Simply Giddy
Congresswoman Maxine Waters on This Week discusses the possibility of nationalizing some banks. She says, no doubt in defference to Senator Graham, “but not yet”. Disturbing. But wait there’s more. Read more
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We’re Screwed
Congresswoman Maxine Waters thinks bipartisanship is removing pork. Senator Schumer thinks adding a fix to the AMT is bipartisanship. Senator Graham … “We’re screwed” and he doesn’t mean the Republicans.
Feel free to comment.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVyE2jRmGZg
Bipartisanship is including the opposition in the drafting of the bill and accepting some ideas of others as your own. Eliminating pork in a stimulus bill is not bipartisanship. It is statesmanship. But the country’s taxpayers first. Willingness to fix the AMT is not bipartisanship, it’s a long overdue legislative process but it has nothing to do with stimulus. But I and Senator Graham could be wrong.
The 111th Congress Shall Live In Infamy
No need to name that party this time … no Republicans in the House and only three in the Senate. As for the rest, well you know who they are … and “The Other McCain” says never forget.
Join the Facebook group. The guilty shall be named and remembered. They shall regret this travesty but once — and that will be forever!
Aaron in the graphics department: We’ll need an appropriate logo. Classy, but vicious.
Please go on over and join the crowd. Oh, and yes, this is via INSTAPUNDIT.
United Against The Porkapalooza … for what its worth.
Well House Republicans stood strong against the Porkapalooza that will saddle my children with an unbearable burden they don’t deserve. $800 billion to a trillion dollars (with interest) and that’s just this year and doesn’t count TARP or SON OF TARP. $3 trillion I heard. I’ve lost track. I will find some links to help out on this. But for now … her are your House leaders who tried mightily to create jobs at a lower cost and … Democrat or Republican … were actually looking out for your children and their children. Lord help us when they get the bill.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eowwU0S5e7Q
Update: OK … Instapundit has some nice links.But here’s a portion of the AP story.
Told that no Republican backed the measure, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs reacted by citing another number: “3.5 million jobs that we look forward to saving or creating.”
That’s my favorite … save or retain. It’s the oldest economiuc development scam in the books. The article continues with the sad part.
Republicans said the package won’t work because it has too little in tax cuts and spreads too much money around to everyday projects like computer upgrades for federal agencies.
“This legislation falls woefully short,” said House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio. “With a price tag of more than $1 trillion when you factor in interest, it costs every family almost $10,000 in added debt. This is an act of generational theft that our children and grandchildren will be paying for far into the future.”
Hey you young Democrats for Obama … you pay for this too. Well, umm, actually you guys don’t pay … I forgot.
The Caterpillar Flap Continues
It began with a statement by Obama yesterday, when he told reporters that the CEO of Caterpillar would hire back laid off workers as soon as the stimulus passed … and followed with a statement by the CEO of Caterpillar that … well no … he still would likely have to layoff more people. It’s a beautiful thing, from Hannity’s America.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEHnc88OH6M
Today ABC’s Jake Tapper followed up on that exchange with Robert Gibbs. Gibbs tries to spin around it. But the Best part comes at the end of this 5 minute exchange when Tapper. Hot Air picks it up so much better than I could.
Yes, it’s Tapper again, mining more comedy gold from that clusterfark of a stimulus “rally” Obama held yesterday at Caterpillar’s plant in Illinois. Sensing his chance to squeeze one measly vote out of the House GOP caucus and thereby sanctify the bill as “bipartisan,” The One tried leaning on new Republican congressman Aaron Schock by putting him on the spot in front of the plant’s employees. Big mistake.
Here’s the Tapper presser:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOTXWF1H3Wk
Porkapalooza Update – Update
Update II:Have you read the stimulus … like members of Congress … read fast.
UPDATE: Red State has a great breakdown on the RAWDEAL PORKAPALOOZA.
The Democrats’ trillion dollar spending bill provides $1.10 per day in tax relief to workers, while saddling every American family with $9,400.00 in added debt.
