BloggeRhythms

Very busy business day today, but picked up three items on Fox News.com by Chris Stirewalt.

 

First, from the Washington Free Beacon: “A leading healthcare expert poured cold water on the administration’s recent Obamacare enthusiasm, saying that three quarters of those signed up will face higher premiums than under their previous insurance. ‘Out of people that have signed up, about three quarters will find premiums higher than previously with other insurance,’ Dr. Toby Cosgrove, CEO of the Cleveland Clinic said on [“Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo”]. ‘Hospitals are going to be paid less for what they do,’ Cosgrove continued. ‘And we also know insurers are paying less too. We have to become more efficient in how we deliver care which is a big change for health care providers.’”

 

So, in this case, subscribers lose, providers lose, insurers make more and the only way to fix the problems are for providers to somehow or other get better at what they do. Therefore, this is a perfect example of government at work. Everyone loses except those paying most to lobbyists.

 

The next item is almost too incredible to believe.

 

The incumbent’s former campaign manager, David Plouffe, told ABC News on Sunday, that “Democrats can at least take solace in the fact that the law is unlikely to be repealed.”

 

Thus in this case, “Democratic Senate candidates currently have to explain why higher premiums, disrupted coverage and flummoxing federal requirements are necessary parts of improving health care for Americans, even though it wildly misses the mark of its stated aim of covering the uninsured.”  And then, “Despite massive press boosterism, the law has never been able to escape the gravity of its shoddy initial construction and laughably bad rollout.”

 

Therefore, one has to sit back and wonder whether this guy Plouffe is wrapped right. Because, apparently, he thinks being stuck permanently as being responsible for what’s likely the worst legislation in the nation’s history is a good thing. And if that’s his idea of success, perhaps he can find a way to take credit for the Hindenburg.

 

Then we come to “A new study from the conservative American Action Forum finds higher minimum wages required by 19 states increased the number of unemployed Americans by 747,700 and reduced job growth by 83,000.”

 

This one’s right in keeping with Dem philosophy as spouted by Jay Carney who must be thrilled that three quarters of a million more citizens are now going to be able to idly stay on their couches contemplating their navel's once minimum wages go up.

 

Lastly there’s this bit of news that must be giving the incumbent and his staff fits. 

 

According to realclearpolitics.com, “Just 32 percent of military veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan approve of the job Barack Obama is doing as president, according to a new poll from the Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation. In a related question, only 42 percent of those surveyed said they believe Obama is a “good commander-in-chief of the military.” Forty eight percent said he is not. 

 

But here’s the poke in the eye that’s even worse for Dem’s. “Veterans were asked a similar question about former President George W. Bush. Sixty-five percent said they felt he was a good commander-in-chief, while 28 percent responded he was not.”

 

In closing then, it appears that while familiarity breeds contempt, for some such as the incumbent, increasing inability over time is just like water dripping on a rock. Sooner or later, things fall apart. And in this case, it doesn’t matter if issues are domestic or foreign, not a single one of them ever works right and more than likely, never will.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Philip Rucker and Robert Costa, wrote a column in the Washington Post, headed “Influential Republicans working to draft Jeb Bush into 2016 presidential race.” 

 

They note that, “Many of the Republican Party’s most powerful insiders and financiers have begun a behind-the-scenes campaign to draft former Florida governor Jeb Bush into the 2016 presidential race, courting him and his intimates and starting talks on fundraising strategy. Bush ran his last campaign in 2002, and during last year’s rollout of his book, “Immigration Wars,” his inconsistent position on a path to legalization revealed that he is politically rusty.”

 

They then add this quote from William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine: “It’d be a little odd to nominate someone who was last in office in 2006, who hasn’t been politically involved at all, in any significant way, in the Obama years.”

 

Kristol’s comment stuck out because to me he comes across as a smarmy, arrogant, elitist type rarely saying anything of depth or experience-based authenticity. What’s more, with Dem’s in control of two thirds of national governance, what could Jeb have done other than sit on the sidelines and gripe like hundreds of other whining critics, which he chose to remain above?

 

Nonetheless, Jeb was an effective, popular governor when in office, possessing skills and abilities he still retains today. And if the last five years haven’t done anything else, they’ve proven that unskilled amateurs don’t belong in positions they’re unqualified for. And that the presidency of the U.S. isn’t the place for on the job training. Which means that despite that there are no aptitude or experience tests for leadership and managerial talents at the presidential level, there really should be. Because, all talk/no capability leads to disaster.

 

Then, further along in the article the authors relate that, “In any campaign, Bush would have to grapple with the legacy of his brother George W. Bush and his unpopular wars. A recent Washington Post-ABC News poll found that almost half of all Americans surveyed say they “definitely would not” vote for Jeb Bush for president.”

 

What this means is that whether the candidate’s Jeb Bush, or anyone else really meaning to protect the nation, its citizens and interests, he has to find a way to educate the electorate about how the world’s changed and what needs to be done to accomplish safety and security today. Because whether those opposing war like it or not, enemies and belligerents are going to keep on regardless.

 

And, the simple proof of what happens when realities are ignored or avoided can be seen every day currently where the nation is no longer feared or respected by others who militarily do as they please unfettered and unhampered, knowing full well that today U.S. leadership doesn't even know how to retaliate.  

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Several items today, all indicating the gross ineptitude of the administration, carrying over to other aspects of government.

Fox News on-line reports that, “With just days to go before open enrollment ends on March 31, Maryland officials are reportedly planning to abandon its glitch-ridden ObamaCare website and replace the health exchange with technology from Connecticut’s marketplace.”

Now, that’s not really surprising because governments at any level really don’t know how to run anything. However, the part that stings most is: “The Washington Post reported late Friday that the board of the Maryland exchange will vote on changing the system that has cost at least $125.5 million at a meeting on Tuesday, the day after the end of the first enrollment period under ObamaCare. So far, the state says 49,293 Maryland residents have enrolled in private health plans as of last week, far short of the state’s original goal of 150,000 enrollments.”

So, what that means is Maryland added over $125 million on top of the $35.2 billion already spent at the federal level, yet only reached a third of its intended goal. Making it very hard to imagine how those in government think. Because any business run that poorly wouldn’t last for a New York minute in the real world. But, since its not their money, legislators don’t care how much they lose.

On a similar subject, government hypocrisy and double standards, Fox also reports, “[A] pair of arrests earlier this week, snagging Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon, who later resigned, and California state Sen. Leland Yee. The latter involved a tangled web of allegations including claims that the gun control-pushing lawmaker tried to connect an undercover agent with an international arms dealer. 

The criminal complaint contained dramatic details about Yee's alleged efforts to connect an undercover agent with a firearms dealer.”

And here’s the crux, pointing out what politicians are really all about; The senator allegedly said in one of the meetings, "Do I think we can make some money? I think we can make some money."

Which brings me to Harry Reid, the epitome of self-serving scammers disguised as public servants.

