Pork Report, February 9, 2010: Neon Edition

More than three-quarters of the $2 billion in federal stimulus funds intended to create green-energy jobs in the U.S. has gone to foreign-owned companies

Despite millions in federal tax credits, wind-equipment manufacturers cut thousands of jobs in the U.S. last year

Las Vegas receives $4.5 million federal grant to build the neon museum

Alaska Senators fight to restore funding for earmark that both President Bush and Obama have tried to eliminate

New Jersey Senator prodded the Federal Reserve to aid a struggling bank whose chairman and vice chairman were big campaign contributors

Media critics agree the U.S. Census Bureau’s $2.5 million Super Bowl ad was one of the worst

$501,940 of federal stimulus aid will help finance an animal shelter, which will include pet bathing areas and a kitten nursery

(more…)

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Tags: bank bailout, census ad, Earmarks, FDIC, federal deficit
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 4:06 pm in Pork Report | 7299018 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/porkreport/2010/02/09/pork-report-february-9-2010-neon-edition/Pork+Report%2C+February+9%2C+2010%3A+Neon+Edition2010-02-10+00%3A06%3A04The+Pork+Report

Think Progress: ‘Let’s Not Pay Back China’

If there’s anything that should convince China to become more capitalist, and put less faith in socialism, it is American progressives.

Yesterday Matthew Yglesias’ head shook violently and he barked out like Paul Krugman with Tourette’s :

…you could start musing allowed about how many we just won’t pay the Chinese the money we owe them. Or you could reflect on the fact that if the People Bank of China is determined to buy bonds and prevent the dollar from falling at all costs, then we may as well totally forget about the short-term deficit and just not collect any taxes at all for the rest of FY 2010.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I believe this marks the first time in modern history a liberal has suggested we stop collecting taxes.

Welcome to the naked liberal mind.  Technically, it shouldn’t shock us, Matt is just riffing off the subtext of Paul Krugman’s prescription for what ails us – massive inflation.  Liberal economics springs forth from this assumption: We just keep printing money to payoff Dem voters until our debts aren’t so big any more.

(more…)

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Tags: american debt, brad delong, consumer spending, deficit spending, federal debt
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 2:07 pm in Economics, News, Politics | 7239883 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/mwarstler/2010/02/09/think-progress-lets-not-pay-back-china/Think+Progress%3A+%27Let%27s+Not+Pay+Back+China%272010-02-09+22%3A07%3A51Morgan+Warstler

Terrorism Critics Admonished by Obama Security Advisor

Three terror attacks on U.S. soil in their first year and the Obama administration dares lecture us?

It takes a special kind of arrogance to lecture the American people about terrorism. Especially when in the past year, your administration has allowed three al Qaeda-related terrorists to carry out attacks on U.S. soil.

But that’s what the Obama administration has done with Deputy National Security Advisor John Brennan’s op-ed in today’s USA Today entitled We Need No Lectures.

Brennan even goes so far as to accuse critics of the Obama administration of aiding al Qaeda.

Brennan boasts of the Obama administration’s successes against global terrorism:

(more…)

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Tags: airline hijacking, Al Qaeda, Barack Obama, Christmas Bombing, Fort Hood attacks
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 1:08 pm in Defense, News, Obama, Politics | 7270682 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/taylorking/2010/02/09/terrorism-critics-admonished-by-obama-security-advisor/Terrorism+Critics+Admonished+by+Obama+Security+Advisor2010-02-09+21%3A08%3A46Kristinn+Taylor+and++Andrea+Shea+King

Obama NLRB Nominee Craig Becker’s Smoking Gun?

Contact Your Senators NOW and Urge them To Vote No on Radical Craig Becker’s Nomination.

The Senate is scheduled to vote TODAY on the nomination of radical union apologist Craig Beck to the National Labor Relations Board.

It’s vital you contact your Senators IMMEDIATELY to help derail this out of control union lackey from being on this board.

You can find your Senators direct lines through this link.

One recent piece of evidence to add to the growing Becker rap sheet:

In last week’s U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing, Obama nominee Craig Becker clearly tried to put distance between himself and his former client ACORN:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked Becker this question:

“Do you perform work for and provide advice to ACORN or ACORN-affiliated groups while employed by your current employers or on a volunteer basis?”

