Metro PCS is an American wireless phone service provider – with coverage reaching about 90% of the nation.  Their slogan is “Wireless for All” – and their different price packages are certainly readily accessible for most people.

Including a single smart phone-specific $40 a month (absurd taxes and fees included) 4G network plan for unlimited talk, text and web browsing – and access to the bandwidth hog YouTube.

Some other plans they offer are:

• A $50 plan that has everything above plus international and “premium” text messaging, the MetroNavigator GPS directional service, the ScreenIT caller ID app, mobile instant messaging, corporate e-mail, 1GB of additional data access, and the MetroSTUDIO video service.
• A $60 plan that has all of the above plus unlimited data access and MetroSTUDIO “premium content”—18 video-on-demand channels plus audio downloads.

Those of us now wincing at the thought of our monthly cell bills are also simultaneously thinking – Metro PCS is a pretty good deal.  It is certainly one of the more “public-friendly” out there right now.

You would think.  Ahh, but the Public Interest Groups (PIGs) have found fault with Metro PCS.

At the behest of no one, Media Marxist PIG outfit Free Press went whining to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) – and “call(ed) on (them) to investigate Metro PCS for Internet blocking.”

In other words – they are accusing Metro PCS of a Network Neutrality violation.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Jim Pethokoukis and Pejman Yousefzadeh to discuss last night’s State of the Union speech.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Thoughts on Obama’s SOTU speech
FACT CHECK: Obama and his imbalanced ledger
The laundry list from Obama’s non-laundry-list State of the Union address
Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) Delivers the Republican Address to the Nation
James Pethokoukis on Reuters
Pej at Chequer-Board
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President Obama spent last year’s State of the Union address celebrating spending programs past (hooray, stimulus!) and proposing new budget-busters. The shellacking Democrats took during the 2010 midterm elections was supposed to change all that, but at Tuesday night’s SOTU Obama reverted to his “throw-money-at-every-conceivable-problem” self.

Yes he included some proposals to cut spending, but those are as likely to vanish as the spending hikes are likely to swell.

Could the “new” Obama be even more expensive than last year’s model?

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Finally; it seems we may have a Congress that takes seriously the urgent need to rein in the unsustainable deficits and the accumulation of public debt that so threaten the future well being of the nation.  Thank goodness for the most energized electorate in recent memory.  Its collective ire translated into large Republican gains in the Congress . . . gains that were largely attributable to the fact that the GOP made this subject the centerpiece of the 2010 campaign.  Woe is the politician who forgets why he or she was sent to Washington.  President Obama seems also to have gotten the message because he too talks the talk of fiscal prudence.

In addition, at the state level, Republicans had a net gain of six governorships and 19 state legislature changes in which they gained 650 legislative seats.  Clearly, most of the several states now have political leaders who heard, loud and clear, a message, and an expectation, that they must begin reducing the cost of government.  In 2010 and 2011, forty‑four states, that’s 88% of state treasuries, face budget shortfalls.  The combined budget gap for 2010 and 2011 is astronomical, estimated by several economic studies to exceed $350 billion.  California, with one of the nation’s highest sales tax (at 6.25%) and a top income tax rate of 10.56% (highest in the nation) according to the Wall Street Journal faces a budget shortfall of $42 billion in 2011 with a like amount projected in 2012, a whopping 22.2 percent of its total budget.  Bloomberg Businessweek projects $20 billion plus deficits through 2015.

As if this was not enough, California faces a $500 billion shortfall in public employee pensions with which elected officials have saddled their tax-paying constituents.   The once “Golden State” is not alone in its fiscal woes.  Illinois faces a budget gap of $13 billion in 2011.  On January 11 the Illinois legislature at the urging of Governor Pat Quinn passed a “temporary” 67% increase in the state’s personal income tax and hiked the corporate tax rate from 4.89% to 7%, prompting newly elected Wisconsin governor, Scott Walker, to invite businesses located in Illinois to come across the state line to relocate in Wisconsin.  Moreover, even after these enormous increases, the state still faces a $7 billion shortfall, probably to be covered by more borrowing, assuming there are those willing to lend the state money.  Another fiscal basket case is New York, which according to U.S. News Politics is staring at a projected $8.2 billion shortfall for fiscal 2011, as well as substantial unfunded pension obligations.

Let’s turn the spotlight, again, to California, a state whose citizens seem to be in denial about their plight.