According to Barbara Boland’s blog on CNSnews.com: “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Wednesday that, "I have never come to the floor, to my recollection, I've never said a word about examples that Republicans have given regarding ObamaCare and how it's not very good. Mr. President, the junior senator from Wyoming has come to the floor several times recently talking about the fact that examples that he and others Republicans have given dealing with ObamaCare, examples that are bad, I've called lies. Mr. President, that is simply untrue." 

 

The truth of the matter, however -as was even mentioned here the day it happened- CNSnews.com reported and a C-SPAN video of Reid confirmed that on the Senate floor, Reid stated: "We heard about the evils of Obamacare, about the lives it's ruining in Republicans' stump speeches and in ads paid for by oil magnates, the Koch brothers. But in those tales, turned out to be just that: tales, stories made up from whole cloth, lies distorted by the Republicans to grab headlines or make political advertisements. There's plenty of horror stories being told. All of them are untrue, but they're being told all over America."

So, here we have a lying, denying worthless political slug who’s got to be well aware of whatever he utters. But obviously has so little regard for the public and particularly himself, he doesn’t care a whit about how far he’s sunk, or that “Reid” and “fabrication” have become synonymous.

And maybe that’s why a recent Fortune Magazine list turned out the way it did.

Late last week, “Fortune Magazine published a ranking of the world's 50 best leaders, pulling together a global list that includes heads of state, nonprofit leaders, sports luminaries and -- this being Fortune -- plenty of CEOs. Rounding out the top five are Pope Francis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ford Motor Co. CEO Alan Mulally, investor Warren Buffett and former president Bill Clinton.

“But whatever inherent arbitrariness may exist in such lists, they can also be quite revealing. In this case, what's most telling is not just whether certain individuals were missing -- for example, it didn't go unnoticed that President Obama didn't make the list -- but that there was not a single currently active U.S. politician among the top 50. Bill Clinton is there, as is former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Hillary Clinton shows up on a list of "9 power couples" but not on the main list. But no other current U.S. political leader -- or hopeful -- is among the top 50.”

So, Mrs. Bill Clinton didn’t make it on her own, but was recognized for what she is: the bosses wife. Yet, the incumbent, the supposed “leader” of the U.S. and the rest of the free world didn’t make it at all. Which only goes to reinforce the fact that for the past five years the nation’s not only had no real leadership whatsoever, but is functioning quite well despite the drag from the White House that’s doing its best to turn the U.S. into a third-world country.

However, it isn’t only citizens suffering from irrational policy, one of our staunchest allies is being ostracized for political purposes, as well. 

An article from myfoxny.com via Drudge by Aron Heller, Associated Press, notes that significant numbers of Israelis are being denied entry into USA.

This one’s interesting because obviously the administration can prevent anyone it wishes to from gaining entry to the nation. So, while dealing with an ally it deems obstreperous it denies even short-term visitation. Yet, when it comes to millions of illegals flooding over the border, and all those potential Dem voters, it doesn’t even try to enforce the laws while inhibiting those who do so locally. And if that isn't politically motivated abuse of power, than what is? 

The article’s interesting, here’s a link:
http://www.myfoxny.com/story/25100402/in-new-row-israel-at-odds-with-us-over-visas

That's it for today folks.

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Not much new today, just some interesting statistics from Chris Stirewalt’s column on Fox News.com.

 

Mr. Stirewalt reports that “Our poll shows ObamaCare opposition continuing to ride high at 56 percent. The silver lining for President Obama in the AP poll is that the vast majority of Americans appear to be resigned to the fact that the law cannot be repealed.”

 

And then according to the The Hill,  “A report released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation said that 83 percent of the 4.2 million people who had selected a plan as of March 1 had qualified for subsidies, which average nearly $3,000 per person.”

 

So, here’s what these two sets of statistics indicate.

 

If the majority of the population is correct, and the law truly cannot be repealed, the cost of the 83% of those signing up at an average of $3,000 each in government subsidies equates to $10,015,800. And if the ratio of sign-ups continues similarly, each additional million subscribers will cost $2,503,950.00.

 

When you add that amount to the $35.2 billion already spent on the health tax to date, this has to be the most expensive government program in history despite its unpopularity.

 

All of which means that the incumbent has put his party in a hole, voter-wise, it may never crawl out of. And, regarding the upcoming elections, all Republicans have to do is get their names on ballots and not self-destruct. Because the votes have been gift-wrapped and handed to them without having to lift a finger.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Early start today. Some medical issues to take care of. Should be fine tomorrow.

 

Was going to play hooky due to my excuse, but glancing at headlines, saw this item on Fox News.com.

 

“Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid tried to explain the Obama administration's latest decision to extend a key ObamaCare deadline by saying people just "are not educated on how to use the Internet."

 

He continued, “There are some people who are not like my grandchildren who can handle everything so easily on the Internet, and these people need a little extra time. ... The example they gave us is a 63-year-old woman came into the store and said, 'I almost got it. Every time I just about got there, it would cut me off.' We have a lot of people just like this through no fault of the Internet, but [because] people are not educated on how to use the Internet," he said.”

 

If what Reed says is true, which is debatable, then one has to ask how and why the government spent over $35 billion dollars in the last four years and didn’t know that a significant target audience was computer illiterate?

 

Consequently, people have a choice of answer here: Is this incompetent administration the most poorly performing in history, or are they simply the dumbest?

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Much of today’s news includes significant amounts of detail on ongoing issues, from foreign policy, to employment, to the IRS among others, and certainly numerous updates on the incumbent’s health care tax.

 

Reading the various stories about the health tax itself, there’s a sense that perhaps too much is being made of the legislation’s countless flaws individually, while not enough’s being illustrated regarding the incredible costs incurred to accomplish so very little.

 

In that regard, some research out of curiosity led to an article from Monday in dailycaller.com/2014, headlined “Report: Obamacare’s regulatory costs more than double benefits.”

 

The text reads, “The annual costs of Obamacare regulations come in at $6.8 billion a year so far — around 2.5 times the total benefits of its heavy-handed regulations, according to a  study released Monday.

 

The federal government’s estimates of Obamacare’s regulatory “benefits” — what they project in increased efficiency or productivity due to streamlined processes and standards — clock in at just $2.6 billion annually, as opposed to the cost of complying with all those regulations, which is almost $7 billion.

By 2014, when all but those delayed parts of the Affordable Care Act have been implemented, regulations have imposed over $27.2 billion in costs upon the private sector and $8 billion in unfunded state burdens, the report by free-market think tank American Action Forum (AAF) found.”

So, here we have data showing that a combined $35.2 billion’s already been spent on the extremely unpopular tax, while the latest membership sign-ups approximate 4 million people., which if my math’s correct equates to $8,800.00 per person.

 

In contrast then, what would the government gain if they simply put all that cash into an annuity and paid those 4 million folks medical bills as they arose, instead of ruining the greatest health care system in the world.

Which is why perhaps Jeffrey M. Jones of Gallup politics, via Drudge, notes that “U.S. Seniors Have Realigned With the Republican Party.”

