Harry Reid Cowboy Poetry creates people.......

Just how out of touch is our government with reality.....

You may have heard that the Republicans were threatening to shutdown the government unless they got concessions from their Democratic colleagues. So how much did those fiscal conservatives we elected get in concessions why $4 Billion in budget cuts. Sounds like a large number until you realize how large the budget is. Currently the budget is projected to be $3.82 trillion. To put these numbers in perspective if a family of four had an income of $44,000 and cut its family budget by the same percentage as our elected officials the family would have to skip ordering pizza on Friday night ($44) for one week. Hardly a sacrifice.

So they  negotiated a two-week compromise on spending … agreeing to a paltry $4 billion worth of budget cuts as part of a deal to keep the federal government operating through March 18.

Seriously, $4 billion out of a $3.82 trillion budget is a joke. Then again, so is the $61 million that Republicans are hoping to cut out of a proposed seven month spending plan. That is status quo tinkering around the edges – not real spending reform.

So … why are we even here? Didn’t lawmakers pass a budget last year?

Actually, no …

For the first time since 1974 the U.S. Congress failed to pass a budget in 2010, largely because former U.S. Budget Chairman John Spratt was too busy shoving “Obamacare” through his committee.

As a result, on September 30, 2010 – the last day of the federal fiscal year – lawmakers passed a continuing resolution to fund the government through December. A second continuing resolution passed that month which has been funding government ever since.

That’s the resolution that expires on March 4.

 US House Passes 2-Week Budget

Sen. Schumer on the Three Branches of Government

What Happened to the Antiwar Movement?

FT.com / US / Politics & Foreign policy - Illinois considers corporate tax rate hike

FT.com / US / Politics & Foreign policy - Illinois considers corporate tax rate hike

Illinois is considering hiking corporate taxes to the highest level of any US state as part of a financial reform package that political leaders in the cash-strapped state are rushing to complete ahead of the swearing-in of a new legislature on Wednesday.

The state’s finances are in crisis. It faces a $15bn budget deficit, an unfunded pension liability of at least $80bn, and more than $8bn of unpaid bills to schools, universities and social welfare organizations.

Read the rest of the article here.

FoxNews - Taxpayer Calculator: $8Billion in Earmarks

There is still time to stop this bill from being passed so get on the phones to your Senators now!!

Taxpayer Calculator: $8Billion in Earmarks

by William LaJeunesse | December 16, 2010

While most Americans digest the latest Congressional spending bill, Washington insiders are already counting noses.

A showdown is coming to D.C. and the pressure is on Democrats to hold together despite mounting criticism of wasteful spending, while Republicans look to grab some crossover votes. The fate of the government, literally hangs in the balance. Without Congressional action on a budget, the federal government shuts down for lack of money.

The latest showdown comes largely as a result of earmarks. Both sides know they have to pay roughly a trillion dollars to just to keep the government running, but it's those pet projects seen as wasteful, irresponsible and unnecessary that have voters upset and many in Congress afraid.

All but eight Senate Republicans had agreed to a two year ban on earmarks. A majority Democrats did not, voting down a proposed ban just two weeks ago.

The $1.1 trillion Senate omnibus bill contains 6,714 earmarks worth $8.3 billion.

Sources say the deal was hammered out principally by Sen. Dan Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii and Thad Cochran, Republican of Mississippi.

Not only are they the ranking members of the Senate Appropriations Committee, they are the also the reigning kings of pork. In 2010, Cochran won 240 earmarks worth $490 million, while Inouye sponsored or co-sponsored 151 programs worth $387 million.

This year's omnibus is no different, with each senator helping sponsor dozens of earmarks exceeding $100 million, including:

Inouye Earmarks
$21 million Hawaiian Health Care
$6 million wildlife refuge
$3 million Hawaii National Guard drug program
$5.5 million Joint Venture Education Center

Cochran Earmarks
$21 million Gulf Coast Test Center
$5 million Natural Products Center
$4 million Large Structure Building Center
$3.4 million Anti Drug Center

While lawmakers argue about the legitimacy of earmarks, in this case there is no doubt this bill lacks debate and careful consideration. All 6,000 earmarks got air dropped without a floor debate and members--let alone the public--barely had the chance to decide if any of these earmarks are a wise use of taxpayer money.

Via TheBlaze.com - Pork Survives: Senate Rejects Earmarks Ban

Looks like we just got a list of Republicans that we need to defeat in the primaries, unfortunately only two are up for re-election in the next two years and the American people have short term memories.

WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — The Senate has rejected a GOP bid to ban the practice of larding spending bills with earmarks — those pet projects that lawmakers love to send home to their states.

Democrats and a handful of Republicans combined to defeat the effort, which would have effectively forbidden the Senate from considering legislation containing earmarks like road and bridge projects, community development funding, grants to local police departments and special-interest tax breaks.

Earlier this month, Republicans bowed to tea party activists and passed a party resolution declaring GOP senators would give up earmarks. House Republicans have also given up the practice, but most Democrats say the earmarks are a legitimate way to direct taxpayer money to their constituents.

The legislation would have established an earmark moratorium for fiscal years 2012 and 2013, and also would have covered the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, The Hill reports.

“I believe I have an important responsibility to the state of Illinois and the people I represent to direct federal dollars into projects critically important for our state and our future,” Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill) said.

The eight GOP senators who voted to preserve earmark spending include: Thad Cochran (Miss.) (2014), Susan Collins (Maine) (2014), James Inhofe (Okla.) (2012), Dick Lugar (Ind.) (2012), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) (2016), Richard Shelby (Ala.) (2016), retiring Sen. George Voinovich (Ohio) and defeated Sen. Bob Bennett (Utah) also voted against it.

Six Democrats voted for the earmark moratorium, including: Sens. Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Colorado Sens. Michael Bennet and Mark Udall, as well as retiring Sen. Evan Bayh (Ind.) and defeated Sen. Russ Feingold (Wis.).

I understand that earmarks make up a small percentage of the budget but if these Senators won't stop spending our tax dollars on turtle tunnels and bridges to nowhere can we really expect them to be responsible with the big tickets items like defense and social security. I think not.

GOP Rep Explains Floor Rant: ‘This Is Why the People Have Thrown You Out’

He's right this is why the Democrats were thrown out but if the Republicans pull this same kind of bullshit when they are in charge then out with them as well.



Here's the “official” 4:30 version on the C-SPAN YouTube channel. Here’s why you should watch:


After Buyer is finally permitted to speak on this video, there is a short gap before Richardson is told to call a recess (4:00). Keep watching the bottom of the screen then for an entertaining gesture of exasperation by Buyer, who leaves his seat to walk by where he knows the main House camera is pointing.

In a shocking report members of Congress get richer during the worst recession (depression) since the Great Depression

This story might be surprising if Congress was actually subject to insider trading rules, like ordinary Americans, but since they are not subject to these laws, the only thing that surprised me was that they only got a 16% rate of return rather than 25%.

The study I really want to see is the one, which shows all of Representatives and Senators that went to Washington D.C. poor and somehow became millionaires; all while earning $175k and maintaining two households.

Take for example Charlie Rangel, prior to being elected to Congress in 1971, he was a Sgt. in the U.S. Army, a private lawyer and a U.S. Attorney, all commendable professions but certainly not ones where people become millionaires. Yet almost 40 years later he is so well off that he forgets to report $500k in taxable income. Opps.

Charlie isn't the only one gaming the system, he's just the latest to get caught.

Members of US Congress Get Richer Despite Sour Economy

Despite a long and deep recession, the collective personal wealth of congressional members increased by more than 16 percent between 2008 and 2009, according to a study released Wednesday by the Center for Responsive Politics.

The study also indicates that a significant number of members owned shares of major players in the health-care and financial-services sectors, which were the subject of major reform legislation during the period.

The findings—based on federal financial disclosure data released earlier this year—paint a wealthy bunch in Congress, with more than half of all members—261—were millionaires.

About one in five of those had average calculated wealth in 2009 of at least $10 million. Eight of the 261 were in the $100 million-plus range.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) ranked No. 1 in personal wealth—$303.5 million.

In contrast, U.S. median household income dropped 3 percent to $50,221 between 2008 and 2009, the second straight decline, according to the Census Dept. In terms of millionaires, only about 1 percent of the overall population qualifies.

The CRP study comes amid a growing public outcry about the size of government and rising employee salaries when the economy—and most taxpayers—are struggling like never before, with unemployment stuck at 9.5 percent and wages and benefits flat in many sectors.

“Congressional representatives on balance rank among the wealthiest of wealthy Americans and boast financial portfolios that are all but unattainable for most of their constituents," said Sheila Krumholz, the Center's executive director.

The period covered is December 2008 to December 2009.

The median wealth of a representative was $765,010, up from $645,503 in 2008, while that of a senator was almost $2.38 million, versus $2.27 million the previous year.

