On Vacation till November 2nd.

I will be on vacation for 2 weeks. So, no posting for me till November 2nd. I will continue to post from time to time on some of my favorite blogs (you know who you are!) until I get back home. Cheers!

Obama wants to cut a $250 check to seniors

Since the Social Security Administration won't be adjusting it's payout upwards due to negative inflation, President Obama proposes a one-time payment of $250 to senior citizens. First thought, does he really think $250 is enough? I mean, that's less than 5 bucks a week...that's hardly enough for a gallon of milk. Secondly, now that the value of a dollar has started to slide (partly due to our massive deficit spending) and commodities have started to rise in response because of inflation fears, the $250 bucks amount will essentially amount to squat by the time the bill for it gets through Congress. Thirdly, the funds for this "one-time payment" has to come from somewhere: It's going to come from borrowed funds ("The White House put the cost at $13 billion.") that will have to be paid back with interest. This "one-time" payment is going to be royally expensive and not very effective in reducing economic pain for seniors. Of course, the propaganda from Democrats and the White House is going to be in full tilt for this one. There's nothing like feigning compassion for a powerful voting bloc by granting them funds that is taken from some other group. It works like a charm and it's difficult to argue against.

This leads me to believe that this may be a political ploy by Democrats and the WH to try to pin Republicans (who may resist this one-time payment idea) as being cold, angry, and anti-senior citizens. The timing is interesting because of the health care fire that's dominating Washington right now. And afterall, some of the "brown shirted thugs" at the town hall protests were grandma and grandpa, what better way to win some of their support than to grease their palms with "compassion" bucks. Never underestimate the power of an emotional argument.

Oh, they must be kidding!!

The Saudi's say that they may want to be compensated for any drop in their oil revenues due to the U.S. adopting any alternative energy uses to combat "Global Warming." While I think that the whole Cap and Trade scheme is a wealth destroyer, the Saudi's really need to get a grip. Adapt or die, nimrod's!

One Tax Hike Everted...For Now

Major American businesses were able to fight back a tax hike that was proposed by Barack Obama. The big question is for how long can they keep the potential job killer at bay. From the article, I get the sense that many business leaders that supported Obama in the Presidential campaign are experiencing buyer’s remorse.

Pelosi is open to a Value Added Tax

Don’t you worry dear citizen, there are more taxes on the way! Hang tight because the next 12-14 months are going to be a real rocking good time.

Obama wins Nobel Prize for Peace!!

I thought that this was a joke when I saw it this morning. Strangely, it's not. When the Nobel committee gave the award to Al Gore, I commented that the Nobel Prize for Peace had at last become politicized. This latest move seals it.

Here are some worthy people that I think should have received this award and that are certainly far better picks that Barack Obama: Burmese monks whose defiance against, and brutalization at the hands of, the country's military junta captured the attention of the Free World several years ago and continue to bravely resist their government. The prize should have been awarded to Morgan Tsvangirai, Arthur Mutambara and other Zimbabwe opposition leaders who were arrested and in some cases beaten by police back in 2007 while protesting peacefully against dictator Robert Mugabe. The Prize should have gone to Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest in Vietnam arrested in 2007 and sentenced to eight years in prison for helping the pro-democracy group Block 8406. The prize should have gone to Wajeha al-Huwaider and Fawzia al-Uyyouni, co-founders of the League of Demanders of Women's Right to Drive Cars in Saudi Arabia, who are waging a modest struggle with grand ambitions to secure basic rights for women in that Muslim country. The prize should have gone to the people of Iraq, who bravely work to rebuild and reunite their country amid constant threats to themselves and their families from terrorists who deliberately target civilians. And finally, if the Nobel committee had any real moral rectitude, it could have awarded the prize to the people of Iran who resisted and protested against a corrupt voting process in their country.

It is pathetic that the Nobel committee chose to give the Peace price to someone who has done nothing to deserve it.

A 70-80 Percent Tax Increase!!!

Economist Greg Mankiw of Harvard University took a long hard look at Max Baucus' healthcare bill and has concluded that it is a massive tax increase (close to 80%!!) for a very large portion of the American working population. While I am not surprised by Mr. Mankiw's overall assessment, I am very concerned that his analysis will be spun as right wing political noise. You can bet that most in Congress that want "reform" at all costs will not be debating this expensive conclusion.

Lost jobs may be gone forever

This is quite depressing as our national unemployment rate continues to rise.

(Graph is from the Wall Street Journal.)

Downsizing The Government

The Cato Institute has a new blog dedicated to cutting down the size of government. Lot's of great information, graphs, and data.

Is school choice making some ground?

Listen to Overpaid Celebrities

This video is a response to Will Ferrell's stupid MoveOn.org video.

New car sales crash after "clunkers" program

Wow. What a surprise. And to think that cheerleaders for this massive government transfer were just weeks ago patting themselves on the back. How long before Congress starts making noise to have another "clunker" of a program?