According to Mr. Jones, “From 1992 through 2006, seniors had been solidly Democratic and significantly more Democratic than younger Americans. Over the last seven years, seniors have become less Democratic, and have shown an outright preference for the Republican Party since 2010.”

Thus perhaps, what this really illustrates is that seniors who went to school way back when when they actually taught things like math learned how to calculate costs and know how to figure out things like rates of return on investment. Which is why they obviously understand what a financial disaster the health tax is and are taking their political allegiance elsewhere.

Young folks don’t have to worry though. Because since they can’t get jobs, they’ll get away with minimal annual payments. And even if they don’t pay up, the IRS is so inept the odds are they’ll never find the destitute deadbeats comprising the nation’s youth who spend their lives spread out on their parent’s couch watching TV.

 

That’s it for today folks.

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Today’s items have significant interest because of trends underlying them, moreso then does the actual content itself.

 

Back on Saturday, March 22nd, the subject here was how the leftist press attacked Matt Drudge for making a major issue of his election to pay the healthcare tax penalty rather than purchasing insurance.

 

The crux of the matter was the fact that virtually none of the complaining reporters understood the tax themselves, and in Drudge’s case his actions were in total compliance with the requirements and under the law, precisely correct.

 

I mention the subject again, because today on Facebook, El Rushbo addressed the issue himself, as follows in this excerpt: 

 

“RUSH:  I think the mainstream media is pig-ignorant of practically every discipline except party discipline.  Now, here's basically what happened.  Matt Drudge is a self-employed small businessman. 

 

As a result, Matt Drudge pays himself. 

 

He does not have an employer.  Therefore, he does not the get paychecks that contain all kinds of withholding for taxes and Medicare and FICA, Social Security, and whatever else.  He has to pay all of his taxes separately and independently because they're not deducted.  As such, as a small businessman, Matt Drudge and millions of others just like him -- including your harmless, lovable little fuzzball host -- pay our taxes every quarter.”

 

So, what Rush’s comments illustrate is, that he not only fully grasps the subjects he addresses, but apparently also reads my daily entries which is encouraging.

 

Then we come to a George Washington University Poll out this morning that finds “a tight top tier for the 2016 GOP nomination. Leading the pack is Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., with 38 percent, Former Gov. Jeb Bush, R-Fla., 36 percent, and embattled Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., 34 percent.”

 

This one’s interesting because Rand Paul yammers all day long, searches for photo ops and any interviewer who’ll talk to him. Christie too is all over the news, making his plans for a presidential run obvious to any who listen. 

 

Jeb Bush, however, isn’t campaigning, hasn’t declared his intentions and is making no effort toward a presidential candidacy whatsoever. Yet he’s only two points behind Paul and leads Christie by the same margin. He’s also happens to be the best of the current bunch, which a significant number of constituents are apparently very aware of.

 

An then we come to the New York Times again, which seems to be subliminally shifting it's position. Because today according to the dailycaller.com/2014 via Drudge, “{Times} reporter James Risen called the Obama administration “the greatest enemy of press freedom that we have encountered in at least a generation” on Friday, explaining that the White House seeks to control the flow of information and those who refuse to play along “will be punished.”

 

So, as noted at the start today, each of the items taken individually isn’t earth-shaking or even critically important. Yet, taken together they do seem to indicate an underlying trend.

 

Drudge continues to be a reliable, sustaining  force regarding accurate credible news. Jeb Bush, who’s relatively mainstream, is gaining in popularity and the New York Times is publishing far more dissension in its ranks than it has for eons. Consequently, all of this is very good news for Republicans who’s only real enemy lately has been themselves, which for them is hopefully fixable.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Reading the news every day, watching almost every aspect of domestic policy turn disastrous, one has to wonder how long the nation can sustain successfully considering the administration’s incredible ineptitude.

 

And then, beyond the horrendous errors made here, foreign policy has almost disappeared totally, to boot.

 

Today, in John Fund’s column, The Corner in National Review Online, he writes: “As the U.S. military prepares to leave Afghanistan after nearly 13 years of conflict with the Taliban, three visiting U.S. congressmen had to endure a statement from Afghan president Hamid Karzai that was released while they were in Kabul.

 

Citing “the free will of the Crimean people,” Karzai’s office said, “We respect the decision the people of Crimea took through a recent referendum that considers Crimea as part of the Russian Federation.” To date, only Syria and Venezuela have taken a similar position.”

 

Even the faithful New York Times “suggests the Afghan move is linked to the fact that Russia has been increasingly active in offering development aid. Given Russia’s heavy influence on countries along Afghanistan’s border, maintaining a long-term relationship with the Kremlin is seen as essential to Afghan foreign policy. Moscow is also ramping up its investment in Afghanistan. It is rebuilding the relics of the Soviet occupation and promoting its own political and cultural prowess.”

 

So, all the American lives, money and time that have been invested over those 13 years has now been totally wasted due to current naiveté, inexperience, misguided ideology and flat-out incompetence at the top of the U.S. government.

 

And who’s the beneficiary making huge inroads all over the map, Vladimir Putin, once again eating the incumbent’s lunch. Because, after taking over Crimea, while Afghanistan borders Central and South Asia, it’s also part of the Greater Middle East, giving him another strategic foothold.

 

What’s more, while Russia may not have the wealth it once had, Mr. Putin’s using it very wisely, picking his spots where they’ll do the most good for his obvious plans to increase his nation’s dominance in the vacuum created by the absence of leadership skills in the U.S.

 

All of which goes to show that sooner or later, even the best speech-makers that ever existed have to perform to prove their worth. Which is why every good poker player understands that one can’t bluff on every hand. Because the ones holding the cards, like Putin is, know when they say “put up or shut up,” losers are going to fold their hands.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Having five years of nothing but consistent bad decisions, mistakes and wrong-headed policy to demonstrate, the Dems' have gone to their most reliable campaign strategy and the one they do best. Smearing their competition.  

Fox News.com reports that “Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his Democratic Party’s 2014 election strategy -- accusing the wealthy conservative donors of trying to buy elections and block aid to Ukraine.

The attacks began in earnest last month when the Nevada Democrat in notable floor speeches accused Charles and David Koch of being “un-American” and “trying to buy America” and continued straight through this week.”

What’s most interesting, though, is what Reed considers to be “un-American” and what he believes the brothers are trying to accomplish. His argument is that they’re trying to buy “elections to advance their self-serving corporate interests of lower taxes and less regulation."

And now that we know what he opposes, perhaps he can use his powerful position to make desire for tax reduction and minimizing government interference capital offenses, calling for life behind bars or death penalty sentences.

In further regard to Harry Reed's wish for government uber alles, an article from CNBC on-line this morning shows where that kind of agenda leads, as follows:

“Cuba is giving its hundreds of thousands of medical workers raises that in some cases exceed 100 percent, official media on the island announced Friday, though pay remains much lower than what medical professionals earn elsewhere." 

The Communist Party daily newspaper Granma reported that “Cuba expects to take in $8.2 billion this year for the tens of thousands of medical worker it sends to care for the poor in countries such as Venezuela and Brazil.”