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, ACORN affiliate, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, AFT
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 12:04 pm in ACORN, Big Labor, Congress | 72654104 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/dloos/2010/02/09/obama-nlrb-nominee-craig-beckers-smoking-gun/Obama+NLRB+Nominee+Craig+Becker%E2%80%99s+Smoking+Gun%3F2010-02-09+20%3A04%3A54Don+Loos

Steering Clear of Obama’s Bermuda Triangulation

In the wake of his divisive subpar first year, it is plainly evident that Obama has switched to campaign mode.  If we recall that Reagan told us that Democrats campaign for President as moderates and govern from the Left, we understand well why Obama sounded centrist in 2008, pursued a Leftist agenda in 2009 and, in this midterm election year, is now reaching out to Republicans.

We know that Obama has given his Presidential campaign advisor an “expanded” White House role.  In addition to that, Obama, in a high profile manner, met with Congressional Republicans on Health Care and is reaching out to them on a jobs bill among other tactics.  In the face of such Clintonesque triangulation, the questions become:  What should the Republicans do?  Meet Obama half way?  Stonewall him?  Or offer their own agenda?  Given that the political handshake can often be the kiss of death, especially in a Tea Party World, Republicans need to go on the offensive by framing the debate if they are going to avoid Obama’s Bermuda Triangulation.

It is essential to note that whoever frames the election debate is the likely winner of the election. Democrats win elections by promoting what government can do in the face of adversity that they blame on capitalism or the market.  Republicans win elections by exposing the limits and detriments of government in addition to trumpeting the limitless values of freedom and the American spirit.

(more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, GOP retreat, Mike Thompson, mortgage crisis, Napa Valley Wine Train
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 10:23 am in Congress, Obama, Politics | 7227871 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/tdelbeccaro/2010/02/09/steering-clear-of-obamas-bermuda-triangulation/Steering+Clear+of+Obama%E2%80%99s+Bermuda+Triangulation2010-02-09+18%3A23%3A53Thomas+Del+Beccaro

Are We a Center-Right Nation?

Last Tuesday, Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas wrote an op-ed in The Hill claiming the center-right nation was a myth. In the article he points out that it is impossible for it to be a center-right nation due to the fact that there are strong democratic majorities in the House and the Senate. He also cites Gallup polls claiming that even though 40% identify themselves as conservative, it is not a majority. It is unclear if he is trying to convince us, or himself, that we are not a center-right nation.

It is true that there is a strong liberal majority in the House and Senate. However, that cannot be explained to the fact that this nation leans to the left. Moulitsas makes no mention to the fact that without Obama at the top of the ticket, conservatives have done very well. In the special runoff election a month after Obama was elected, Saxby Chambliss was elected with 57 percent of the vote, nearly 10 more percentage points then he had a month earlier in the general election. Or the stunning victory of Scot Brown in MA by 5 percentage points to win a seat that had been  inhabited by a Democrat for 47 years. He also pays no mention to the fact that Virginia, who has two Democrat Senators and voted for Obama in 2008, elected a strong conservative by a margin of 19 points in 2009. He also ignores the fact that in New Jersey they elected a Republican governor.

In the election of 2006 and 2008 voters wanted change, but they did not want the major change that the Obama administration is trying to achieve. Obama won the election by running on conservative ideals like cutting taxes and cutting spending.  In fact, Obama’s plan to tax people that made over $250,000 was a highly contested issue in the election. The American people did not vote a complete government takeover of health care.

(more…)

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Tags: center-right, conservatism, Daily Kos, Markos Moulitsas
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 9:01 am in Culture, Politics | 7230276 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/tthurman/2010/02/09/are-we-a-center-right-nation/Are+We+a+Center-Right+Nation%3F2010-02-09+17%3A01%3A02Todd+Thurman

The Right of Recall

Congress is out of control.  The public overwhelming opposes a government takedover of our health care. But Congressional leaders are telling us they don’t care – that they know best, and they’re going to pass it anyway.

We are getting the same attitude on other issues, from global warming regulation, to taxes, government spending, deficits, federal debt, energy policy, welfare, corporate bailouts, and beyond.  Too many of our elected Members of Congress are making behind-closed-door deals and ignoring their constituents, calling them “yahoos,” “Nazis”,“and “tea-baggers.”

This isn’t American democracy — this is a shop-worn, elitist, authoritarianism closer to abuses we see in countries like Venezuela.

So, what would happen if the people could change this rotten situation?

