?

But The Jobs President wants to raise taxes and spend more on “infrastructure” and establish a government run “infrastructure bank” to produce jobs.

But hey, Mr. Jobs Guy, you would generate lots more jobs simply by reigning in your EPA-Gone-Wild. But I won't hold my air-polluting breath.

CHOP STICKS, FORTUNE COOKIES & GOVERNMENT MOTORS

Yesterday the Detroit News caught the GM CEO admitting that Government Motors Chevy Volt could be built in China within a few years. But wait, just two weeks ago when Senator Stabenow voiced concerns about the Chinese gaining access to the Government Motors-developed green motor technology, GM said oh, don't be concerned, GM has no plans to build the Volt in China. So which of the CEO's statements are true? Good question.

But here's the real reason GM wants to build the Volt in China. China has a $19,000 per car subsidy for the buyer of electric vehicles, but China is refusing to apply the subsidy to electric car sales when the car is not made in China. In short, GM's imported Volt will cost $19,000 more than if it were built in China. But this is a flagrant World Trade Organization violation and is against China's own rules. Oh, those Chinese, they are just so clever, thumbing their noses at the WTO and at GM.

What else does China get from the "deal?" They get GM's Volt technology and trade secrets. The Chinese have a law that demands the transfer of "intellectual property," meaning "technology," to China in return for the use of Chinese labor to manufacture a product. This Chinese law does not apply to cars imported from the U.S that are not made in China, but China is ignoring their own rules and is treating the imported Volt the same as a made-in-China Volt. For GM to be allowed to build a China Volt factory GM must turn over to China electric vehicle technology that the U.S. developed and the tax payer paid for. This is also a WTO violation. China is licking their chops over this little tidbit because China's green vehicle technology is lagging far behind ours.

What has the "jobs" President done about this? Nothing. He is afraid of going to the WTO with a complaint against China on these two issues, though that's exactly the type of issue the WTO should address. Instead, he has agreed to let GM move electric car development to China. Oh, yes, he really cares about creating and keeping jobs in the U.S.

Where is the UAW on this? Who knows. They own a large part of GM. You'd expect the UAW members to be throwing a tantrum. Many of them will most likely lose their jobs when the Volt is only built in China within the next few years. But union management appears to be mum on the subject. They must not care when the Volt Made In America label becomes the Volt Made In China label. Union members, you've been had. You think the unemployment rate in the auto industry is high now? Just wait a couple of years. Better start training now for a different job because yours will be gone.

This is a great example of the lack of leadership in the Obama administration, the "pass-this-bill-now" jobs guy.

One other morsel of information I discovered while researching this subject. Shanghai is the site of GM's international headquarters. I understand that GM is a huge international company. But when Obama bailed them out and then put them into bankruptcy, did anyone see any bail-out save-the-company funds coming from China? What exactly did the U.S. taxpayer "save?" A huge international company with headquarters in Shanghai.

Welcome to the world of government stupidity.

HERMAN CAIN'S 9-9-9 PLAN EXPLAINED BY HERMAN HIMSELF

Watch this to find out how Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan would work. A great explanation for a simplified tax plan that would get everyone paying something. The 47% of Americans who currently do not pay one cent would have to contribute. I like the plan. I might even be in favor of a smaller "flat tax" number for low income people, say like 4% or 5% under a certain amount of income. Listen to his explanation and then YOU decide whether he makes sense or not. I like him because he's not a "career politician" and owes no one any political favors. He's an extremely successful businessman. And 2012 is our last chance to get it right and save the country. Though Cain is not a perfect candidate, none of them are, he doesn't have Romneycare hanging around his neck. He doesn't have in-state-tuition issues and you-must-vaccinate-your-teen-girls-by-executive-order issues like Perry.


CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO HERMAN

CAN PIGS FLOAT?

Have you ever heard of Hawaii Superferry? Well, in light of the recent news about the Solyndra bankruptcy, I thought you might like to know about another government handout that went swimmingly well, just like Solyndra.

There are two passenger ferries sitting empty at the Lambert’s Point Dock in Norfolk, VA. They were commissioned by a company called Hawaii Superferry. The company received $140 million in federal loan guarantees to pay for these two floating pigs, and then in 2009 defaulted and filed for bankruptcy.