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If you know anything about my background at all, you know I’m a liberal. I’ve been posting stories about the  Pigford scandal here on BigGov and my usual haunt, the Huffington Post. I’ve worked for MoveOn.org and Brave New Films. I voted for Obama although like many progressives, I’m not thrilled with him.

So, since I’m the stranger in a strange land here on the Bigs, maybe you nice conservatives can explain something to me — why hasn’t the right wing blogosphere picked up on Pigford?

Don’t get me wrong. The mainstream media hasn’t picked up on it either and I’m willing to grant that most of the MSM leans left. The left wing blogosphere has totally ignored the Pigford reporting I and others here have done. But I UNDERSTAND that. This story isn’t good for Democrats.

But where are your guys?

I mean, we have a congressman, Sanford Bishop — a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, for goshsake — admitting he knew about fraud. Admitting it to newspapers. Where’s Rush or Fox News or Malkin or Red State or Coulter or Beck, or…anyone? Instapundit has covered it. Derbyshire did a piece on Pigford a few weeks back but didn’t mention the stuff on this site. And that’s about it.

Again. Democratic Congress. Fraud. Scandal. Billions. And — crickets on the right.

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According to Reuters, Senate Leaders are considering a law allowing states to declare bankruptcy. (Yeah, that will end well.) As the article notes, the states’ biggest problem is paying pensions and benefits to its retired workers. Thanks Big Labor!

Ugh, here we go again…the State of the Union address must rank among the worst speeches in the history of mankind. This isn’t a partisan thing…its a political thing. Pretty much everyone sucks at them, because they aren’t oratory per se, but a laundry list of obviously popular ideas. Almost none of which will become law nor be remembered later this year. I’d advise coming up with a drinking game.

Like say, take a shot everytime Obama says, “let me be clear.” And, when he talks about “civility” or mentions “green jobs.” Especially when the cameras zoom in on GOP and Dem members sitting next to each other. (Please…please don’t this become an annual ritual.) Take an extra shot when Obama, after stressing the importance of controlling spending, says something like “but we need to make targeted investments as well.”

After about 10 minutes, you’ll probably be so blitzed you won’t remember a thing. I mean, you’re not going to remember it anyway, so you might as well dull the pain.

Breitbart TV will be streaming the event here. They’ll also have the Republican response here. Also, the “Tea Party” response (hmm) here. All the streams will feature live chat.

America is in a financial crisis. For years, politicians on both sides of the aisle have ignored the 800 pound gorilla in the room – our climbing $14 trillion national debt. That trend seems like it will continue with reports coming out over the weekend that President Obama will request more government spending in the State of the Union. I had hoped that a detailed plan on how to curb our government’s overspending would be the focus of the President’s speech. However, it looks like what he really wants is, in essence, another stimulus. We all know that the stimulus package passed during the beginning days of this Administration failed miserably and contributed to the $14 trillion debt. If we do not address the ever-increasing debt, America may sink into a dangerous financial abyss.

From 1789 to 1997, America’s national debt climbed to $5.4 trillion. In January of 2007, when Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid assumed power in the House and Senate and Obama was sworn in as a Senator, our national debt was $8.6 trillion. In just 48 months the Pelosi/Reid Congress did what it took all previous Administrations and Congresses combined to do in 208 years – increase the national debt by $5.4 trillion to the record level of $14 trillion. Democrats currently in charge continually look the other way when it comes to the national debt.

We must get our fiscal house in order. With President Obama set to call for even more government spending, it appears that the era of Washington’s fiscal irresponsibility will continue. The liberal policy on spending mimics that of drunken sailors – not to insult drunken sailors. Fortunately, the American people have weighed in by restoring control of the House of Representatives to Republicans. It now rests upon the shoulders of Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, and many others to be so bold as to say “ENOUGH” to Obama’s overspending.

At Citizens United, we have released a short video, highlighting the issue of the national debt.

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On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Brad Jackson and Ben Domenech are joined by Dan McLaughlin to discuss why the 2012 presidential race won’t be a repeat of 1996, and tonight’s State of the Union.

We’re brought to you as always by BigGovernment and Stephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show.

Related Links:

Why 2012 Is Not 1996
Too Moderately Moderate
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From Georgia’s Albany Herald:

In April of 1999, Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia approved a settlement agreement and consent decree in Pigford v. Glickman, a class action discrimination suit between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and black farmers.