(more…)

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Tags: congressmen, corporate bailout, Deficit, federal debt, global warming
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 8:19 am in Congress, Justice/Legal, News, Politics, State Politics | 72582184 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/pferrara/2010/02/09/the-right-of-recall/The+Right+of+Recall2010-02-09+16%3A19%3A49Peter+Ferrara

Breitbart’s Keynote Address To The First National Tea Party Convention

Below is the entirety of Andrew Breitbart’s remarks during his Keynote address to the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville last weekend.

During Breitbart’s 33 minute long address, he threatens to upend the entire media establishment, calling them out on their hypocrisy while demanding they change their ways, or else.

The entire speech is available in this post and is broken down into four parts, but if you would like to view some of the highlights, you can click on any of the eight links below:

1. It’s You That Sucks!
2. You Better Bet Your Ass!
3. Just Add al-Qaida
4. MSM McCarthyism
5. Breitbart Challenges Soros
6. There Are More Tapes
7. The O’Keefe Arrest
8. Breitbart Issues An Ultimatum To The Media

Full Address Parts 1-4:

Part 1

(more…)

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Tags: Andrew Breitbart, Contessa Brewer, Founding Bloggers, James O'Keefe, Key Note Address
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 7:19 am in ACORN, Culture, Featured Story, Media Criticism, Politics | 7251456 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/amarcus/2010/02/09/breitbarts-full-length-keynote-address-to-the-first-national-tea-party-convention/Breitbart%27s+Keynote+Address+To+The+First+National+Tea+Party+Convention2010-02-09+15%3A19%3A21Andrew++Marcus

Drillgate: Internal Emails Shows Obama Team Lying to Public

If you’re the President of the United States or one of his political appointees and you’re ideologically opposed to new oil and natural gas development offshore, what do you do when the public registers its overwhelming support for new drilling in public opinion polls?

You dance, delay, and deceive. You speak melodious words about seeking the wisdom of the public in making these decisions and then ignore evidence of the public will when you get it, or worse, you hide it.

First came the dance.  In August 2008, after soaring gas prices and a dramatic shift in public opinion caused President Bush, Florida Governor Charlie Crist, and Republican presidential candidate John McCain to reverse their positions on offshore drilling, then-Senator Obama also changed. The Democratic presidential nominee reversed his own position and that of his party, saying he was open to offshore drilling as part of an overall energy plan.  The Democratic Congress followed a month later by quietly dropping the 25-year Congressional ban on offshore drilling.

Then came the delay. In January 2009, President Obama inherited a draft five year offshore drilling plan prepared by the outgoing Bush administration.  The plan was already receiving public comment as part of the elaborate rule making process followed by federal agencies.  Ken Salazar, Obama’s new Secretary of Interior, determined the decision about new offshore drilling was so important that he ordered a six-month extension to the comment period.

Third comes the dishonesty.

(more…)

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Tags: American Solutions, Department of Interior, Drillgate, FOIA, Ken Salazar
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 6:37 am in Congress, Environment, News, Obama, Politics | 72358151 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/vhaley/2010/02/09/drillgate-internal-emails-shows-obama-team-lying-to-public/Drillgate%3A+Internal+Emails+Shows+Obama+Team+Lying+to+Public2010-02-09+14%3A37%3A37Vince+Haley

Frances Fox Piven: Thomas Jefferson Would Be ‘Stunned’ at America Today (But Not For the Reason You Think)

Frances Fox Piven, honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, can arguably be considered the mother of ACORN.  At least, her ideas and theories set ACORN, and its parent, the National Welfare Rights Organization, onto a path of creating and manipulating crisis situations to further their agenda of a more equal “distribution of wealth” in America. In other words, socialism.

It’s a path, I believe, that runs contrary to our country’s original intent.  But Piven doesn’t think so.  In her book, “Challenging Authority,” she quoted both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.

What I found most bizarre was the apparent disconnect in Piven’s mind between individual rights and property rights, particularly the idea of acquiring as much wealth as one wishes without fear of government encroachment. It’s impossible to believe that Jefferson, Adams and the other founders – most of them very successful entrepreneurs – could have envisioned or approved of a massive national government that siphons property and economic rights from private citizens.

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, American Revolution, Frances Fox Piven, John Adams, King George III
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 5:53 am in ACORN, Culture, Featured Story, News, Politics | 7136672 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/02/09/frances-fox-piven-thomas-jefferson-would-be-stunned-at-america-today-but-not-for-the-reason-you-think/Frances+Fox+Piven%3A+Thomas+Jefferson+Would+Be+%27Stunned%27+at+America+Today+%28But+Not+For+the+Reason+You+Think%292010-02-09+13%3A53%3A35Kyle+Olson

Tuesday Open Thread: Climate Change Edition

Yesterday, President Obama announced his plan to create a new federal agency tasked with climate change. Later that day, the National Weather Service announced that DC was due to receive another 10-20 inches of snow today. (On top of the 2 1/2 feet of snow over the weekend.) Now THAT is some climate change.