That is sizable considering that by law members of each chamber receive an annual salary of $175,000. They do, however, qualify for a number of perks, including paid travel expenses.

Politicos' Portfolios

Stock holdings are among the assets covered in the report, and the investing tastes of Congress appear to be somewhat conventional, with large-cap, Dow 30 companies dominating the widely-held list of members.

General Electric, parent company of CNBC, is No. 1, with 82 current members of Congress listing it. Rounding out the top five are: Bank of America (63), Cisco Systems (61), Proctor & Gamble (61) and Microsoft (54).

In another context, however, Beltway watchers might find it unsettling that some of the most widely-held stocks are those of companies at the center of the financial crisis in 2008-2009.

The most popular investment among congressional members reads as a who’s who list of the most powerful corporate political forces in Washington, D.C. -- companies that each spend millions, if not tens of millions of dollars each year lobbying federal officials," states the CRP report.

In addition to Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup were popular holdings. All of them received funding under the TARP. Morgan Stanley, General Motors and AIG are not on the list.

Another big sector is health care-drugs, which, like financial services, was the subject of major reform legislation in 2009.

Drug industry giants like Pfizer, for instance, ranked seventh on the list, with 49 members disclosing ownership. Rivals Johnson & Johnson and Merck also made the list of 50 companies.

The study indicates that party affiliation is not a key factor in the increase of lawmakers’ personal assets. Twelve Democrats and seven Republicans were among the 20 congressmen with the greatest annual increases. That ratio mirrors the overall party breakdown of the current Congress.

The CRP study is by no means precise science. The group notes: "Members of Congress are only required to report their wealth and liabilities in broad ranges. It’s therefore impossible to precisely determine how much value their assets are worth...."

Sen. Rockefeller slams MSNBC, Fox

Its good to know that our elected representatives feel they could get more done on our behalf if the press would just stop asking so many questions. This policy worked really well in Russia and Eastern Europe before the Berlin wall fell. Now if the Senator could just get that pesky First Amendment removed from the Constitution imagine the types of laws he could get passed. Can you say totalitarian state.

AZ Republic - Arizona pension plan for police, fire adds to cost

Why are state pension plans broke? Answer: Corrupt and stupid politicians that create laws like those in Arizona, which lead to unsustainable payments to state retirees. I thought the only people who got $250K lump sum payments were Wall Street bankers not firefighters and cops.

Arizona pension plan for police, fire adds to cost

Fearing a potential exodus of police officers and firefighters eligible to retire, the Arizona Legislature a decade ago created the Deferred Retirement Option Plan ("DROP") as a way to keep experienced public safety officers on the job.

The deal seemed simple: If officers agreed to work up to five extra years before retiring, the DROP program would pay them a lump sum in addition to their annual pension when they finally retired.

The program remains enticing. Today, participants' lump-sum payments at retirement average $268,938 for all public-safety officers. The average payment for police officers is $247,422, and $314,338 for retiring firefighters.

Officers enrolled in DROP also draw their annual pensions once they step off the job.

The lump-sum payouts, combined with cost-of-living increases that have outpaced inflation and multiple years of investment losses, caused taxpayers' costs for the program to soar.

As a result, the Public Safety Personnel Retirement System is so underfunded that even its top administrator says the overall pension program needs to be changed, perhaps drastically, to stem the expanding public subsidy.

"The plan is upside down," said Jim Hacking, its director. "It's not reasonable or realistic for our constituent groups or anybody to say, 'We will not do anything.' It's not a rational response."

As DROP was rolled out during the past decade, public-safety retirees received cost-of-living adjustments to their primary plan, and average annual pension benefits grew to $44,025 - the highest among all Arizona public pension systems.

The public's tab through employer contributions for the combined pensions, cost-of-living increases and DROP payouts in the past decade has grown from $46.8 million to $316.2 million a year - a spike of nearly 576 percent, or 22 times more the rate of inflation during the same period. Those increasing costs mirror the growth in Arizona's five other public-pension systems. An Arizona Republic investigation has found the pension systems are costing taxpayers at least $1.39 billion a year - more than the current state budgets for higher education, corrections or a health-insurance program for the poor.

Byron Schlomach, an economist with the Goldwater Institute and a critic of the state's pension systems, said the public-safety benefits are overly generous and the burden for taxpayers was unreal.

"It's nice they have figured out a way to rob us," said Schlomach. "This is ridiculous. How can anybody justify this?"