Following are some very tentative quick facts on the trillion-dollar “stimulus” spending deal slated to be rushed through the House and Senate today or tomorrow by Congressional Democrats, as compiled by the Office of House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH).
Read the whole thing. It’s short and worth it.
Michelle Malkin continues to do the work even our own Congresspeople won’t do. She has the breakdown and I have already downloaded the House version. She has the Porkapalooza in PDF form. Late night reading?
Get In On The Fun … Play The Stimulus Game
Here’s your chance to grab a piece of the porkapalooza pie and be just like a big time Democrat VIP (sorry Senator Dodd). The game is fun and easy to play and will make you feel like a Big City Mayor, Federal Bureaucrat, or community organizer extraordinaire.
Click here to play … and don’t forget to remember your friends (ME)!
PS: Yes I have played and yes it is fun and no there is no catch. Thanks to Instapundit.
Click the pick to see my stimulus.
Banker explains why he turned down TARP funds: “Strings”
The banker is Steve Buster, CEO of California community bank “Mechanics”. Alexis Glick conducts the interview and it’s a great one.
Part one, Buster tells Glick they wanted the money, could have used the money but it came with too many strings.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3cub9XHaog
Here in Part Two Glick asks … “what strings?”. Buster says they wanted to tell us how to lend.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPOcX-8evw8
Buster essentially says his bank uses sound lending practices and the government’s idea of lending would have compromised that, endangering the banks sound business. Thanks but not thanks.
Unfortunately, the big bankers have learned this all too late. They have finally realized that they have sold their soul. If you want to know what I mean …listen to Charlies Daniels. You’ll get it too.
800 Billion Reasons To Be Worried
So who gets the money from the Porkapalooza … Reason on line … did the homework. Ughhh. Make sure you read it all … but here’s a sample.
1. Billions of dollars in spending exclusively devoted to benefit federal employees.
- $5.5 billion for making federal buildings “green” (including $448 million for the Department of Homeland Security’s headquarters)
- $198 million to design and furnish the DHS headquarters
- $200 million for workplace safety in Department of Agriculture facilities
- $75 million for the Smithsonian Institution
- $300 million more for hybrid and electric cars for federal employees (see below) (oh there’s more)
2. Wasteful spending that is not directly targeted at federal employees:Arguably the best item in the Senate bill is a $1,500 tax credit to anyone that purchases “neighborhood electric vehicles”—also known as golf carts. The total estimated cost of that giveback is $300 million. Purchasers of motorcycles and three-wheelers shouldn’t despair, however, as there are benefits available for them, too. (Oh there’s more)
3. Tax cuts and tax breaks that don’t deliver anything close to real reform.
Heads we lose, Tails they win…
GM has unveiled at least two portions of their recovery plan, submitted to and funded by the
First, the bad news…
“General Motors Corp. will cut 10,000 jobs, or 14% of its salaried work force, this year as the auto maker struggles to cope with a steep drop in world-wide vehicle sales.
The job cuts are part of the plan the company submitted to Congress in December to secure bailout funding from the federal government. The company still has a week to submit an update on the restructuring plan’s viability.
Some 3,400 U.S. workers, or 12% of GM’s U.S. salaried work force, will be shed, with the bulk of the cuts happening by May 1. Most of those remaining will see a 3% to 7% pay cut on that date through year’s end, while executives will get a 10% reduction.
So much for the government being interested in creating or even protecting US jobs…
Now, this isn’t saying that it is all bad news over at GM… You tax dollar will be creating jobs… just not around here.
“SAO PAULO — General Motors plans to invest $1 billion in Brazil to avoid the kind of problems the U.S. automaker is facing in its home market, said the beleaguered car maker.
According to the president of GM Brazil-Mercosur, Jaime Ardila, the funding will come from the package of financial aid that the manufacturer will receive from the U.S. government and will be used to “complete the renovation of the line of products up to 2012.””
Who, exactly, is the government looking to “stimulate.”