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Tags: climate change, DC blizzard, global warming, snowmageddon
Posted Feb 9th 2010 at 3:26 am in Open Threads | 72418181 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/09/tuesday-open-thread-climate-change-edition/Tuesday+Open+Thread%3A+Climate+Change+Edition2010-02-09+11%3A26%3A46Publius

Podcast: Mark Steyn and John Yoo and Rob Long and Andrew Breitbart, Oh My

Rob Long and Mark Steyn are joined by guests law professor John C. Yoo and Breitbart.com’s Andrew Breitbart. Topics covered include Miranda rights for terrorists, a report from the Tea Party convention, the joyless MSM, Al-Qaeda’s potential new bomb making strategy that may be particularly problematic for certain parts of Los Angeles, and some unconventional Super Bowl picks.

(Click on PLAY button and subscribe to podcast)

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Tags: Al Qaeda, John Yoo, Mark Steyn, Miranda rights for terrorists, MSM
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 5:51 pm in News | 7231428 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/08/podcast-mark-steyn-and-john-yoo-and-rob-long-and-andrew-breitbart-oh-my/Podcast%3A+Mark+Steyn+and+John+Yoo+and+Rob+Long+and+Andrew+Breitbart%2C+Oh+My+2010-02-09+01%3A51%3A42Publius

New Federal Climate Change Agency Forming

From ABC News:

The Obama administration on Monday proposed a new agency to study and report on the changing climate.

Also known as global warming, climate change has drawn widespread concern in recent years as temperatures around the world rise, threatening to harm crops, spread disease, increase sea levels, change storm and drought patterns and cause polar melting.

Commerce Secretary Gary Locke and Jane Lubchenco, head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, announced NOAA will set up the new Climate Service to operate in tandem with NOAA’s National Weather Service and National Ocean Service.

(more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, climate change, federal agency, global warming, NOAA
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 3:12 pm in Environment, News, Obama | 72254178 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/08/new-federal-climate-change-agency-forming/New+Federal+Climate+Change+Agency+Forming2010-02-08+23%3A12%3A04Publius

Political Alchemy, Part I: Turning Spending Increases into Tax Cuts

Politicians in Washington have come up with something far more impressive than turning lead into gold or water into wine. Using self-serving budget rules, they can increase the burden of government spending and say they are cutting taxes instead.

This bit of legerdemain is made possible, thanks to the convolutions of the personal income tax, by adopting or expanding refundable tax credits. But in this case, “refundable” does not mean the government is returning money to taxpayers. Instead, it means that money is being redistributed to people who do not earn enough to be subject to the income tax.

This is hardly a trivial issue. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the amount of income redistribution being laundered through the tax code is now so large that the bottom 40 percent of the population has a negative “effective” income tax rate. In simple terms (though perhaps with profound political implications), the income tax is a revenue generator for a big share of the population.

(more…)

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Tags: 1040, Big Government, EITC, federal spending, Flat Tax
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 12:57 pm in Congress, Economics, Flat Tax, News, Obama, Politics, Tax Reform, Uncategorized, federal spending | 7025052 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/dmitchell/2010/02/08/political-alchemy-part-i-turning-spending-increases-into-tax-cuts/Political+Alchemy%2C+Part+I%3A+Turning+Spending+Increases+into+Tax+Cuts2010-02-08+20%3A57%3A34Dan+Mitchell

Congressman John Murtha Dead at 77

From the Associated Press:

Spokesman for Rep. John Murtha says the Pennsylvania Democrat has died at 77.

ED Note: Rep. Murtha was a close political ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was her choice for Majority Leader, but he was edged out in a caucus-wide vote by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD). He became a darling of the on-line left as a fierce critic of the Iraq War. For many conservatives, he was a personification of the Congressional earmark system and its potential for abuse. His final months in office were marked by serious questions surrounding his steering of millions of dollars in Pentagon appropriations.

Consider this an open thread.