Hacking said there was "no question DROP added some liabilities" to the public-safety pension trust, but he believes the system has been hurt more by investment losses at the beginning and end of the last decade due to stock market conditions, and by guaranteed cost-of-living increases to retirees.

Supporters of DROP say it has helped police and fire departments retain experienced talent while allowing municipalities to better plan when to add staff.

"Police officers were leaving as soon as they were eligible to retire," said Jim Mann, executive director of the 6,500-member Fraternal Order of Police. "There's a real need to keep experienced officers on the job because it costs so much to train new officers."

Tim Hill, president of the Professional Fire Fighters of Arizona, which also has 6,500 members, said the lump-sum payments were misleading. While they sound high, he contends the program saves the pension system money in the long run. He said once public safety officers opt into DROP, they no longer continue to accrue credits for their years of service. By comparison, he said, officers who remain a full 25 years or more and do not take part in DROP have their pensions calculated based on total years of service, giving them larger pensions that, over time, may eclipse DROP's upfront cost.

Neither employee organizations nor the pension system could provide precise estimates of whether DROP has been a net expense or savings for the pension system. However, around the same time the public-safety system instituted DROP, the Arizona State Retirement System, the largest public pension program, rejected the same program because its director said it was too costly.

While the payouts are rich, participation in DROP in recent years has fallen after steadily growing from 2002 to 2006, when a record-high 1,746 members were enrolled. Last year, participation fell to 1,044, or roughly 5 percent of the total active membership in the pension program.

Hacking said enrollment fell because in the past few years there have been fewer employees with the required 20 years of service to enter the program.

How it works

The Public Safety Personnel Retirement System allows its members to enter DROP after 20 years of service. They then must remain with their employer for up to five more years, and during that time neither the employee nor employer contributes to the retirement system.

Upon entering DROP, the employee's pension is calculated based on years of service up to that point and the highest consecutive three years of compensation. The amount the employee would have received in a pension is essentially set aside by the public-safety pension system, and the money is guaranteed to increase at the trust's assumed rate of growth, currently 8.25 percent.

The DROP payments are higher for those who come into the program with a larger salary and more years of service.

By law, the interest is paid even if the assumed rate doesn't materialize. That means there's no risk to the employee, but it's a big problem for taxpayers when the stock market drops, which caused negative returns for the trust in 2001, 2002, 2008 and 2009. When the system loses money, employers using tax dollars have to pay more to make up the losses.

Anthony Webb, an economist at the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, said the guaranteed growth rate for DROP participants is unheard-of in the private sector unless money is placed in high-risk investments, but even then, there are no guarantees.

Hacking said the interest rate is set by state law, and he said the pension system is well diversified and not dependent on high-risk investments.

Along with the DROP benefit, participants have other benefits unique to public-safety personnel. Because of the recognized physical stresses of police and firefighting jobs, and the dangers of being killed on the job, public-safety pension systems generally have allowed participants to retire earlier than those in the private sector.

The average age for public safety retirees is 50.8 years, and the pension continues until a person dies. At that point, a spouse receives 80 percent of the pension until that person dies and the pension payments stop.

Benefits for DROP participants skyrocketed in 2007, when some of the first participants left the program and collected payouts after participating for the maximum five years.

That year, DROP benefits totaled $151.9 million, a 566 percent increase from the previous year when $22.8 million was paid. In 2007, DROP accounted for one-third of all pension benefits paid to police and firefighters. The previous year, it accounted for just 8 percent of all benefits.

DROP payments declined to $98 million and $91 million, respectively, in the past two years. But they still accounted for roughly 21 percent of all pension benefits for 2008 and 2009.

'Unsustainable'

A consequence of the large payouts and diminished investment earnings is that the pension trust currently is funded at just 65.8 percent, the lowest among the six public pension systems in Arizona.

That means the money now in the trust would pay for only 65.8 percent of the system's current liabilities if they all came due at the same time.

The goal is to be 100 percent funded; 80 percent is considered healthy by industry standards.

The closer a pension is to being fully funded, the lower the contribution rates for members and their employers.

Arizona law sets trust contributions by police and firefighters at 7.65 percent of their wages. If investment returns are poor and the trust is underfunded, the employee contribution is not raised.

Instead, any shortfall is generally made up by employers through tax dollars, though the trust also is partly funded through taxes on homeowner-insurance policies.

Employers currently contribute an amount equivalent to nearly 21 percent of an employee's gross wages. That's roughly four times the rate 10 years ago.