A sample of what the pay hikes, which take effect June 1, will look like shows that “At the high end, doctors with two specialties will see their salary go from the equivalent of $26 a month to $67, while an entry-level nurse will make $25, up from $13. 

 

Salaries at government jobs in Cuba average about $20 a month, augmented by a range of free services and subsidies. 

 

The raise will affect more than 440,000 medical sector employees, Granma said, and was made possible by the elimination of 109,000 redundant jobs in the last four years.”

So now we know what doctors and nurses have to look forward to here. Because the roadmaps been laid out in the incumbent’s health care tax. And gradually, as government takes over the industry, medical practice will be reduced to totally controlled functionality, much like any other category of labor. 

 

Which means that performing surgery or delivering the mail will eventually be roughly equal pay-wise, the only difference being that most surgeons won’t have to tote bags full of flyers through blizzards on sale-days.  

That’s it for today folks.

Adios

BloggeRhythms

An article by Matthew Boyle of Breitbart on-line today illustrates why the leftist press is losing readership in droves. Primarily because the media members either distort the facts, or just as likely, don’t understand the subject matter at all. Therefore, political points are the major issue, true or not. 

 

According to Mr. Boyle, “[A] brouhaha started when Drudge tweeted, “Just paid the Obamacare penalty for not 'getting covered'... I'M CALLING IT A LIBERTY TAX.”

 

In answer, “A White House aide set off a stampede of liberal media criticism for Internet news pioneer Matt Drudge over Obamacare. Jesse Lee, the Director of Progressive Media at Barack Obama's White House, responded that that was a “Flat lie, no fee for previous year,” adding, “Scary how much influence he once had.”

 

However, while many in the liberal press agreed with the White House response, claiming no tax was due from Drudge this year, Mr. Boyle writes, “but his critics don't seem to understand how small businesses pay taxes.

 

“Drudge indicated in his follow-up tweets that since he is self-employed as the proprietor of The Drudge Report, he files as a small business. According to the IRS’s website for self-employed individuals, they are required to pay taxes quarterly.

 

“As a self-employed individual, generally you are required to file an annual return and pay estimated tax quarterly,” the IRS website reads. 

 

“So, when they file and pay those 2014 first quarter taxes, such individuals have to pay the Obamacare Individual Mandate tax if they opted to not have health insurance—like Drudge just did.

 

“Additionally, the IRS form (1040-ES) for estimating quarterly taxes specifically recommends adding the mandate penalty to line 12 for "other taxes" -- to pay before the first quarterly deadline of April 15. 

 

“It is true that thousands of small businesses will be forced to pay Obamacare taxes quarterly in 2014,” a Senate Budget Committee aide told Breitbart News on Friday afternoon.”

 

Therefore, what will be really interesting to see is how many small businesses believe the incorrect information posted in the leftist press, and then are forced to remit penalties to the IRS for failure to file and pay. Because here we have another case of leftist propaganda which sounds wonderful, however simply isn’t true.  

 

The short article contains interesting details, so here’s a link: OBAMACARE TAX COLLECTION BEGINS; WHITE HOUSE SLAMS DRUDGE 'LIE'

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

On March 19, James Taylor of Forbes headed his column “Obama's Foreign Policy Obsession With Global Warming Emboldens Putin”

 

The article makes its point in the first two paragraphs, as follows: “If Vladimir Putin had any misgivings about the consequences of invading Ukraine and taking the Crimea, the Obama foreign policy team gave Putin every reason to launch his invasion by soft-peddling the Ukraine crisis and publicly attacking U.S. climate scientists instead.

 

“Nations signal their foreign policy priorities and resolve by choosing issues on which to focus and issues on which to tread lightly. As the Ukraine crisis escalated throughout the month of February and Russian military forces predictably prepared to invade the nation, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry chose to launch a high-profile campaign of attacks against American climate scientists and essentially give the Kremlin a green light to invade Ukraine."

 

The preceding’s noteworthy because, as anyone with an iota of intelligence would expect, the administration's ignoring the Crimean invasion emboldens other hostile nations to pursue their militant goals without fear of real retaliation from the U.S.

 

In that regard, Eric Schmitt of the New York Times, no less,  via Drudge reports that: “Iran is building a nonworking mock-up of an American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that United States officials say may be intended to be blown up for propaganda value.”

 

Intelligence analysts first noticed the vessel in the Gachin shipyard on the Persian Gulf last summer. It has the same distinctive shape and style of the Navy’s Nimitz-class carriers, as well as the Nimitz’s number 68 neatly painted in white near the bow. Mock aircraft can be seen on the flight deck.

 

Mr. Schmitt notes that: “The Iranian mock-up, which American officials described as more like a barge than a warship, has no nuclear propulsion system and is only about two-thirds the length of a typical 1,100-foot-long Navy carrier. Intelligence officials do not believe that Iran is capable of building an actual aircraft carrier”

 

However, here’s the most important point, “Navy and other American intelligence analysts surmise that the vessel, which Fifth Fleet wags have nicknamed the Target Barge, is something that Iran could tow to sea, anchor and blow up — while filming the whole thing to make a propaganda point, if, say, the talks with the Western powers over Iran’s nuclear program go south.”

 

So, what this means, is that while all the “talks” continue nations like Russia, Iran and likely North Korea are proceeding on a military bent with little to no fear of any kind of meaningful retaliation from the U.S. The U.S., on the other hand, is working diligently to protect a climate that has no real problems to begin with, and hasn't for the past seventeen years.

 

Nonetheless, the good news is that if the hostile situations keep escalating and any or all of these enemies actually deploy nuclear weapons, those of us in the pristine air of the United States will be able to see the mushroom clouds perfectly clearly. 

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

We should all be used to news like today’s, but it’s still beyond comprehension that half the country doesn’t care that we have no leader. In  today’s day and age, it really doesn’t matter because capable folks take care of themselves. Nonetheless, even if only for cosmetics sake, there ought to be someone trying to act like a president once in a while. 

 

Today, news outlets report that tensions in Ukraine continued escalating as Russian-speaking troops took over two naval bases, with reports that the naval commander was taken into custody. 

 

At the same time, according to CBS News DC: “Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted Wednesday as saying by the Interfax news agency that Russia didn’t want to use the Iranian nuclear talks to “raise stakes,” but may have to do so in response to the actions by the United States and the European Union.” 

 

The report continues, “The statement is the most serious threat of retaliation by Moscow after the U.S. and the EU announced sanctions against Russia over the Ukrainian crisis.” 

 

So, here we have Valerie Putin clearly demonstrating that he couldn’t care less about what the U.S. thinks, and is totally convinced there will be no real retaliation. But worse than that, Iranian leadership knows the same thing too, meaning they’ll just keep right on building their nuclear arsenal while Syria, Egypt and Iraqi invaders aren’t worried about consequences either. What’s more, if someone reads the headlines to Supreme Leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, he and Dennis Rodman will likely plan an invasion of the South. 