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Tags: Earmarks, Iraq war, John Murtha
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 11:56 am in Open Threads | 72042396 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/08/congressman-john-murtha-dead-at-77/Congressman+John+Murtha+Dead+at+772010-02-08+19%3A56%3A45Publius

‘Access to Guns,’ Not Jihad, to Blame for Ft. Hood, Says Noted Islamic Scholar

Imam Zaid Shakir came to speak at my school, Claremont McKenna, on December 9^th to respond to the “tragedy of Ft. Hood.” Rather than respond to the massacre of American servicemen, Shakir spent the evening indicting the United States – saying “we were born in genocide.” The reason for the Ft. Hood Massacre, according to Shakir? Not jihad or Islamic fundamentalism, but the “pervasiveness of violence in our society” and because of Americans’ “easy access to guns.”

Zaid Shakir – Final from The Claremont Conservative on Vimeo.

For those wondering who Mr. Shakir is, he’s the go-to expert on Islamic issues for the mainstream media. The New York Times describes him as a “leading intellectual light,” while rap scholar, Cornel West says “he is one of the towering principle [sic] voices not only in contemporary Islam, but in American society,” according to this biography.   Most recently, he was described by John Esposito as one of the “500 Most Influential Muslims.”

After comparing the massacres at Ft. Hood by Major Nidal Hassan to the Columbine killers and Maurice Clemmons, of Mike Huckabee pardon fame, Shakir said that the violence we have seen was not a “Muslim problem,” but a problem for everyone. You never quite know when someone will “snap.” [The following is extracted from a transcript from audio I took of the public lecture at my college.] (more…)

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Tags: Claremont McKenna, Cornel West, Ft. Hood, islam, Mike Huckabee
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 11:32 am in Culture, Defense, News | 70726205 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/cjohnson/2010/02/08/access-to-guns-not-jihad-to-blame-for-ft-hood-says-noted-islamic-scholar/%27Access+to+Guns%2C%27+Not+Jihad%2C+to+Blame+for+Ft.+Hood%2C+Says+Noted+Islamic+Scholar2010-02-08+19%3A32%3A11Charles+C.+Johnson

Show ACORN the Money

From The American Spectator:

ACORN and other left-wing advocacy groups could be eligible for up to $3.99 billion in federal funding included in the $3.83 trillion fiscal 2011 budget blueprint that President Obama unveiled last week.

ACORN and other left-wing advocacy groups could be eligible for up to $3.99 billion in federal funding included in the $3.83 trillion fiscal 2011 budget blueprint that President Obama unveiled last week.

The $3.99 billion comes from a congressional slush fund known as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, which is part of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) $48.5 billion fiscal 2011 budget. CDBG grants, which are awarded to states and localities, pass indirectly to ACORN.

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, ACORN funding, ACORN funding ban, acorn scandal, Bill Clinton
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 10:41 am in ACORN, Congress, federal spending | 7189464 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/08/show-acorn-the-money/Show+ACORN+the+Money2010-02-08+18%3A41%3A37Publius

A Formula for Real Economic Growth: Cut Public Employee Pay by 20%

Slate’s Jacob Weisberg came unhinged on Friday and gave the country the finger.

“Down with the People!” he screams from Bill Gates lap.  As Jacob sees it, we the people are demanding two mutually exclusive things: premium government services and tax cuts, and when we can’t have what we want, we become unruly children.

There is of course a third option, and I think it is the voting issue for the 2010 elections.  It frankly amazes me that TPM-style Democrats going after Paul Ryan’s Roadmap, don’t see it coming…

You can thank me later, but I just saved the United State of America at least  $278,309,600,000.00 PER YEAR. You read that right.  $278 BILLION per year.  That’s almost entirely what Medicaid will spend this year for children and the disabled.  That’s what our normal deficit looks like without TARP and stimulus.

The crazy thing is how easy it was to do.   It took me like three minutes.  And since I’m a big open source, creative commons guy I’m even posting my magical formula shown here using 2008’s budget:

(more…)

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Tags: blue dog democrats, Jacob Weisberg, pay cut, public sector compensation, public sector employees
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 9:59 am in Big Labor, Economics, Tea Party, federal spending | 70886260 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/mwarstler/2010/02/08/a-formula-for-real-economic-growth-13915481000000-2/A+Formula+for+Real+Economic+Growth%3A+Cut+Public+Employee+Pay+by+20%25+2010-02-08+17%3A59%3A42Morgan+Warstler

California’s Costly High-Speed Rail Hoax: Using Borrowed Money to Build a Flawed Train

California has the worst bond rating in the nation, hovering just above junk bond status.  A lower bond rating means higher interest rates when selling bonds – and California already spends $10 billion per year in bond principal and interest repayments.