But Mann, of the Fraternal Order of Police, countered that while employer contribution rates may be high now, there were times when police officers and firefighters paid higher rates than their employers. When employers had lower rates, he noted, they were not asking to pay more to make it equitable.

Employer rates are projected to rise to 37.5 percent by 2024 in order to make up for the system's current indebtedness.

One reason for the increase: cost-of-living raises have been given to public-safety pensioners for 24 consecutive years.

In 2009, each retiree received an additional $1,761, a flat amount calculated on the average pension.

Hacking said the current overall program was "unsustainable," and he said he would work with employees and employers to propose changes to the Legislature next year.

He declined to disclose specific reforms, but he said it was possible DROP "will not look like the one we have now."

When Wall Street Bankers and Politicans get into bed with each other the taxpayer ends up getting f*cked.

Harrisburg Gets $3.8 Million To Address Immediate Cash Needs

Harrisburg, Pa., having nearly exhausted its cash reserves making two debt payments Monday, will receive a $3.8 million windfall from a terminated interest rate swap contract.

The Harrisburg Authority, the regional agency that owns the debt-laden incinerator project that helped push the capital city into a fiscal crisis, agreed late Monday to wire the money to the city's water fund, said William Cluck, a member of the authority board.

The city has been struggling to make payroll over the past several months and said Monday that it hadn't fully funded its payroll obligation for next week. It also faces $2.9 million in overdue payments to a range of vendors supplying products ranging from paper goods to fire-truck tires, said Chuck Ardo, spokesman for Mayor Linda Thompson.

If the city wants to use the new cash infusion to address those needs, the mayor and city council must reallocate the money from the city's water fund to the general fund.

"Hopefully we will get this into the general fund and we are able to take care of some of the city's pressing financial problems," Ardo said.

City officials also are trying to have Harrisburg accepted into a state oversight program for distressed municipalities, which would allow the city to get short-term funds.

A hearing on the city's application for the program, called Act 47, is scheduled to resume Wednesday with more testimony from the public. The state will make a decision on whether to designate Harrisburg as distressed after the close of the hearing.

The city's $288 million debt burden from a problematic incinerator--more than four times its annual budget--and political dysfunction have brought Harrisburg to the brink of insolvency.

Harrisburg has this year missed more than $10 million in debt payments tied to the project and is being sued by the bond insurer Assured Guaranty Ltd. (AGO) and Dauphin County, which made the payments to bond holders.

 

California Teachers' Fund May Cut Return Forecast to 7.5% Following Losses

Thank goodness Nancy is no longer the Speaker because when this pension fails, and it will fail, the bailout money would have been attached to a required spending bill for vetrans or seniors by the Democrats so that it would get passed by Congress.

California Teachers' Fund May Cut Return Forecast to 7.5% Following Losses
By Michael B. Marois

The California State Teachers Retirement System, the second-largest U.S. public pension, will consider cutting its expected earnings rate on investments to 7.5 percent, increasing the need for higher contributions as it recovers from market losses.

The $132 billion pension fund’s governing board will consider approving a new rate of return, now 8 percent, at its Nov. 5 meeting in Sacramento, according to its agenda. The so- called assumed rate of return on investments is used to calculate the size of pension contributions from employers needed to pay retirees.

Public pension funds across the U.S. are adjusting their assumptions following losses in the recession that within three years may leave them $1 trillion short of the amount needed to pay benefits, according to a National Bureau of Economic Research report. The largest fund, the California Public Employees Retirement System, known as Calpers, uses a 7.75 percent assumed rate of return.

“The impact of reducing the assumed investment return and assumed inflation rates will result in a better representation of the fiscal condition of Calstrs benefit programs based on the current economic outlook,” the fund’s actuary Rick Reed said in a report to be presented to the board.

Calstrs, as the teachers’ fund is known, is 78 percent funded, meaning it is short by more than $42 billion. Reducing the assumed rate of return would lower that funding level to 74.2 percent, according to the report posted on the fund’s website.

Higher Contributions

The fund, which provides benefits for 848,000 public-school and community-college teachers, would need to ask lawmakers for an increase of as much as 16.8 percent in the amount the state and school districts pay toward employee retirement benefits if the board adopts the 7.5 percent assumed rate of return. Teachers are likely to be asked to pay more from their paychecks as well.

The teachers’ fund earned 12.3 percent in the year that ended in June, after losing 25 percent in fiscal 2009 and 3.7 percent in 2008.