 

However, while all this goes on world-wide the incumbent’s busy too. He’s filling out his NCAA bracket. 

 

And at the same time, Steve Myrick MVTimes.com notes that: “Like the annual return of pinkletinks and crocuses, inns and hotels around the Island are getting familiar calls this week from White House officials planning a vacation on Martha’s Vineyard for President Obama and his family. 

 

“Three reliable sources, who asked not to be named because they are not authorized to release information, told The Times that Mr. Obama will return to the Island in August. Two sources said the vacation is scheduled on or about August 9, a week earlier than the first family visited in previous years. 

 

“The president brings a large entourage of Secret Service agents, White House staffers, and support personnel, and the White House began arranging for lodging this week, according to the sources. 

 

“Mr. Obama and his family have vacationed on the Island every year since his 2008 election, with the exception of 2012, when he was campaigning for re-election.” 

 

But, foreign policy isn’t the only issue where the continually vacationing incumbent’s totally wrong, as evidenced by Terence P. Jeffrey of cnsnews.com who writes: “Women are still the ones that are carrying the greatest burden when it comes to trying to balance family and work," President Obama said last week to a group of women who serve in the U.S. Congress. 

 

“With this in mind, he is now planning a "White House Summit on Working Families" to take place this summer. Obama is no doubt preparing to cast stones at the private sector. He really ought to look at his own administration.” 

 

OPM maintains a database called FedScope that contains historical information going back to 1998 on much of the federal civilian labor force. According to this database, about 44.4 percent of civilian federal workers were female in 1998. 

 

In 2013, only about 43.5 percent were female — the lowest percentage in the sixteen years available.In 1998, nationwide, about 46.3 percent of the civilian labor force was female — about 1.9 points more than the female share of the federal civilian labor force.

 

In 2013, about 46.8 percent of the nationwide civilian labor force was female — about 3.3 points more than the female share of the federal civilian labor force.” 

 

So, it really doesn’t matter what the subject is, in every aspect of governance and performance this administration’s  the worst since Jimmy Carter, which really takes world-class incompetence. 

 

Adding proof to that point, though it’s not actually needed, Mike Emanuel FOX News Channel on-line writes that: “Frank Todisco, chief actuary for the Government Accountability Office, told a House committee last week that the agency had $100 billion in debt and unfunded health benefit liabilities at the end of the last fiscal year. 

 

“At this stage, even the Postal Service admits it needs help. 

 

"Despite our efforts and our hard work, we cannot return the organization to profitability or secure our long term financial outlook without the passage of comprehensive reform legislation," Jeffrey Williamson, United States Postal Service executive vice president, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee recently.” 

 

In response, Congressman Darrell Issa said, ‘There is no better time than in an election year for people to call up and say I don't want to be paying out of my general tax revenue for somebody else's junk mail being delivered. That kind of message will cause people to make a reform this year." 

 

So, while many folks may not even be aware of world events being mishandled completely, or how badly the economy and health care are being butchered, if Republicans can actually reduce the tonnage of junk mail received by voters, they'll win every election they run in. 

 

That’s it for today folks. 

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Always an avid reader and follower of current events, these daily commentaries provide the chance to share thoughts. Closely following the news also permits opportunities to formulate opinions on those attracting coverage.

 

In that regard, as mentioned on previous occasions,  Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) has got to be one of the least intelligent beings that  ever existed.   

 

According to The Hill via Fox News on-line, “Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Tuesday predicted a ‘tsunami’ election for the GOP this fall. “Primarily due to ObamaCare  of which he said, ‘It is a poisonous issue for Democrats.’" 

 

In rebuttal Schultz "insisted her party’s tech advantage coupled with the GOP’s tendency to nominate flawed candidates would help her party hold the line.”

 

So, here we have a purely political hack who’s given an opportunity to present information demonstrating reasons why her party will prevail due to positive accomplishment. But having none, instead of professionally trying to change the subject or gloss her party’s image, she instead replies that the political machine that’s been built will prevail regardless of their faults, further smearing her opponents as “flawed” while representing the most incompetent bunch of incapable ciphers that ever existed.  

 

However, in some ways this Schultz empty skirt might be right because, also according to Fox News, Rand Paul believes, “The Republican Party, in order to get bigger, will have to agree to disagree on social issues. The Republican Party is not going to give up on having quite a few people who do believe in traditional marriage. But the Republican Party also has to find a place for young people and others who don’t want to be festooned by those issues.”

 

Yet “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sought to draw a distinction between his and fellow potential 2016 contender Sen. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., approach to social issues during a Tuesday visit to Iowa. Cruz told the Des Moines Register the GOP, “Should continue to defend life and that we should continue to defend traditional marriage.”

 

Which means that, as has happened often in the recent past, although being absolutely correct on practically every issue of governance, from the economy, to taxes, to health care, to foreign policy, to education, the environment, to employment, to development of domestic sources of fuel, Republicans like Cruz will permit social issues that aren’t even the responsibility of government to give elections away to their stumbling, bumbling, incompetent competition.

 

And what’s even more disturbing is that as each day goes by the administration buries itself further, becoming more vulnerable every time one of their officials open their mouths.

 

The Hill reports that Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius said in testimony before the House Ways and Means Committee when addressing concerns about rising heath care costs: “The increases are far less significant than what they were prior to the Affordable Care Act.” 

 

Health industry officials, however, “say ObamaCare-related premiums will double in some parts of the country, countering claims recently made by the administration. 

 

The expected rate hikes will be announced in the coming months amid an intense election year, when control of the Senate is up for grabs. The sticker shock would likely bolster the GOP’s prospects in November and hamper ObamaCare insurance enrollment efforts in 2015.” 

 

In retort to Sebelius, one senior insurance executive who requested anonymity said, “It’s pretty shortsighted because I think everybody knows that the way the exchange has rolled out … is going to lead to higher costs.” 

 

So, here’s another glaring example of Dem electoral vulnerability, because the health care tax will hit huge numbers of voters pocketbooks. But, nonetheless, shortsighted, narrow-minded misguided fanatics like Cruz, will likely take what’s been handed to them gift-wrapped, signed sealed and delivered and hand it right back to the Dem's at the polls. And what’s almost as bad, in doing so make a dunce like Wasserman Schultz look correct.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Having crippled the economy, ruined the health care system and reduced foreign policy to a shambles, the only thing left for the administration to pursue is climate change which doesn’t even exist.

 

In that regard, in mid-February according to news reports “U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called on all nations to respond to "the greatest challenge of our generation. Climate change ranks among the world's most serious problems -- such as disease outbreaks, poverty, terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.” 

 

Speaking before college students in Jakarta, Indonesia, he also criticized climate-change deniers, saying "a few loud interest groups" shouldn't be given the chance to misdirect the conversation.

 

And then today, Steve Watson of Infowars.com reports that, “A professor with Rochester Institute of Technology has called for the incarceration of any American who actively disagrees that climate change is solely caused by human activity.

 

Lawrence Torcello, a philosophy professor with a Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, published the comments as part of an essay submitted to the academic website The Conversation.