In this, as in many other things, California leads the nation, for better or for worse (repaying the money borrowed for President Obama’s Stimulus will cost every American $280 a month for life).

Some people place a portion of California’s debt problem at the feet of voters who approve nearly every bond initiative, from $3 billion for an embryonic stem cell research bond to $10 billion in debt to build a high-speed rail system.

It’s hard to blame citizens of the Golden State for voting for debt when the most famous Californian, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, proclaims bonds “a gift from the future.”  It’s also hard to blame voters for approving bonds when the bond ballot descriptions and arguments are chock full of shaky claims.

Take November 2008’s much promoted High-Speed Rail Initiative, Proposition 1A.  Voters approved it by 52-48 after proponents, such as train manufacturers and unions poured $2.5 million into the effort.  As with almost every bond measure, there was no funded opposition.  The measure’s proponents, big business and labor unions, claimed that the trains would offer time-saving travel “AT A CHEAPER COST!” than air travel or car.  And that, the train would, “give Californians a real alternative to skyrocketing gasoline prices and dependence on foreign oil while reducing greenhouse gases. Building high-speed rail is cheaper than expanding highways and airports to meet California’s population growth.”

Really?  Who checks these claims?
(more…)

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Tags: Arnold schwarzenegger, Barack Obama, George Runner, government debt, government interest
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 8:42 am in Economics, News, Obama, Politics, State Politics, federal spending | 71822201 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/cdevore/2010/02/08/californias-costly-high-speed-rail-hoax-using-borrowed-money-to-build-a-flawed-train/California%E2%80%99s+Costly+High-Speed+Rail+Hoax%3A+Using+Borrowed+Money+to+Build+a+Flawed+Train2010-02-08+16%3A42%3A06Chuck+DeVore

Frances Fox Piven: Glenn Beck Seeks ‘Foreign, Dark-Skinned, Intellectual’ Scapegoats

Throughout much of 2009, Glenn Beck extensively covered the “Cloward-Piven Strategy” that was first brought into the public domain in a May 1966 article in The Nation magazine.  In the article, Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven, two Columbia professors, developed a strategy by which the welfare system could be overwhelmed with demand, broken, and replaced with a “guaranteed annual income.”

Beck has successfully made the argument that the Cloward-Piven Strategy was a blueprint for success at overwhelming that system.  Don’t think it worked?  Ask the leaders of New York City.  The strategy worked so well, the mass rush for welfare benefits bankrupted the city in the 1970s.

So as Beck has brought new light to this strategy, no one has asked Frances Fox Piven’s opinion.  Until now.

Piven dismisses Beck’s opinion as “silly.”  But she also went a step farther.

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, Columbia University, Fox News, Frances Fox Piven, Glenn Beck
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 6:58 am in ACORN, Culture, Featured Story, News, Politics | 71314200 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/kolson/2010/02/08/frances-fox-piven-glenn-beck-seeks-foreign-dark-skinned-intellectual-scapegoats/Frances+Fox+Piven%3A+Glenn+Beck+Seeks+%27Foreign%2C+Dark-Skinned%2C+Intellectual%27+Scapegoats2010-02-08+14%3A58%3A16Kyle+Olson

Study: Net Neutrality Won’t Increase Jobs

Net neutrality supporters have long argued that institution of “open internet” rules is critical for job retention and creation.  However, according to some opponents of the proposed policy, a study released on Friday by Entropy Economics undercuts that assertion—just as much discussion in the political world is re-centering on the topic of job creation and as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to move closer to a decision on controversial, proposed net neutrality rules.

The study, entitled “What Would Net Neutrality Mean for U.S. Jobs?”  analyzes comments submitted by companies within the Internet industry to the FCC as of January 15, 2010.  It excludes those submitted by trade associations, individuals, and academics, and breaks commenters down into two categories: Supporters and Skeptics.  It also attempts to exclude “non-U.S. employees of foreign-based Skeptics” but includes “any foreign employees of Supporters.”

The results are bound to unsettle net neutrality advocates: Even with the filtering out that Entropy conducted, Skeptics—many of whom have expressed concern about the negative ramifications of net neutrality on their businesses— employ nearly ten times the number of employees that Supporters do.  More specifically, Skeptics directly employ 1,440,021 workers, whereas Supporters directly employ just 148,936 workers.