The pork program involved is known as Title XI and has been around since 1936. Its purpose was to promote the growth and modernization of America’s merchant marine industry. Republicans and Democrats have historically used the program to support shipbuilders and owners of all kinds of marine vessels in their districts.

After 129 defaults cost the taxpayer over $2 billion Reagan suspended the program in 1987. It was resurrected by Clinton in 1993 when Title XI was reauthorized. Since reauthorization in 1993 the government has paid out $801 million in defaults on 15 loans it guaranteed. The government was able to recover only $142 million by seizing and selling assets of defaulting companies.

Now it’s 2011 and despite Title XI’s miserable bad-loan record, this year the Obama administration has awarded vessel owners $798 million in new guarantees, the most since 2001. An additional $712 million is currently being reviewed and will likely be approved. I personally like Reagan's 1987 decision - get rid of the program!

The program Administrator, David Matsuda, told a House panel that “the agency hasn’t always assessed risk.” And at times “decisions were made that, well, maybe they weren’t the best.” Well, no kidding!

And here’s what I found in the fine print of the Title XI authorization bill: “Title XI authorizes the U.S. Government to guarantee the repayment of debt obligations, including unpaid interest, of U. S. or foreign ship-owners…..” That’s right, FOREIGN SHIPOWNERS have access to these U. S. taxpayer loan guarantees. Are you upset yet? Disgusted?

The Cato Institute says that despite the massive losses in Title XI, members of Congress with shipbuilders in their districts will “fight to the death for it.”

The two Hawaii Superferry ships? They’re sitting in VA hoping the U. S. Maritime Administration can sell them for whatever they can get out of them in an attempt to recoup something, anything, for the U. S. taxpayer.

And Obama laments there’s no way to cut spending, we’ll be just fine if everyone “pays their fair share.”

Ah, Water Pork, pretty tasty, don’t you think?

MUFFIN MADNESS AND THE "PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE" PRESIDENT

Dear Mr. President, if I hear you use the words “pay their fair share” again I am going to stuff a $16 muffin down your skinny little throat. How dare you ask any American to pay any more taxes when you, your administration and many of the thieves running the myriad of boards, councils, advisory panels, and departments in our government squander money on over-priced meetings, meals and conferences?

Just in case your campaign promises have disappeared from your lexicon, let me remind you. Remember your promise of Hope and Change? And you were going to “fundamentally change Washington?” Have you forgotten your pledge about absolute open and transparent government? And you were going to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse?

Well, Mr. Oh-I-Forgot-My-Promise, what about these items? And you can’t get away with blaming the Republicans. Democrats have been in charge of Washington’s purse strings since 2007, as you and I both know.

Item 1: From October ’07 to September ’09 there were 10 conferences held by various governmental bodies that cost the American taxpayer 4.4 million dollars.

Item 2: August ’09, DOJ conference, $4200 spent on 250 breakfast muffins. That’s $16 per muffin.

Item 3: July ’08, Drug Enforcement Task Force meeting, $15,600 spent on coffee breaks. That’s $52 per person in attendance.

Item 4: February ’08, U. S. Attorneys’ Conference, $54,000 spent on food and beverages.

Item 5: December ’07, Emergency Response Conference, $90,000 spent on food and beverages.

Item 6: August, ’09, DOJ conference, $2880 for 300 cookies/brownies. That’s $9.60 per cookie/brownie.

Item 7: 2007, DOJ conference, $6360 for lunch for 120 people. That’s $53 per person – for LUNCH.

Item 8: 2007, DOJ conference, $60,000 for a reception serving Swedish meatballs that cost $5 per meatball.

Item 9: February, 2008, U. S. Attorneys conference, $5,431 for a dinner for 84 officials. That’s $65 per person. This elaborate dinner was served after the “84” had already eaten beef Wellington appetizers, which was billed separately, by the way. The next day 118 participants dined on crusted red snapper, stuffed chicken breast and beef medallions, along with hors d’oeuvres, side dishes and salads. Cost? $58 per person.