The suit claimed that the agency had discriminated against black farmers on the basis of race and failed to investigate or properly respond to complaints from 1983 to 1997.

According to a report from the Congressional Research Service, “For many years, black farmers had complained that they were not receiving fair treatment when they applied to local county committees (which make the decisions) for farm loans or assistance. These farmers alleged that they were being denied USDA farm loans or forced to wait longer for loan approval than were non-minority farmers.”

“Many black farmers contended that they were facing foreclosure and financial ruin because the USDA denied them timely loans and debt restructuring.”

To date, more than $1 billion has been paid in $50,000 increments to more than 13,000 black farmers. The rub is, according to Buena Vista farmer Eddie Slaughter, many of the recipients of the settlement money are not farmers at all.

According to a July 2010 report by Kate Pickert in Time.com, the largest single settlement under Pigford went to Shirley and Charles Sherrod, who were awarded $150,000 each for pain and suffering and $13 million for the defunct New Communities Inc. farms.

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For something like 24 hours, the rule of law prevailed in Illinois. The state’s Supremes put a quick end to that. From the Chicago Tribune:

The state Supreme Court today issued a stay of the appellate court order knocking Rahm Emanuel off the ballot and ordered Chicago election officials not to print any ballots without his name.

“It is ordered that the emergency motion by petitioner Rahm Emanuel for stay pending appeal is allowed in part,” the order stated. “The appellate court decision is stayed.

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Van Jones is the gift that just keeps on giving. The Van Joneses, Ezra Kleins, and other all too honest liberals just can’t help but completely affirm everything that conservatives have been saying about the left for years. In this case Van Jones might as well have gotten “Glenn Beck is right about social justice” tattooed across his forehead before giving this speech:

Oh. I see so the entire green movement is really just about forwarding a radical leftist agenda in order to restructure society. Gee, everyone on the right hasn’t been saying that for years on end.

Sometimes you have to wonder if guys like Van Jones aren’t just some brilliantly diabolical scheme by our side to expose the true intentions of the left for all to see. I mean Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, or myself could go off on a daily basis about how the green and social justice movements might not seem connected on the surface but that they most certainly are at a deeper level and we would reach some people. However, when someone in those movements goes around saying the same thing how can anybody question it?

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A joke making the rounds during my brief, late 1990s stint with General Electric’s ideological and political forerunner, Enron, keyed off of that company’s disastrous energy venture in India and its fabled arrogance. It went, in short, who else would believe they could sell turbines to Indians?

Give it a minute. Then hold that thought.

Last week, to optically set the stage for Tuesday night’s rhetorical pitch for more big government to prop up certain favored losers called the ‘clean energy economy’, President Obama teamed with his BFF — and big-time lobbyist for/vendor to massively increased government mandates — CEO Jeff Immelt of GE for a photo-op at a GE plant in Schenectady, NY.

GE makes a gas turbine there, several of which it has signed a contract for sale to India. So that made a very good backdrop, if for a very confused message.

The logic goes something like this: GE makes renewable energy gizmos, manufacturing jobs for which Obama wants to create here by mandating markets for and otherwise propping them up with taxpayer dollars. Therefore, GE’s economic, non-mandated, efficiency-enhancing fossil fuel turbine is evidence that energy technology innovations are possible and therefore the federal government ought to mandate all sorts of uneconomic ‘renewable’ efficiency killers.

Which reminds us of Enron-style arrogance.

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For weeks now, our readers have asked a consistent question about Pigford — “Can I get a quick, clear explanation about what Pigford is and why it’s important so I can explain this to friends who don’t want to read a 30 page report?”

Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA) has given us an answer.

Here’s the quick pitch — Sanford Bishop is the congressman who admitted he knew about massive fraud in the Pigford settlement that was supposed to help black farmers but when confronted by farmers hurt by the Pigford settlement, he says it’s not his job to do anything about fraud.

Why is Pigford important? Because it’s a perfect example of everything conservatives and libertarians — and, hopefully, honest liberals — hate about government spending programs that cost billions, create fraud and waste, promote vote buying and don’t even solve the problem they set out to fix.

And it’s been covered up and falsely promoted by the media for over a decade now. Repeat after me: The actual black farmers were intentionally hurt more by Pigford.

