Finally some honesty from Democrat Rep. John Dingell:
Nobody in this country realizes that cap-and-trade is a tax — and it’s a great big one, Rep. John Dingell (D-Michigan) said Friday, April 24, 2009, 11:41am ET
Actually, a ton of people realized that it was a BIG TAX. At least 48% of the country knows it which is why we’ve been calling it “Cap and Tax” all along.
You have to wonder what is going on at the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. Jennipher Dickens and the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation sent out email this morning (see excerpts below) complaining about the “soul of your [Apple and AT&T] organizations” after a 3rd party wrote an iPhone application called “Baby Shaker.” The application was removed from the iPhone App Store quickly once it was pointed out how stupid it was. But that wasn’t enough for them. It looks like another attempt to shake-down corporations to support their cause. The cause, while certainly sympathetic, isn’t well served with tactics like this in my opinion.
SJB Foundation has demanded a response or is threatening a demonstration outside 15 Apple Stores. Seems like the typical tactic when an opportunity comes up: threaten protests, send out emails to get publicity, get a donation or ten from big companies. For a group that is supposed to be doing good work it is extremely disappointing to see the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation resort to something like this, while I do not doubt their sincerity, shakedowns are not a way to get positive press.
In this case, the “soul of [the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation] organization” seems to be the part lacking. Positive, useful, productive yes, shakedowns of corporations, no. Who is in favor of child abuse? No one in their right minds, but something like this from them? In short, a very disappointing message from the Sarah Jane Brain Foundation. Blaming Apple and AT&T for the actions of individuals who have harmed children and babies is insane.
Excerpts below:
The Sarah Jane Brain Foundation held a news conference today outside the Apple Store in downtown Manhattan releasing the letter below to the Boards of Directors of Apple and AT&T. Just about every television network was represented at the news conference so watch your local evening news tonight for complete coverage. While Apple has removed the “BABY SHAKER” app from its online store, Steve Jobs and Randall Stephenson have not issued a personal public apology, Apple has not issued a full accounting of how this was vetted and launched and Apple and AT&T have not offered a significant plan to mitigate the damages they have done to prevent child abuse.
…
If we do not receive an adequate response from Apple and AT&T by the time we begin our 15-city American PABI Tour on May 3rd (pabitour.com – to promote awareness and support families who are dealing with PABI) we will hold a demonstration in front of the Apple Store in all 15 cities.
Reports today (Hollywood Reporter) indicated drama at the GE Annual meeting today (April 22, 2009) over bias at MSNBC including having microphones cut off.
As members Obama Administration and Democrat Party are fond of saying, “No crisis should be wasted” and this is a perfect one to not waste. As of close of market today, GE’s market cap is approximately $124.61 billion. 50% of its market value is $62.305 billion. A great time to buy control for 1/5th or so of what it would have cost a few years ago. Don’t waste the crisis!
If 1 in 5 non-Obama voters (about 59 million total votes, so 11.8 million) each went out and switched $6000 of their retirement savings from an S&P 500 mutual fund or other stock into GE, that would be more than 50% ownership of the corporation, even assuming no non-Obama voters already own any shares. Bias could then be eliminated via shareholder vote. GE should be standing up for freedom, not bowing to the advocates of government control.
Take back GE for Freedom!
After the meeting Jeff Immelt said “My job is to listen” [to shareholder frustrations]. Actually Jeff, your job is to run the company and protect its franchise.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CBC News that:
“Canada is not Mexico, it doesn’t have a drug war going on. It didn’t have 6,000 homicides that were drug-related last year. Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country, or suspected or known terrorists have come into our country, it has been across the Canadian border.”
The CBC reporter then asked whether she was referring to the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks and Napolitano answered:
“Not just those, but others as well. So again, every country is entitled to have a border. It’s part of sovereignty.”
Napolitano apparently missed the fact that the September 11th terrorists all entered through United States airports. Very comforting to see that level of knowledge displayed yet again in the Obama administration.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) called “tea party” protests “despicable” and shameful.”
The ‘tea parties’ being held today by groups of right-wing activists, and fueled by FOX News Channel, are an effort to mislead the public about the Obama economic plan that cuts taxes for 95 percent of Americans and creates 3.5 million jobs.
It’s despicable that right-wing Republicans would attempt to cheapen a significant, honorable moment of American history with a shameful political stunt. Not a single American household or business will be taxed at a higher rate this year. Made to look like a grassroots uprising, this is an Obama bashing party promoted by corporate interests, as well as Republican lobbyists and politicians.