Item 10: The DOJ spent $600,000 for “event planning services” for five conferences. What? Don’t they have anyone on their employee roster who can plan an event?

Item 11: 2008-2009, DOJ spent $121 million on conferences, which exceeded its own spending limits.

So I say to you, Mr. President. This is not about anybody “paying their fair share.” This is about a government run amok, a government who thumbs its nose at the taxpayer, a government who views us as a never ending money supply. After all, it’s easy for you to get more greenbacks. Just raise taxes which is all we ever hear out of your elegantly fed mouth.

So my question is this: Why should any American pay more taxes, pay a “fair share,” as you have repeated over and over again, just so somebody in a fancy suit, silk tie and wingtips can have a $16 muffin and a $52 coffee break?

In passing Obamacare you cut $500 million from Medicare. And you expect us to believe that Social Security will die under the Republicans because of inadequate funding. Yet you refuse to cut spending in any meaningful way without raising taxes. You say there is no place to cut. How dare you? Why wouldn’t you protect Medicare and Social Security and cut $16 muffins??

So here, Mr. O., is my suggestion. Have you ever heard of teleconferencing? Just in case you are ignorant of the concept, it’s where people use their computers and Internet connections to “conference” from separate locations. It saves lots and lots of money, like $16 muffins, $52 coffee breaks, $5 meatballs, $10 cookies. Do I need to spell it out for you?

If you really want to do something to help save America you should sign an Executive Order that stops this kind of crap. Demand efficiency. Demand budget cuts for every federal department. Why would Americans give any more money to an administration that sanctions this abuse just to buy more $16 muffins? Or is it part of your “Fair Share Shakedown?”

AUTOMATONS GOOSE-STEPPING IN WISCONSIN'S CAPITAL ROTUNDA

Wonder Why the Legislators in Madison can't get much done at mid-day? And why lots of WI schools have had to cancel their class trips to Madison to see the Capital? And why the blood bank has had to close down? Why Capital Tour participants have to wear ear plugs? Why Capital visitors are forced to leave the rotunda because of the din. Why Capital staffers and employees are leaving work with headaches and ringing ears? Watch the video for a vivid picture of Capital protesters. Members of the noon-day sing-a-long, which takes place inside the Wisconsin Capitol rotunda daily, talk about fatigue and how they keep staying strong for the "protest."

Solidarity forever?? Raised fists?? Reminds me of the Communist Party. But these people are union puppets, brainwashed, indoctrinated, goose-stepping around the Capital rotunda like automatons. Common sense? Uh huh. Respect for others? Guess not. Respect for the Capital? Not a bit. Do they have jobs? One wonders. They march in a circle, are disruptive and obnoxious, shouting and singing, and behaving in the same oppressive manner that they so vehemently decry.

This boorish temper tantrum goes on while the State of WI, school districts and municipal governments continue to rack up millions of dollars in savings thanks to the elimination of collective bargaining. I say, Right On, Governor Walker. THANK YOU. You did what we elected you to do.

SOLYNDRA SCANDAL, CHICAGO RATS INFEST THE WHITE HOUSE

Why is the media so surprised at the Solyndra scandal and the White House’s involvement? Only the ignorant would believe that Obama and the Chicago crooks he dragged to Washington with him left all their sleazy politics in Chicago?

Solyndra facts are coming at us faster than a speeding bullet. Here’s what happened.

Solyndra is a “green company” building solar panels, one of Obama’s pet companies. In May, 2010 Obama spoke at Solyndra’s newly unveiled factory bragging that “we can see the positive impact of the stimulus right here at Solyndra.” The speech was to announce that Solyndra was the first solar company to receive money from Obama’s slush fund, the Stimulus Bill, in the form of a $535 million loan guarantee from the Energy Department, all part of Obama’s green jobs push.

Ah, but wait. This loan guarantee was turned down by the Bush administration 9 days prior to his leaving office. They felt it was too risky. As soon as Obama took office the loan guarantee got onto a Fast Track. Why would Obama speed things along? The Washington Post found evidence that the White House made a concerted effort to improperly rush the Solyndra loan decision for political reasons. Of course, Obama has denied that, but now the emails are being made public – the emails that prove that Office of Management and Budget, who reviews loan guarantees, told the White House, “wait a minute, not so fast, we don’t have enough time for due diligence reviews, we are being rushed to approve this without adequate time to assess the risk to taxpayers.”

