Less than 2 weeks into the Obama Presidency, we have some new excuses that you can use before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Not.
1. On former Senator and Democratic Leader Tom Daschle, who failed to pay more than $120,000 ($128,203 in taxes and $11964 in interest): “Nobody’s perfect,” said Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs. “It was a serious mistake. …” (February 2, 2009)
It is the eternal struggle between these two principles — right and wrong — throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity, and the other the divine right of kings. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, “You toil and work and earn bread, and I’ll eat it.” No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle.Abraham Lincoln, The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
“That’s not part of his power, but this is part of the whole theory of George Bush that he can make laws as he goes along. I disagree with that. I taught the Constitution for 10 years. I believe in the Constitution and I will obey the Constitution of the United States. We’re not going to use signing statements as a way of doing an end-run around Congress,” Senator Obama, 2008.
Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe. Steven Chu, December 12, 2008, Obama Administration transition team. So, up to $5 to $8 per gallon is the Obama Administration’s goal according to Chu. [Update: now U.S. Secretary of Energy.]
On Monday (Nov 10, 2008), NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), run by Al Gore’s chief scientific ally, Dr James Hansen, stated that October 2008 was the hottest October on record. The problem? NASA had used September’s figures again for October. We’ve mentioned before how NASA and Hansen have had to revise figures due to errors and problems with methodology, but the cult of global warming is willing to ignore data and rely solely upon computer models to make their arguments. GISS is one of four bodies responsible for monitoring global temperatures.
Valeria Jarret, co-chair of the Obama transition team told Tom Brokaw on Meet the Press (Nov 9, 2008) that “given the daunting challenges that we face, it’s important that president elect Obama is prepared to really take power and begin to rule day one.”
As a country, we elect Presidents to govern, not rule.