 

Torcello argues that malignant individuals, who he does not identify, are collectively organising a “campaign funding misinformation” about climate change. Torcello goes on to suggest that such activity “ought to be considered criminally negligent.”

 

However, at the same time, Mr. Watson notes that, “According to a Gallup poll conducted earlier this month, two thirds of Americans do not believe that the colder temperatures the country has been experiencing is related to human-caused climate change or global warming, instead believing that normal seasonal variations are at play.

 

The “scientific consensus” on the matter says that human activity is a factor in temperature changes, thus under Torcello’s “updated” law, two thirds of Americans would be at risk of being deemed as criminals for expressing these beliefs.”

 

So, what that means is approximately 211,333,333 U.S. citizens would be incarcerated if this guy Torcello had his way, to punish them for having rational thoughts about the weather which hasn’t changed an iota in the last seventeen years. Even Warren Buffett thinks the climate change fear-mongering is bunk.

 

But what’s really interesting about the statistics is that two thirds of the population is being hampered and harassed based on a false premise, which is roughly the same as those who’ve had their heath care negatively affected and/or made more costly due to the administration’s pandering to special interest groups.

 

Because this is an administration wherein facts and data don’t matter. All that counts is payback and payout to allies and friends, regardless of whom else gets harmed or stung in the process.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Today’s subject is reality versus fantasy, superior performance versus failure and the importance of perception in decision-making.

 

A couple of days ago, a computer glitch spurred thoughts about a virus having attacked the system. Familiar with the possibility, seeing similar symptoms before, though not for a long while, several remedies were attempted, none of them working. That’s when Microsoft was contacted, and asked for help, although it wasn’t certain it was even their problem.

 

As most readers likely know, for quite some time now, in many cases the simplest way for suppliers to fix software problems is to take over the customer’s system remotely, and then search for and solve the problem quickly themselves without having to give user’s reams of instructions, too complex, confusing or tedious to manage on their own.

 

In the case referred to here, and on other similar occasions, what’s simply amazing is the feeling of confidence one derives the moment a world-class technician like those employed by Microsoft takes over the screen. Because user’s know with certainty that their problems will be fixed by the best in the business, and are fortunate to have that level of expertise available to them.

 

That’s why sitting there watching the mouse arrow move quickly through the engineer’s routines, finding, dealing with and  correcting the problem the thought occurred that aside from proven capability, Microsoft’s gained huge public trust in order for its employees to be given unencumbered license to search user’s systems.

 

And then, the complete opposite came to mind when thinking about what it takes to reach the highest levels of competence, experience and proven superior performance, compared to the monumental dread, fear, dissatisfaction and disgust felt by most of the nation upon hearing that their health care was being taken over by the most corrupt, inept and incapable bureaucracy that ever existed.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Two items today, both from the New York Times via Drudge.

 

The first, by Ellen Barry and Sophia Kishkovsky, reports that “Last week, in the midst of the Crimean crisis and on the heels of the Sochi Olympics, Mr. Putin’s approval rating had increased to 71.6 percent, the highest point since he returned to the presidency in 2012, according to a poll released by the All-Russian Center for Public Opinion last week.”

 

Which means that while the incumbent and his assistant foreign policy twerp, John Kerry, walk into walls and talk to themselves, Vladimir Putin’s gaining political strength, making the U.S. look the weakest its ever been in the eyes of the rest of the world. Therefore, it took this administration only five years to undo what was built over the preceding 200 and turn it's hard-earned status into an international shambles and embarrassment. 

 

At the same time, Times Op-Ed Columnist, Maureen Dowd headed her column today, “Dems in Distress”

 

She writes that “At the heart of all this, really, is that the White House totally blew the rollout of the health care law and Democrats have not recovered. It provided a huge opening for Republicans, who had just shut down the government and were tanking in the polls and in despair themselves.

 

Due to the inability of the president and congressional Democrats to move their agenda through Congress, the president is having to govern through executive order and revising federal regulations. 

 

Republicans have latched on to this to make the case around the country that Obama is a dictator and an imperial president. But governing through executive order isn’t a sign of strength. It’s a sign of weakness.

 

And it’s that weakness that has Democrats scared to death.”

 

This is noteworthy because, while things are disastrous overseas, here at home the nation’s disheveled as well, in large part due to the totally irrational new health care tax, which is proving to be unmanageable.

 

But, the point that really stands out, and has been mentioned here many times before, is the Republicans going so far as to shut the government down in protest of that tax, which never should have been enacted in the first place.

 

Yet, by doing the right thing, and causing a shutdown, Republicans have been castigated in the media time and again, which actually makes no sense. In fact, those pointing out the ridiculous, and as now well known, unworkable aspects of the tax, should be commended for their insightfulness and perhaps given medals for bravery because they were and still are, absolutely correct.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios  

BloggeRhythms

All one has to do is read headlines to realize the numerous aspects of government this administration has proven itself to be incapable of handling properly. From the economy, to unemployment, to immigration,  to health care, to the environment, pipeline construction, and now especially foreign policy it’s been on the wrong side of every issue concerning the nation.

 

The most incredible point of it all, however, is that the mismanagement doesn’t even arise from the technical, managerial or loss/benefit analysis of each issue, the only aspects ever considered are purely political. Therefore, damage or cost incurred by citizens is immaterial, while political payback and opportunism are always the primary consideration.

 

However, its not only those in the executive branch that place themselves above all else, considerable numbers of Dem’s in Congress perform exactly the same way.

 

According to Fox News on-line, since last week, Representative Elijah Cummings, Democrat of Maryland and other Democrats have forcefully objected to Republican Representative Darrell Issa's actions at a hearing, meant to investigate IRS targeting of conservative groups. Although Issa  personally apologized to Cummings since, the two have continued to criticize each other publicly.

 

The issue arose because Lois Lerner, former Director of the IRS Exempt Organizations, once again invoked her 5th Amendment rights to not testify due to concern of self-incrimination.

 

Cummings employed legal experts to argue that Issa “erred by cutting the hearing short without first overruling Lerner's Fifth Amendment claim and directing her to answer the committee's questions. They argued he "forfeited" the ability to recall her. They argued that any claim that Lerner had previously waived her Fifth Amendment rights -- which is what Republicans contend -- is no longer valid.”

 

Which confirms precisely and emphatically the point today, because if Cummings response isn’t unequivocally political, it’s hard to imagine what is. This is a case where a responsible senior government official may have violated the law while damaging the administration's political foes, yet a sitting representative employs legal arguments to prevent her from testifying openly about her actions and those behind them.

 

In response, Chairman Issa wrote to Cummings, “... rather than pursuing the facts where they lead -- which is the function of effective congressional oversight -- you have made yourself an obstacle  to effective congressional oversight, in effect, a defense counsel for Lerner and others who acted to deprive Americans of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights," And, in this case, Issa is absolutely correct.