(more…)

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Tags: AT&T, Barack Obama, Bright House, Cablevision, Charter
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 6:01 am in Obama, Technology | 7165426 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/02/08/study-net-neutrality-wont-increase-jobs/Study%3A+Net+Neutrality+Won%27t+Increase+Jobs2010-02-08+14%3A01%3A52Capitol++Confidential

Monday Open Thread: Internet Regulation Edition

Today, in 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Communications Decency Act, an attempt by the then-GOP led Congress to regulate content on the Internet. Just over a year earlier, the GOP had won control of Congress on a promise of limited government. File this away for November 3, 2010.

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Tags: communications decency act, internal regulation, online speech
Posted Feb 8th 2010 at 3:29 am in Open Threads | 7163865 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/publius/2010/02/08/monday-open-thread-internet-regulation-edition/Monday+Open+Thread%3A+Internet+Regulation+Edition2010-02-08+11%3A29%3A43Publius

You Betcha!… Palin Campaigns For Rick Perry– Writes “Hi Mom” On Her Hand

RIGHT ON— On Sunday the left went bonkers after they discovered that the TelePrompter-less former Governor Sarah Palin wrote notes on the palm of her left hand for her speech to the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. The far left absolutely freaked over this non-issue rather than focus on her brilliant speech knocking the Obama Administration’s horrid record on economics and national defense.

Today Sarah fired back…

She wrote “Hi Mom!” on her palm during her campaign stop with Governor Rick Perry of Texas.

Hah!

(more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, nashville tea party convention, Rick Perry, Sarah Palin, Tea Party Convention
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 10:56 pm in Culture, Featured Story, Media Criticism, News, Obama, Politics | 71674394 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/jhoft/2010/02/07/you-betcha-palin-campaigns-for-rick-perry-writes-hi-mom-on-her-hand/You+Betcha%21%E2%80%A6+Palin+Campaigns+For+Rick+Perry%E2%80%93+Writes+%E2%80%9CHi+Mom%E2%80%9D+On+Her+Hand2010-02-08+06%3A56%3A44Jim+Hoft

Palin’s 6 Words vs. Media’s Ignorance to the Real News

The media and the Left cannot let a Sarah Palin appearance go by without trying to find something–anything–to discredit her. It’s become not only predictable, but downright funny. The latest drive-by assault on Palin–that she wrote 6 words on her hand–is being treated like a national scandal.

How short their memory is. For that last year we’ve witnessed numerous examples of President Obama’s staged press events and town halls–most recently the Politico reported on Obama’s preselected questions for an Organizing for America forum on February 5, 2010:

The four pre-selected questions Obama took were the exact issues he stressed this week: health care, small businesses, jobs and education, in that order.

Obama is rarely seen without a teleprompter and in the off chance his speech writers can’t put together a masterpiece for him, it’s a disaster.

(more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, mainstream media, Sarah Palin, Tea Party Convention, tea party nation
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 6:17 pm in News, Obama, Politics, Tea Party, Uncategorized | 71398286 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/sahiller/2010/02/07/palins-6-words-vs-medias-ignorance-to-the-real-news/Palin%27s+6+Words+vs.+Media%27s+Ignorance+to+the+Real+News2010-02-08+02%3A17%3A12SusanAnne+++Hiller

Commisioner Goodell, Is THIS Divisive?

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke out against Rush Limbaugh’s being a potential minority owner of the St. Louis Rams because he was “divisive”. Since then, two minority owners of the Miami Dolphins (Jennifer Lopez and Fergie) have engaged in present and past conduct that could be considered divisive, but nothing that caught the attention of Goodell or the NFL.

How about this…?

Let’s Get Retarded
This song was remixed for The Black Eyed Peas’ fifth studio album The E.N.D. as “Let’s Get Re-Started. “Retarded” is considered a derogatory term for the mentally impaired, making the song unsuitable for play on some radio stations and at sports games. In 2004 the song’s lyrics were edited and “Let’s Get It Started” found its way onto radio airwaves, movie soundtracks, and video games.

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Tags: Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Jennifer Lopez, Miami Dolphins, NFL
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 4:04 pm in Culture | 7103443 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/bparks/2010/02/07/commisioner-goodell-is-this-divisive/Commisioner+Goodell%2C+Is+THIS+Divisive%3F2010-02-08+00%3A04%3A22Bob+Parks

Founding Bloggers Confirms Huffington Post’s Completely Worthless Observation

Founding Bloggers can confirm that we too captured an image of the writing on Governor Palin’s hand which was breathlessly reported on Huffington Post. The notes appear to be very innocuous.