Fewer than half of the public pension funds in the U.S. had assets to cover 80 percent of promised benefits in fiscal 2009, according to data compiled for last month’s Cities and Debt Briefing hosted by Bloomberg Link.

New York’s $124.8 billion pension fund, the nation’s third- largest, in September reduced its assumed rate of return to 7.5 percent from 8 percent. Calpers will review its 7.75 percent rate of return in February.

Before the ballots were counted 'Former' Speaker Nancy Pelosi stated the Democrats were: 'On Pace To Maintain the Majority' - Opps

Bye Bye Nancy!! We won't miss you!!

Tom Tancredo for Colorado Governor and Patrick Murray for 8th Congressional District in Virginia

I urge you to support both Tom Tancredo and Patrick Murray next Tuesday. These are two good men who are running in very tight races.



Political Wisdom: Could Tancredo Provide the Final Big Upset?
By Gerald F. Seib

In an upsetting kind of year, there are bound to be more surprise upsets when votes actually are counted next week. So this is a good time to look ahead in an attempt to figure out where those final upsets might pop up.

Bryan Curtis on The Daily Beast offers up one potential shocker: Immigration hawk Tom Tamcerdo, running as a third-party candidate, could win the Colorado governor’s race:

Let’s stipulate that at least one wild and inexplicable event will occur on Election Night. Here’s a nominee: Tom Tancredo, a man whose immigration rhetoric was so rough that he was banned from the Bush White House, becomes governor of Colorado.

We feel fantastic,” Bay Buchanan, Tancredo’s campaign manager, said Tuesday. “We’ve gone from 14 points in August to the low 40s now. It’s a climb of nearly 30 points in a couple months.”

This is Posturing Week in American politics, and all numbers tend to be highly bogus. But in a year in which immigration has captured the public imagination, the notion of Governor Tancredo is gaining currency. An October 25 Public Policy Polling survey showed Tancredo three points behind the Democratic candidate, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper. That tracks with a Republican poll last week that showed Tancredo trailing by just one point among likely voters. A Denver Post poll from the weekend showed Hickenlooper with a 10-point lead.

John Rossomando of the Daily Caller suggests another potential upset coming out of the blue:

Democratic Rep. Jim Moran’s 8th Congressional District is considered the second bluest district in Virginia, and the 19-year incumbent has consistently demolished his GOP challengers, but internal polling conducted by his current GOP opponent’s campaign suggests this year could be different.

Republican candidate Col. Patrick Murray’s most recent internal numbers from the last four days show Moran leading with 32.3 percent compared with Murray’s 29.7 percent. 30.5 percent are shown to be undecided.

The Murray campaign’s internal numbers also suggest Moran has high negatives (you can read more about why the anti-gun, anti-semetic Moran needs to lose this race below). A Sept. 22 poll conducted by McLaughlin & Associates found Moran’s support at below 50 percent ̶ with only 42 percent of those polled rating him as good or excellent and 41 percent rating him as fair or poor.

Meanwhile, there’s one race that was defying conventional wisdom because the vulnerable Democratic incumbent seemed to be in pretty good shape. Now, Michael Ames of Politics Daily says that picture may be changing:

The Idaho congressional race that had been defying national trends seems to be finally conforming. A new Mason-Dixon poll sponsored by seven Idaho newspapers shows conservative Republican challenger Raul Labrador pulling into a statistical dead heat with incumbent Blue Dog Democrat Walt Minnick. The poll has Minnick leading Labrador 44 to 41 percent, a seven point tightening since the last Mason-Dixon survey in mid-September.

The poll spells out explicitly what many insiders have been saying about this race for months — regardless of Minnick’s wide leads in fundraising and name recognition, the freshman Democrat is an endangered incumbent in one of the most conservative districts in the country.

Virginia Democrat Disparages Military Members  

A Virginian congressman facing a tough political battle for reelection made comments about his opponents qualifications that have resulted in a backlash against his own campaign and political party.

During this election cycle, when Democrats are facing a potential tidal wave of opposition, Democrat incumbents are disparaging their opponents while boasting about their own service with statements they believe will resonant with voters fed up with the Washington, DC status quo.

The strategy is to diminish the achievements and service of their opponents while puffing up their own. And they are kicking honesty and integrity to the wayside. For example, Nevada Senator Harry Reid, the current Senate Majority Leader, said during a television interview that had it not been for him, there would have been a worldwide economic depression. Of course, MSNBC host Ed Schultz, a staunch progressive and decidedly partisan television commentator, did not ask Reid to explain how he achieved his miraculous feat.