 

On another issue, back on Tuesday, March 11, I wondered how Jay Carney, regardless of any political beliefs he might have, could stand in front of the press and spout the utterly inane and incorrect and misleading gibberish he tries to feed them. And although it’s obvious that when he leaves his post he’ll likely make zillions, its doubtful they’re worth it, considering how low he’s sunk in status and self-esteem. Even most hookers have more self-pride than he does.

 

And then today, either because he read the posting or decided on his own, according to dailycaller.com/2014: “Insiders very close to White House Press Secretary Jay Carney indicate that he’s on his way out of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, The Mirror has learned. Carney has told people he’s leaving the White House soon.”

 

So, here we have another case where predictions have been accurate, and consistently ahead of the curve. But there’s no secret to guessing correctly about anything the Dem party or its members do or what the result will be. All you have to do is understand what’s correct and apply common sense. Then, once you grasp what’s right, efficient and intelligent, the exact opposite will always be Dem’s philosophy and intent.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Several items today, all indicating growing underlying unhappiness with the Dem party, its supporters and members, building toward the mid-term elections this November.

 

Chris Stirewalt noted on Fox News on-line that, “The first foray into local politics by Ready for Hillary, the shadow campaign for 2016 Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton, did not spell success for Democratic New Hampshire Executive Council candidate Mike Cryans. Cryans conceded the race to Republican Joe Kenney Wednesday. According to reports, the Pro-Hillary PAC dispatched 20 volunteers to boost Democrat support in Tuesday’s special election, focusing its efforts on Dartmouth college students.”

 

What this demonstrates is, it’s not the campaigning effort put out by Dem’s that count. Voters are fed up with what they've done when they’re elected. So, until Dem’s performance and platform change, to give people back the economy and international power they’ve lost, all the talk in the world doesn’t mean anything.  

 

Then the Fox BuzzFeed column included this illustration of typical leftist hypocrisy: “The New York Times published an editorial on Sunday praising New York University and Columbia for moving away from unpaid internships… as they ‘mostly functioned as a fig leaf for employers, who could pretend that the credit somehow justified not paying for a student’s work.’ … it was a little striking then to see the Times’ March 3 job listing for an unpaid spring semester video intern.  The ideal candidate will work between 10 and 20 hours a week ‘for school credit’ and must be ‘enrolled in a greater NYC-area college pursuing a full-time degree in a related creative field.”

 

Next, adding to the growing list of administration incorrect decision-making now being criticized by its own members, Fox News on-line reports that “President Obama's former national security adviser says he should approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline as a matter of national security.

 

Retired Gen. James Jones tells the Senate Foreign Relations that approving the pipeline would send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin and other "international bullies" that they cannot use energy security as a weapon. Jones says rejection of the Canada-to-Texas pipeline would "make Mr. Putin's day and strengthen his hand."

 

Another voice was heard on the same subject, according to the Wall Street Journal as follows: “Sen. Mary Landrieu [Democrat] of Louisiana intensified the pressure on Secretary of State John Kerry, a former Senate colleague, to approve the Keystone XL oil pipeline. Ms. Landrieu, the new chairwoman of the Senate Energy Committee, said, “Canada is our closest, strongest trading partner,” and “a majority of American people” support Keystone. “It is hard for me to understand why there are still questions about whether building this pipeline is in our national interest,” she said.

 

What these comments illustrate is the magnitude of error when decision-making is purely political. Because, as often mentioned here, in the case of the Keystone pipeline, the delay’s greatly harmed the nation economically, employment-wise, and now, also in foreign policy by aiding our enemies. You can’t get much more wrong then that.

 

And now we come to some more news about one of the biggest political hacks on the planet, Senator Harry Reed again. 

 

This morning, www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014 says that “FBI agents working alongside Utah state prosecutors in a wide-ranging corruption investigation have uncovered accusations of wrongdoing by two of the U.S. Senate’s most prominent figures — Majority Leader Harry Reid and rising Republican Sen. Mike Lee — but the Justice Department has thwarted their bid to launch a full federal investigation.

 

The probe, conducted by one Republican and one Democratic state prosecutor in Utah, has received accusations from an indicted businessman and political donor, interviewed other witnesses and gathered preliminary evidence such as financial records, Congressional Record statements and photographs that corroborate some aspects of the accusations, officials have told The Washington Times and ABC News.”

 

Now, I don’t want to get my hopes up, because the investigation’s just begun and right now is only suspicion. But that doesn’t mean my wish won't come true someday, of seeing Harry Reed impeached, and led out of the Senate on TV in leg irons and handcuffs.

 

That's it for today folks

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Though global warming’s a frequent topic here, particularly the costs involved in this major fraud, until this morning I was unaware of the staggering amount that’s actually been wasted on this politically-motivated payback scam to date.

 

Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), a ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Wednesday at a hearing on the Defense Department’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget that President Barack Obama has wasted $120 billion on global warming over the past five years. Money he thinks would be better spent on the military.

 

According to the senator's website, he went on to say, “I've been working on this for quite some time ... In the last five years, between 2009 and 2014, the president has spent $120 billion on the environmental agenda, mostly global warming, climate and that type of thing. And in that respect, if you'll just take the amount that was not authorized by Congress -- and I'm talking about the environmental agenda, you could actually buy 1,400 F-35s.”

 

And then, along the same lines of the costs this administration has foisted on the public, the  incumbent spoke at a Spanish-language media health care town hall meeting last week.

 

There according to Town Hall.com  he “dismissed concerns from a low-income man that the monthly premiums for the cheapest plans were too expensive for his family to afford.”

 

The incumbent’s solution was, “The man should "prioritize health care" and cut spending on things like cable, cell phone, and other things to afford insurance. Here's a link to the Q & A.  

 

Obama to Latino Town Hall- Cut Cable, Cell Phone to Afford ACA Plan

 

So, because the only way that his health tax can work financially is to have people overpay for care, while also purchasing services they likely won’t ever want or need, they should give up the things in life they work so hard to acquire. Which leads to the only rational conclusion one could reach, that this demented, self-serving autocrat lives in a world that functions well only in his head, and is light-years from reality.

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

Yesterday, Republican David Jolly defeated Democrat Alex Sink in a Tampa-area House election. The contest drew significant attention because the media stressed it to be an important first test of the incumbent's  health care tax, ahead of November's midterm elections. Additionally, both sides spent millions auditioning national strategies.

 

Equally important, both parties called in star advocates like former President Bill Clinton and former vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. The district was blanketed with ads, calls and mailings. More than $11 million was spent on the race, according to the Sunlight Foundation, a nonprofit group that tracks government information.

 

What was most interesting, however, were a couple of comments made by Sink on two significant issues. During her campaign she intimated that illegal immigrants were needed because without them, where would people get maids, gardeners or other menials?

 

An then on Squawk Box this morning, host Joe Kernan recalled that in an interview Sink opined that oil drilling in the Gulf was to be curtailed as a major priority. When he then noted that Florida thrives on tourism, and high oil prices made it difficult for visitors or precluded travel to the state, he said she couldn’t grasp the connection between the cause and effect.