Queen George Schakowsky, nice loophole with “this year.” I am sorry that you don’t (a) know the Constitution, (b) choose to ignore it, and (c) that you don’t understand what true grassroots is, but you may want to have your life controlled by others and may want to give away your freedom, but there are many of us who do not.
Some of the signs from the tea parties across the United States earlier today:
Spread my Work Ethic, not my wealth!
Change…giving freeloaders some of what YOU have worked hard for!
Help me Obama, They want me to work and stuff!
Cut taxes, not deals
What part of “limited powers” do you not understand?
It’s my birthday, and all Obama got me was more debt!
It’s my birthday, and all Obama got me was more taxes!
Why make a corrupt government even BIGGER?
Why should I pay for your bad decisions?
Party like its 1773
Obamanomics – Trickle up poverty
Term Limits for Congress!
A government that robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw
No tax cuts for non-taxpayers!
Cut taxes, NOT more deal$
Freedom Works! Continue reading Tea Party Slogans
At the Huffington Post, Democrat Senator Ron Wyden is quoted as saying that had “that legislation [a large tax on bonuses] been passed it would have been a very strong disincentive to anybody paying out bonuses in the future.” Wyden did vote against the major bailouts, but appears to have voted for the “stimulus.”
Let’s recall a few facts:
1. The “Stimulus” Bill that both Houses and the President approved included provisions authorizing the bonuses. Perhaps if Congress READ their Bills they would not be able blame someone else when people do what Congress is authorized.
2. A large number of people have made the statement, “but it is taxpayer money.” I agree that it is taxpayer money.
The real question though is whether we want to go down the path of controlling everyone who receives taxpayer money?
However, if we are going to do so, we need to think about the consequences in detail:
a. If you receive food stamps, shall we limit your choices to low-fat food? Soda?
b. If you receive Medicare, how much of your life can we control? Pretty much everything since we are footing the bill. Are you over-weight? Get on the treadmill. Do you drink? Stop, we’re going to pay for your new liver. Like chocolate? Sorry, diabetes. Ride a bike? Put on a helmet! Like to sunbathe? Skin cancer, get inside. It is taxpayer money paying for your vices. Should the taxpayers be paying and not having input?
c. Are you on Social Security? What can’t taxpayers control since we’re paying your bills.
Additions:
d. Cash for clunkers? Hope you aren’t a lead foot!
e. ObamaCare – apply the Medicare rules to everyone!
Trading freedom for the chance to pick someone else’s pocket is a bad idea morally and fiscally.
You may hear the terms “Quantitative Easing” and “Open Market Operations” from the Federal Reserve and wonder what they are. They sound official and complicated, but are not. When you get down to the basics, they quite simply mean the Federal Reserve is printing money.
Quantitative easing is a type of monetary policy that increases the money in an economy when the Federal Funds Rate (overnight lending rate) is close to (or at) zero. The Fed (or central bank) purchases financial assets from banks and other financial institutions using money it has created out of thin air (ex nihilo is the latin jargon). It is equivalent to “printing money” although it is done electronically so no printing is needed. Just a push of a few buttons and magically they Federal Reserve says “we now have another $1000 Billion in the bank.” Nice bank account if you can get it.
Quantitative easing and open market operations are complicated ways of saying that the Federal Reserve (or other central bank) is printing money. The cost is inflation, or in the worst case, hyper-inflation. Inflation robs you of the value of your money stealthily and is a hidden tax on your savings (retirement etc) and promised obligations. Remember that, as Milton Friedman defines inflation, it is a monetary phenomenon – too much money chasing too few goods.
So, now you know the basics of quantitative easing and open market operations, and the risks involved. Should you trust politicians and the appointed members of the Federal Reserve to manage the value of your money? Would you find a ruler that changed length daily useful? When a person is managing the value of the dollar, the value varies every day with the trend down. Down more than 95% since the Federal Reserve was created. That is the problem with inflation, a dollar today will be only worth a nickel eventually.
The Democrat controlled Senate is working on a Bill that would give President Obama the authority to shut down the Internet. This is the so-called Cybersecurity Act of 2009, S.773 was introduced by Senators Rockefeller, Bayh, Nelson, and Snowe.
The Bill would also give the government access to the digital records from many industries including telecommunications, banking and energy. All would be under the authority of a cybersecurity czar.
Clamp down on the free speech on the Internet in the event of a need to “protect national security” and there goes the ability to dissent.
Nice.
“There’s a lot of — I don’t know what the term is in Austrian — wheeling and dealing, and people are pursuing their interests, and everybody has their own particular issues and their own particular politics.” – Barack Obama, April 5, 2009
In Austria, the official and most used language is German. Imagine if President Bush had said that.