But the White House pushed forward because they were under a time crunch. They were scheduled to make the big Solyndra loan guarantee announcement within weeks, and they needed this approved immediately. The prediction? Well, one of the emails stated that the company would burn through the loaned money by September, 2011. But Obama and crew demanded it be approved anyway.

Two years later, September, 2011, it comes to pass. Solyndra filed for bankruptcy, putting 1100 people out of work.

But wait, there’s more.

One of Solyndra’s biggest stockholders is an oil billionaire named George Kaiser. Kaiser “bundled” (raised) approximately $100,000 for the Obama presidential campaign. Kaiser made no less than 9 visits to the White House in the weeks prior to the loan approval. Solyndra execs, including the CEO, also made numerous White House visits just prior to cashin’ in. Solyndra execs also contributed to Obama’s presidential campaign and other Democrats. Wow, you rub my back, I’ll rub yours. With taxpayer money, no less.

No wonder Obama’s position is that White House visitor logs are not for the public to see and continually drags his feet when a FOIA request for the records has been filed. He doesn’t want us to know who’s been currying favors at the White House. I mean, besides the unions.

And there’s even more.

In Feb. 2011 it was clear Solyndra was in great trouble, by their own admission. So what does Obama’s Dept. of Energy do? They restructure Solyndra’s taxpayer loan. Basically, they refinanced it. George Kaiser, you remember him, Obama’s donation buddy? Well, good old oil rich billionaire George agreed to make a $75 million loan available to Solyndra in exchange for the right to be repaid first if the company failed. Now by this time, everyone knew the company was going under, so Kaiser’s largess was no risk to him at all. How could this happen? Under the terms of the loan agreement and by Federal Code the American taxpayers must remain first in line for repayment when the taxpayer is the “bank”. But this didn’t matter to Obama and his village idiots. They put your tax money behind George’s because he raised lots of money for Obama and the Dems. This must be the Hope and Change he said we’d get.

And one other little tidbit.

The government’s interest rate on the Solyndra loan is at least 50% lower than interest rates given to other companies who received DOE stimulus funds. Most of the other loans were around 3.5%. Solyndra’s was between 1.025% and 1.515%. It sure pays to have a personal friend in the White House.

And just to give you all information on the subject, the DOE loan guarantee program that allowed this to happen is called the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Bush signed the bill with the support of most Republicans and Democrats, including then-Senator Obama. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 addresses energy production in the United States, including: (1) energy efficiency; (2) renewable energy; (3) oil and gas; (4) coal; (5) Tribal energy; (6) nuclear matters and security; (7) vehicles and motor fuels, including ethanol; (8) hydrogen; (9) electricity; (10) energy tax incentives; (11) hydropower and geothermal energy; and (12) climate change technology. It’s rather all-encompassing.

The Act was a byproduct of the Cheney Energy Task Force. However, the Task Force became a special interest group through which environmentalists, companies and industries could plead their case for government subsidies for their pet projects. The Task Force resulted in a law designed to shovel out taxpayer money to favored corporations and interests, no matter who sits in the White House. The intention may have been noble. The result has been corrupt political pay offs, such as the Solyndra Scandal.

This is a great example of what happens when the big government checkbook is used to subsidize pet projects that should be left to the private sector.

And there are many, many more “green energy” companies in the process of being approved for handouts of our money. Three others who received funds have already gone under.

The incompetence, fraud, lack of morality, ethics and virtue in the White House is astounding. We need to clean house. That’s what 2012 is going to be for. And we better continue what was started in 2010 or we are doomed.

FIRST LADY FLAG-A-PHOBIA

Here it is, the video you probably haven't seen. Michelle and Barack at the 9/11 Memorial Service. This video was captured unbeknownst to them. So the question circulating is, "What Is She Saying?"