 

And these are the dimwits the Dem party’s proud of and invests millions in. 

 

Weather-wise, Jason Keyser of the Associated Press, writes that yesterday, “Tens of thousands of homes and businesses in northern Illinois lost power and a few hundred flights were canceled at Chicago's airports, including Midway International, where 6 inches of snow fell. The storm was moving east into northern Indiana, and it was forecast to hit the Great Lakes in Ohio, Pennsylvania and upstate New York before dissipating over Canada.”

 

The snowstorm followed Tuesday’s all-night Senate meeting where Harry Reid’s group railed against climate change and global warming. And the only conclusion one can reach is that after ruining or destroying just about every aspect of governance there is, from the economy, to health care to foreign relations and terrorism, and everything else they’ve touched, temperature issues are all they have left.

 

Nonetheless, despite the noise Reid’s trying to make over a fictitious issue, the voting public isn’t very interested in the subject.   

 

Scott Clement of the Washington Post, writes that “For years, global warming has ranked at the bottom of Americans' to-do list for Congress, trumped by the economy, budget and entitlements and terrorism. A January Pew Research Center poll found just 29 percent saying it's a "top priority" for President Obama and Congress this year, ranking 19th out of 20 issues tested. Protecting the environment ranked higher at 49 percent, but was still 12th from the top.

 

And perhaps that’s why, according to Patrick O'Connor of The Wall Street Journal, “Mr. Obama's job approval ticked down to 41% in March from 43% in January, marking a new low. Some 54% disapproved of the job he is doing, matching a previous high from December, when the botched rollout of his signature health law played prominently in the news. The latest survey also showed the lowest-ever approval in Journal/NBC polling for Mr. Obama's handling of foreign policy.”

 

Yet, at the same time, Limbaugh’s “Rush Revere and the First Patriots" reached first on Amazon book sales.

 

So, it seems things aren’t looking too good for the Dem’s wherever they go.  And speaking of “going,” Washington DC’s a place where droves of them will soon be leaving. 

 

That’s it for today folks.

 

Adios

BloggeRhythms

This is one of those days where several items from various sources demonstrate how politicians, especially Dems, either manipulate data or flat out lie through their teeth.

 

I rarely mention Press Secretary, Jay Carney, because his attempts to shield his boss are so inane, ridiculous and often outright stupid he’s not worth the keystrokes. However, he said something today that’s truly profound, but I'm certain he’s totally unaware of the harpoon he launched against his whole party and how they’ve ruined the economy.

 

In trying to spur sign-up’s for the incumbent’s failing health care tax, Carney said, via Fox’s Chris Stirewalt, “We’re calling on moms to reach out to their adult children, get them off the couch and on the computer to enroll, and make sure that they have quality, affordable health insurance.”

 

So, in one fell swoop he’s acknowledging that young folks have no interest in the tax, so they’re not enrolling. But he’s also unwittingly pointing out that these perfectly healthy kids can’t find employment which is why their lolling around jobless in the first place, due to the faltering economy directly caused by his boss, the golfing POTUS.

 

And then, in an interesting coincidence, while the White House shill was trying to increase the number of idle youngsters to sign up for the health tax, CNSNews.com reported that, “The labor force participation rate in 2013 for Americans in their twenties hit the lowest level recorded since 1981, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics started releasing employment data on people in the full age bracket of 20 through 29.

 

The labor force participation rate for people ages 20 through 24—which BLS has been tracking since 1948—hit a 42-year low in 2013. Since 2008, the last year before President Barack Obama took office, the number of Americans in their twenties who were not in the labor force during the average month has climbed from 8,756,000 to 10,511,000—an increase of 1,755,000 or 20 percent. The 10,511,000 Americans age 20 through 29 who were not in the labor force in 2013 is the highest ever recorded by BLS."

 

So, after killing off their job opportunities through ineptitude, Carney thinks it’s the right thing to tax them some more. And if that isn’t perfect Dem philosophy, I don’t know what is.

 

Along the same lines. the Washington Examiner reports that “Planned Parenthood is going to bat for the White House, hosting more than 500 events in 18 cities to get Americans into the health insurance system. In eight states, officials from the women’s health and abortion provider will go to grocery stores and even indoor soccer fields to enroll people. It also plans to dispatch 500 canvassers to knock on 20,000 doors.”

 

In this case, some research shows that, according to Steven Ertelt in Washington, DC writing for LifeNews.com, “Government funding accounts for 46.5 percent of Planned Parenthood’s income — to the tune of $1.3 million per day, STOPP (Stop Planned Parenthood) indicates.

 

So, here we have taxpayers once more covering huge additional costs for a program that never should have been foisted on them in the first place.

 

Nonetheless, the health tax is only one of a myriad of misguided ideas and plans involving government where it doesn’t ever belong.

 

Which brings me to Harry Reid, who last night led an all-night waste of time and breath, and according to The Hill on-line was “Railing against climate change deniers.”

 

Reid said, “It’s time to stop acting like those who ignore this crisis – the oil baron Koch brothers and their allies in Congress – have a valid point of view. But despite overwhelming scientific evidence and overwhelming public opinion, climate change deniers still exist. They exist in this country and in this Congress.”

 

But, a little research here gets you the real truth, because www.latimes.com reports that, “But as they rev up for the midterm elections, Democrats are heeding the call of California billionaire Tom Steyer, who has pledged $100 million to back candidates with a program to curb climate change.”
 

Which goes to reinforce the truest adage in politics. If you want the real truth, just follow the money. And there’s no shred of doubt that if some guy like Steyer, whoever he is, paid Reid a few bucks to claim that the earth was flat, we’d be watching him fund programs to keep us all from the dangers of failing over the edge.
 

And then, to round out the Dem’s day, Dave Boyer of washingtontimes.com notes that, “Despite Hillary Rodham Clinton's promise that she had scrubbed illegal cash contributions from her 2008 presidential campaign, prosecutors revealed Monday that the mastermind of Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s “shadow campaign” also funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to aid Mrs. Clinton’s bid for the White House.
 

Jeffrey E. Thompson’s scheme included diverting more than $608,000 in illicit funds to a New York marketing executive, Troy White, who organized “street teams” to raise Mrs. Clinton’s visibility in urban areas during her Democratic primary battle against Barack Obama. Mr. White pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in the case.”

On the same subject, Chris Stirewalt notes that, “Included on the list of Dems whose campaigns received illicit donations: Harry Reid, Jesse Jackson Jr., Charlie Rangel, James Clyburn and Robert Casey Jr.” You couldn't find a clearer example of useless thugs if you went to a Chicago police station line-up searching for robbers and crooks.    

So, here we are back at square one today, the situation of the young amongst us. Because if any of them really give their problems some thought they’d realize that most of them stem from a corrupt and deceiving administration. However, reading and a quality education aren’t high on young folks lists, even for those who wind up in government. As evidenced at the beginning today where the spokesman for the POTUS doesn’t understand what he said when condemning his own party’s failures and ineptitude while trying to blame somebody else.

That’s it for today folks.

Adios