Unfortunately, the whoppers don't stop at the U.S. Congress. On Sunday, President Barack Obama told the American people that Congresswomen Nancy Pelosi is the best Speaker of the House who ever served.

This past week, Rep. Jim Moran, the longtime Democrat incumbent in Virginia’s 8th district, unleashed a firestorm of controversy when he disparaged the service of millions of troops and veterans. Moran diminished the value of their service by implying that the sacrifices and service our troops give while on active duty did not count as “public service” in the same way that elected officials are public servants.

The statement shocked and offended millions of veterans around the country as well as patriots who all agree that military service is a more pure and essential public service than being a politician, according to Betty Presley of Move America Forward Freedom PAC.

Moran was at a private meeting with other Democrats, deriding his opponent, Republican Patrick Murray, when he said this:

“What [Republicans] do is find candidates, usually stealth candidates, that haven’t been in office, haven’t served or performed in any kind of public service. My opponent [Murray] is typical, frankly." n reality, Colonel Patrick Murray is a 24-year U.S. Army Veteran. And most Americans will agree a veteran with a decades-long record of defending our country deserves better.

After enrolling in the Reserve Officers Training Corp (ROTC) program at Oklahoma State University, Murray graduated as an officer in the US Army and went on to train as a tank commander and later, an intelligence officer. Murray has been deployed to Russia, Belarus, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and most recently Iraq as part of the Bush Surge -- a successful military operation that Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden claimed as their own.

"Murray has been an outstanding soldier and his life of PUBLIC SERVICE has been marked by selflessness and dedication," said Presley.

"What’s more of a PUBLIC SERVICE? Spending 24 years defending your nation, or 20 years (that’s how long Jim Moran has been in congress) behind a desk taxing hardworking Americans and spending their money?" Presley asks.

Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Moran told an antiwar audience in Reston, Virginia, that "If it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this. The leaders of the Jewish community are influential enough that they could change the direction of where this is going, and I think they should."

N.J. GOP requests criminal probe of Tea Party candidate in 3rd district race

Democratic Politics Jersey style. The only way they can win is to cheat.

  

N.J. GOP requests criminal probe of Tea Party candidate in 3rd district race

JANE ROH • Courier-Post • October 26, 2010

The New Jersey Republican State Committee has formally requested a criminal investigation into the 3rd congressional district contest.

In a letter sent to U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and Attorney General Paula Dow on Monday, state GOP Chairman Jay Webber asks for a probe into "whether any crimes were committed in connection with the efforts of certain individuals and organizations to have Peter DeStefano become a candidate for the United States House of Representatives for the 3rd Congressional District of New Jersey."

Rep. John Adler, a freshman Democrat, has denied knowing about a plan to recruit a third-party spoiler in the race. But signatures from donors and allies appear on the ballot, including the signature of Adler's former communications aide.

Earlier this month, Democrats involved with the Adler campaign and the Camden County Democratic Committee said Adler consultant Steve Ayscue devised a plan to get DeStefano on the ballot with the help of campaign manager Geoff Mackler. More than 200 signatures were collected to get DeStefano, previously unknown to any Tea party groups, on the ballot.

DeStefano has a documented history of financial problems, including losing his home to foreclosure and declaring bankruptcy. Around the time DeStefano"s ballots were filed with the state Division of Elections, his son Pete boasted of being politically connected and in for a payday on his public Facebook page.

"One step closer to becoming a self made millionaire," DeStefano wrote on June 8, the day the petitions were filed.

June 9: "Pops is on the ballot! Busines (sic) plan in the works, things are all good!"

June 22: "First rule of politics, its (sic) not what you know but who you know and who you can impress ;-)."

Asked about the Facebook postings during an Oct. 15 press conference, Adler again denied knowledge of the DeStefano effort and insisted his staff was not involved. Later that day, Pete DeStefano"s Facebook page was taken offline.

"There"s certainly smoke here and we suspect there"s fire," said Webber, reached by phone on Monday evening. "The appropriate thing to do in this instance was to ask the proper authorities to look into it."

Its a good thing that this congressman got into bed with an idiot who decided to post on his Facebook page how his father got on the ballot otherwise people wouldn't even know about the lengths the Democrats will go to win.