HERE ARE THE MAYBE'S, THE PERHAPS'S, THE POSSIBILITIES. WATCH THEM, READ HER LIPS, SEE HIS REACTION. THEN YOU DECIDE!

1. "What's that for? The Flag?"

2. "Look how they fold the flag."

3. "What is this for? The flag?"

4. "All of this to fold a flag?"

5. "All this for a flag?" (This is the interpretation offered by a deaf person who is expert at lip-reading.)

Whatever it was, she said it, he agreed. On a day when everyone in the crowd was honoring the fallen, paying their respects, mourning their loss, the First Lady engages in eye rolling, sneers of disgust, head shaking, and generally contemptous behavior, and the President agrees with her. She acts like she has never been to a memorial flag folding ceremony before. Her body language tells the true story of the complete and utter contempt she holds for America. This is probably why Obama's handlers keep Miss Michelle out of the spotlight, put a lid on her public appearances, and send her on permanent vacations. She's been assigned an army of public relations and media handlers (we pay for) who know she's a liability and that's why we seldom see her at public events.

But when we do, oh, what we can learn.

9/11 - WHO'S REALLY TO BLAME

This information was sent to me by an acquaintance. In light of the ten year anniversary of 9/11, this is a great reminder of the politics of idiots who were running the government in 1987 and who are currently in control of 2/3 of Washington. You know who I am referring to -- the politicians who refuse to use the term Muslim terrorist, refuse to call the war, a "war." They weren't paying attention in 1987 and look what happened on 9/11.

Do you remember 1987.......

It was 1987! At a lecture the other day they were playing an old news video of
Lt.Col. Oliver North testifying at the Iran-Contra hearings during the Reagan
Administration.

There was Ollie in front of God and country getting the third degree, but what he said was stunning!

He was being drilled by a senator, 'Did you not recently spend close to $60,000 for a home security system?'

Ollie replied, 'Yes, I did, Sir.'

The senator continued, trying to get a laugh out of the audience, 'Isn't that just a little excessive?'

'No, sir,' continued Ollie.

'No? And why not?' the senator asked.

'Because the lives of my family and I were threatened, sir.'

'Threatened? By whom?' the senator questioned..

'By a Muslim terrorist, sir' Ollie answered.

'Terrorist? What terrorist could possibly scare you that much?'

'His name is Osama bin Laden, sir' Ollie replied.

At this point the senator tried to repeat the name, but couldn't pronounce it, which most people back then probably couldn't. A couple of people laughed at the attempt.

Then the senator continued.. Why are you so afraid of this man?' the senator asked.

'Because, sir, he is the most evil person alive that I know of', Ollie answered, and the Muslims are trying to take over America and destroy it from the inside out and putting their people into our political offices.

'And what do you recommend we do about him?' asked the senator..

'Well, sir, if it was up to me, I would recommend that an assassin team be formed to eliminate him and his men from the face of the earth.'

The senator disagreed with this approach, and that was all that was shown of the clip.

By the way, that senator was Al Gore!

Also:

Terrorist pilot Mohammad Atta blew up a bus in Israel in 1986. The Israelis captured, tried and imprisoned him. As part of the Oslo agreement with the Palestinians in 1993, Israel had to agree to release so-called 'political prisoners.'

However, the Israelis would not release any with blood on their hands. The American President at the time, Bill Clinton, and his Secretary of State, Warren Christopher, 'insisted' that all prisoners be released.

Thus Mohammad Atta was freed and eventually thanked us by flying an airplane into Tower One of the World Trade Center. This was reported by many of the American TV networks at the time that the terrorists were first identified.

It was censored in the U.S. from all later reports.

We were warned. Washington didn't listen.

9/11 AND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES

Ten years ago four teams of hijackers walked past security at major airports and hijacked four aircraft. They crashed two of them into the Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon, and one that was intended for the Capital building went down in the Pennsylvania countryside. Thousands of innocent Americans lost their lives that day. 34% of Americans say that the events of 9/11/01 directly affected their family or their friends. It was a massive attack.