On the other hand, the outrage on the left is being completely misunderstood by the right. Democrats don’t mind that she needed a few notes for her speech. They’re upset that Sarah used her hand, proving once again that she is an unsophisticated hick. Everybody knows that whether you are talking in a sixth grade classroom, or talking dirty to the First Lady, using anything other than a presidential-level teleprompter is simply pedestrian.

(more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, Huffington Post, Sarah Palin, Tea Party Convention, teleprompter
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 1:00 pm in Media Criticism, News, Obama, Politics, Tea Party | 71402174 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/amarcus/2010/02/07/founding-bloggers-confirms-huffington-posts-completely-worthless-observation/Founding+Bloggers+Confirms+Huffington+Post%E2%80%99s+Completely+Worthless+Observation2010-02-07+21%3A00%3A47Andrew++Marcus

Ex-Moderate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) Embraces Communist Van Jones

Facing what could become a bruising primary battle, appointed U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) is embracing one of President Obama’s best known communist appointees, former green jobs czar Van Jones.

The Hill reports Gillibrand will share the stage with Jones at a panel discussion sponsored by the Advocacy Project at the Harvard Club in New York. Jones, a self-described “communist,” was pushed out of the Obama administration five months ago following the embarrassing revelation that he was a 9/11 “truther” who had signed a petition accusing the U.S. government of orchestrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

For a time, Jones had been politically radioactive to Democrats but Gillibrand’s decision to work alongside him appears to bring Jones’s political exile to an end.

(more…)

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Tags: ACORN, Advocacy Project, Barack Obama, Democracy Alliance, Erica Payne
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 10:24 am in ACORN, Obama, Politics | 7112286 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/mvadum/2010/02/07/ex-moderate-sen-kirsten-gillibrand-d-n-y-embraces-communist-van-jones/Ex-Moderate+Sen.+Kirsten+Gillibrand+%28D-N.Y.%29+Embraces+Communist+Van+Jones2010-02-07+18%3A24%3A22Matthew+Vadum

Funnies: Big Spending Edition

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Tags: Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Sergio Gor, spending
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 8:06 am in Political Humor | 7099862 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/sgor/2010/02/07/funnies-big-spending-edition/Funnies%3A+Big+Spending+Edition2010-02-07+16%3A06%3A07Sergio+Gor

My Name Is Legion: The Secretary Of State Project(s)

The progressive movement is often difficult to pin down because allied groups use multiple names and organizations to spread confusion and give the appearance of both overwhelming numbers and independent expenditure.  We should not be fooled by this host of political malcontents attempting to co-opt state and local politics in the name of a national agenda. Examining the tactics of these groups gives us the key to understanding the purpose of organizations like the Secretary of State Project, ACORN, and Project Vote.  Our states are under concerted judicial assault from progressive lawyers, and they are many.

Let us first address the networks of influence.  Project Vote is the legal arm of ACORN, and in the cases we’ll study, conducted all of the informational build-up to bring suits against potential swing states.  It works like this: Project Vote files state versions of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, gathers relevant data, conducts studies, and contacts various state officials to coordinate these activities.  Once Project Vote gathers the minimal amount of information needed,  ACORN then files a complaint in federal district court.  A rotating pinwheel of other progressive groups join the suit and, often, The Brennan Center for Justice provides additional help through legal counsel.

The lawsuits at issue all involve violations of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA) and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA).  The NVRA requires states to conduct voter registration through (1) motor vehicle registration agencies, (2) mail, and (3) public assistance agencies.  HAVA (1) provides funds to states to improve election administration, (2) establishes minimum election administration standards for states, and (3) creates the Election Assistance Commission (EAC).  NVRA and HAVA require states to designate a “chief state elections official” to coordinate and implement state responsibilities under the acts.  Most states have designated their secretary of state as the chief state elections official.  Project Vote directs information-gathering to the secretary of state for each targeted state.  If the secretary of state becomes a stumbling-block to the efforts of Project Vote, SoSP targets that secretary of state for removal.  If the secretary of state aids and abets Project Vote, SoSP supports that secretary of state for re-election.

We start with a look at the past suits brought against the states.

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Tags: Project Vote, secretary of state project
Posted Feb 7th 2010 at 6:37 am in ACORN, Justice/Legal | 6821071 Comments »http://biggovernment.com/jwales/2010/02/07/my-name-is-legion-the-secretary-of-state-projects/My+Name+Is+Legion%3A+The+Secretary+Of+State+Project%28s%292010-02-07+14%3A37%3A49Josie+Wales