WSJ- Peter Berkowitz - Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement

Great piece on why so many progressives continue to believe that their solutions for what ails America, more spending by the Federal Government, is the right course of action and we would understand this if we weren't so stupid and uneducated. The reality is that the people of this great nation fully understand that spending money we don't have, and burdening our children with unpayable debts is what got us in this mess in the first place and that more of the same will lead to this country's demise.

The Democrats and many of the Republicans in Washington have tried to dismiss the Tea Party movement as nothing more than a bunch of kooks, when in reality the majority of Americans continue to show that they support the movement's ideas of limited government and less spending by electing candidates that profess to believe in these ideas over Washington insiders.

The President and his friends truly believe we are just a bunch of Homer Simpsons who should just be happy to have a job and a mug full of Duff at Moe's but should leave the heavy thinking to them as they plan our lives. The President recently stated that "part of the reason that our politics seems so tough right now," are that "facts and science and argument [do] not seem to be winning the day all the time is because we're hard-wired not to always think clearly when we're scared. And the country is scared." Yes, Mr President Americans are scared, but they are scared of what you and you friends have planned next and what that means for our children's futures. However, just because we are scared doesn't mean we are too stupid to understand your policies. In reality we fully comprehend your policies and that makes us highly motivated this November to vote out members in Congress that believe, as you do, that your plan for America is the right one.

Why Liberals Don't Get the Tea Party Movement

Our universities haven't taught much political history for decades. No wonder so many progressives have disdain for the principles that animated the Federalist debates

By PETER BERKOWITZ

Highly educated people say the darndest things, these days particularly about the tea party movement. Vast numbers of other highly educated people read and hear these dubious pronouncements, smile knowingly, and nod their heads in agreement. University educations and advanced degrees notwithstanding, they lack a basic understanding of the contours of American constitutional government.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman got the ball rolling in April 2009, just ahead of the first major tea party rallies on April 15, by falsely asserting that "the tea parties don't represent a spontaneous outpouring of public sentiment. They're AstroTurf (fake grass-roots) events."

Having learned next to nothing in the intervening 16 months about one of the most spectacular grass-roots political movements in American history, fellow Times columnist Frank Rich denied in August of this year that the tea party movement is "spontaneous and leaderless," insisting instead that it is the instrument of billionaire brothers David and Charles Koch.

Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne criticized the tea party as unrepresentative in two ways. It "constitutes a sliver of opinion on the extreme end of politics receiving attention out of all proportion with its numbers," he asserted last month. This was a step back from his rash prediction five months before that since it "represents a relatively small minority of Americans on the right end of politics," the tea party movement "will not determine the outcome of the 2010 elections."

You can find the rest of the editorial here.

LA Times - $69 million in California welfare money drawn out of state

It is any wonder that California is bankrupt. It just goes to show that the liberal utopia known as California is a complete failure. I wonder what an investigation of liberal bastions like New Jersey and New York would turn up.

$69 million in California welfare money drawn out of state-Las Vegas tops the list with $11.8 million spent at casinos or taken from ATMs, but transactions in Hawaii, Miami, Guam and elsewhere also raise questions. Officials say budget cuts hinder investigations.

By Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times

Reporting from Sacramento — More than $69 million in California welfare money, meant to help the needy pay their rent and clothe their children, has been spent or withdrawn outside the state in recent years, including millions in Las Vegas, hundreds of thousands in Hawaii and thousands on cruise ships sailing from Miami.

State-issued aid cards have been used at hotels, shops, restaurants, ATMs and other places in 49 other states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Guam, according to data obtained by The Times from the California Department of Social Services. Las Vegas drew $11.8 million of the cash benefits, far more than any other destination. The money was accessed from January 2007 through May 2010.

Where's the Bill?

Thank you Jake Tapper for continuing to ask the tough questions. You are an honorable man and a credit to your profession.

The Democrats in the Senate have not even introduced a bill in the Senate regarding keeping the Bush tax cuts in place yet it is the Republicans, who by the way did introduce a bill for all Americans, not just the middle class, who are somehow blocking the Democrats nonexistence legislation.

Alan Grayson needs to be run out of office now!!!

Alan Grayson states that his opponent in Florida is the Christian version of the Taliban.


Scary right. Except Grayson has manipulated the original audio so badly that it can't even be said that Webster's statements were taken out of context. Here is what Daniel Webster actually said:

The race in Florida's 8th district is an example of the types of people that the Democratic Party wants to control our country. I therefore urge you to support Daniel Webster even if you aren't from Florida. I don't know alot about Webster but he is certainly a better choice then the despicable Rep. Grayson.