On that day watching the events on TV as the Towers were hit, first one, then the other, and shortly after seeing them both fall to the ground, the roiling clouds of toxic dust advancing through the streets, people scrambling to get out of its path, bodies falling or jumping from the Towers, and the horror set in, the fear, questioning how anyone could hate America so much that they would take the lives of so many innocent people and be willing to give their lives in the process.

And I wept.

As the days and weeks wore on, and the recovery efforts continued, I knew that our country would never be the same. Things were about to change.

And so they have.

We’ve orchestrated two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan that have contributed trillions to our national debt, with no clear goal or exit strategy. We are now in Libya, running up the debt even more, without Congressional approval, without a clear agenda or exit strategy. We’ve seen the Middle East literally blow up. No one yet knows how these events will affect us. But I believe we better be careful whose side we take in these volatile countries. There have been reports that the very terrorists who want us dead and are killing our Military personnel are now reaping the rewards of American tax dollars flowing into their countries due to fraud and corruption. They are, after all, rebels, ousting ruthless dictators. But what happens if the “rebel” label has “terrorist” after it? We don’t know who any of them are. Remember, the terrorists that murdered Americans 10 years ago were mostly from Saudi Arabia, young men from middle income families, with an absolute hatred of the West and America in particular.

The events of 9/11 are responsible for the enactment of the USA Patriot Act and subsequent presidential “executive orders,” directives and regulations that greatly infringe upon freedoms that were once guaranteed to Americans. Yet many of us don’t realize the scope of what we have lost. Here are just some of the things we’ve given up, like sheep being led to the slaughter.

1st Amendment Freedom of Speech: The PA broadly expands the definition of terrorism. Many domestic groups that engage in nonviolent civil disobedience can now be targeted as terrorists. It has also become a crime for librarians or keepers of records to try to safeguard your privacy or tell you that you are under investigation. If the Government comes calling, the record keepers have to release information they may have on you, and they cannot tell you that Uncle Sam asked for it.

1st Amendment Freedom of Association: Religious and political groups can now be monitored and infiltrated, aptly called “domestic spying,” even though they have done nothing suspicious or criminal. The government can investigate you simply for being a member of a group the government doesn’t like.

1st Amendment Right to Access Government Information: The US DOJ has directed federal, state and local officials to limit access to government records requested through the Freedom of Information Act.

4th Amendment Freedom From Unreasonable Searches & Seizures: Authorities have the right to conduct secret wiretaps and searches in your home or office without showing “probable cause.” They can track your phone calls, credit card transactions, cell phone calls, text msgs, where you go on the Internet, of every American, just by claiming they have “a significant purpose” for doing so. They don’t have to state the purpose. Authorities can now demand your personal records held by your doctors, employer, accountant or library. They only need to say it pertains to “terrorism.”

5th Amendment Right to Due Process: Americans can now be jailed without a formal charge and without the right to confront witnesses or evidence against them. All in the name of “terrorism.”

6th Amendment Right to Legal Representation: Hundreds of U. S. residents have been detained for months at a time being denied access to an attorney. Officials can now monitor conversations between attorneys and clients in federal jails.

6th Amendment Right to a Speedy Trial: U.S. Government can now jail Americans indefinitely without charge or public trial.

In the last year Obama issued an order that it’s okay to kill American citizens residing in foreign countries who are suspected of terrorism. No trial, no innocent until proven guilty, no rights of any kind, not even residency at Gitmo. Just poof, and they are eliminated. The key words here are “American Citizen.” Non-citizens are not afforded rights to our legal system or our Constitution. But Americans are protected by our Constitution. Yes, Obama has issued this order. But Bush was responsible for the Patriot Act which gave subsequent administrations unbridled power. Let's not lay all of the blame in one place.


And then there are the surveillance cameras in so many public places. And body scans, groping, remove your shoes, remove your belts, practically remove your clothes, at airports, and you better not pack anything liquid in your carry-on luggage. It will be confiscated.

So yes, 9/11 and the fanatical perpetrators are directly responsible for great curtailment of our civil liberties. And we’ve quietly let the Government do it in the name of “security.” Today, as I watched the memorial services in Pennsylvania, at the Twin Towers and at the Pentagon, I was reminded of all that we have lost.

And I wept.