With more revelations today about the Obama administration bullying secured creditors, it appears that the Obama administration is now channelling Wesley Mouch in their attempts to blackmail and threaten Hank Rearden. This show includes a special appearance by Bertram Scudder, played by Paul Krugman.
Americans do want to pay taxes for services – Powell
Colin Powell called for a more centrist Republican party on Tuesday (May 5, 2009). In part he stated:
Americans do want to pay taxes for services. Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less.
Powell must have missed recent statistics on who pays the taxes, but we can fix his quotation for him:
Some Americans do want OTHER PEOPLE to pay taxes for THEIR services.
There, we fixed that.
UAW and Unions versus the rule of law
In relation to the automobile industry (with the exception of Ford), Buy American is now un-American. That is if you think America stands for freedom, the rule of law, and due process. The UAW and the Obama Administration are acting like mobsters, shaking down senior secured bond-holders in order to pay-off a political constituency, the Unions. The only difference between mobsters and their actions is that instead of having the gun visible, the gun is held by the government.
The hedge funds and other investment vehicles that own the secured debt -which, according to the LAW, gets paid before unsecured holders- have just as many “regular people” albeit one step removed, as do the UAW retirees. But the UAW is a favored group, and a visible group Continue reading UAW and Unions versus the rule of law
Detroit is now Starnesville
If the Obama Administration has its way with the Bankruptcy judge, today Detroit became Starnesville, and Ivy Starnes and her siblings are now running Chrysler.
Obamacare will destroy private health insurance
Schakowsky, Democrat, Illinois on getting rid of private health care. At least she is honest about socialism:
I know many of you here today are single payer advocates and so am I … and those of us who are pushing for a public health insurance don’t disagree with this goal. This is not a principled fight. This is a fight about strategy for getting there and I believe we will.
Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) to a group of government-run health care supporters, April 18, 2009
Arlen Specter the Hypocrite
Copying another well known hypocrite – Jim Jeffords from Vermont – Arlen Specter abandoned his principles in order to retain power. Well, he never really had principles except being power-hungry, so it was difficult for him to abandon them, but he choose the only route he could to try to maintain his tenuous grip on power but lost his slight remaining grip on reality in the process.
After stating he would not switch parties in a March 17, 2009 interview, today he said he would switch parties:
[Democrats] are trying very hard for the 60th vote. Got to give them credit for trying. But the answer is no. … I am staying a Republican because I think I have an important role, a more important role, to play there. The United States very desperately needs a two-party system. That’s the basis of politics in America. – March 17, 2009
You have to hand it to him, he values POWER over your lives and mine over anything else. Hope he enjoys it for the next 18 months. A disgraceful end to a disgraceful political career.
If you wish to read about Arlen Specter’s opponent, Pat Toomey, you can do so here.
cap-and-trade is a tax — and it’s a great big one
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.
Publicity Hounds from Sarah Jane Brain Foundation and Jennipher Dickens
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.
Bias at MSNBC (not) addressed at GE Annual Meeting
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.
Napolitano says Terrorists enter through Canada
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.