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There wasn’t a rotting 2 ½ foot deadfish in sight as Rahm Emanuel played the “victim’ card once again at his Chicago press conference on Monday. “I have no doubt that we will, in the end, prevail in this effort,” said Emanuel after the Illinois Appellate Court ruled, in a 2-1 decision to boot him off the mayoral ballot on the basis of residency. Or lack thereof.

Now Chicago is in a state of chaos.

With a $12 million warchest – earned in part from 27 out-of-state donors contributing $50,000 a piece – the private backing of Mayor Richard Daley, the blessing of the mainstream media, and a 44% support in the polls, Emanuel has been considered all but a shoe-in for Chicago’s next commander-in-thief.

He still very well may be. Emanuel’s campaign filed papers Monday night with the Illinois Supreme Court to request a stay to allow the Chicago mayoral ballots to be printed with his name and for an appeal and brief by his attorneys to follow.

A number of things could happen: (1) The Chicago Board of Elections could still print Emanuel’s name on the ballot. If the Supreme Court rules not to reinstate him, then they could place a sticker over Emanuel’s name; (2) the Chicago Board of Elections could perform as ordered by the Illinois Appellate Court and leave Emanuel’s name off the ballot; or (3) Rahm Emanuel could mount a write-in candidacy, the success of which would still depend on whether or not he is ruled to be a legal Chicago resident by the Illinois Supreme Court. The Chicago Board of Elections is now in a tizzy since early voting was scheduled to begin on Jan. 31, and absentee ballots were supposed to be mailed this week.

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Barack Obama attended a private school as a youth. He even sends his daughters to one. But as president he wants to deny that same opportunity to low-income students in the District of Columbia.

After two years of limiting educational choices for the poorest kids in D.C., Obama is about to meet his match.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), a strong supporter of school choice, is hitting back hard with new legislation this week to reauthorize the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, a school voucher program that the Obama administration has left on its last leg.

Boehner will also send a not-so-subtle message to Obama during his State of the Union address. He has invited parents, students and teachers who have benefited from school choice to sit in his box in the House chamber. They include three children who are D.C. Opportunity Scholarship recipients, D.C. Parents for School Choice founder Virginia Walden Ford and Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who oversees many of the private schools students attend.

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Would you approve of your tax dollars being used to subsidize the college education of an illegal alien? My guess is that your answer is the same as mine. Absolutely not! But that’s exactly what is taking place in Montgomery County, Maryland. And Judicial Watch has decided to take legal action to stop it.

On Thursday, January 20, we held a press conference in Annapolis — Maryland’s historic state capital — to announce the filing of a taxpayer lawsuit against the Board of Trustees of Maryland’s Montgomery College for unlawfully charging discounted “in county” tuition rates to students who graduate from Montgomery County public high schools, regardless of their place of residency or immigration status.

Our new lawsuit alleges Montgomery College’s tuition policy violates both Maryland and federal law and places a substantial financial burden on Montgomery County taxpayers, who subsidize student tuition. Judicial Watch filed the lawsuit on behalf of Montgomery County taxpayers Michael Lee Philips, Patricia Fenati, and David Drake in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County.

Here’s a partial summary of JW’s argument (as described in our complaint):

Under federal law, unlawfully present aliens generally are ineligible for state or local public benefits, including post-secondary education benefits such as reduced tuition, unless a state has enacted a law affirmatively providing for such eligibility. The State of Maryland has never enacted a law affirmatively providing that unlawfully present aliens are eligible to receive reduced, in-county tuition at public institutions of higher education, including community colleges such as Montgomery College…

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Sad to say, what I wrote last year at this time is hardly less apt today:  “The State of the Union Address is ordinarily a bore. It generally consists of a laundry list of proposals, and the list nearly always seems interminable. If Barack Obama has moxie, however, tonight could be different. His State of the Union Address could be a real game changer.”

“Here,” I then wrote, “is how he could do it – if he was really intent on saving his Presidency and on turning a disgraceful performance in that office into something worthy of eulogy. This evening, after the usual formalities, he could say:

My fellow Americans, let me begin by stating the obvious. The state of our union is not good. We seem to be – we may be – coming out of a recession. But, if so, the recovery is not only jobless; it is accompanied by an increase in employment.

This is contrary to my expectation. When I became President, my economic advisers told me that the rate of unemployment would be considerably lower now than it is. They were mistaken, and I erred in taking their advice. The fault is mine. I may not have gotten us into a severe recession, but I advanced proposals and I pursued policies which have prolonged and deepened it. I am at fault.

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