WyBlog

What if Barry held a healthcare summit and nobody showed up?

Barry is desperate to rescue his healthcare reform plan. Actually, he's desperate to rescue almost any healthcare reform plan, except one which includes actual free-market reforms.

So he has finally invited the Republicans to the table. Whoop dee doo. His newfound embrace of "bipartisanship" rings hollow. He's on the prowl for a scapegoat, and who better than Congressional Republicans?

If no plan emerges Barry can point to GOP obstructionism.

If the plan which does emerge turns out to be a steaming pile of excrement (as in something even worse than the shit sandwich he's pimping now) he can blame modifications the Republicans made him include.

I say, "don't play". John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, et al should find a compelling reason to be out of town on Feb 25^th. Let Barry twist in the wind.

If, and this is a big if, Barry was conducive to scrapping ObamaCare in its current form (no more Louisana Purchase, no Cornhusker Kickbacks, and no backroom deals with PhRMA) and if he got behind tort reform and true market-based solutions, then maybe it would be worthwhile for Republicans to sit down with him.

But as it stands now he's imposing too many pre-conditions on the negotiations. It's likely to be a repeat of his appearance at the GOP meeting in Baltimore. Barry up front, TelePrompTer cued up, looking down his nose at the plebes as he drones on and on about his vision for Caracas on the Potomac.

The problem with Barry is he's still living in his "I won" bubble. The voters in New Jersey, Virginia, and Massachusetts have scoffed in his face, but he refuses to change his tune. Behind the sophomoric rhetoric, away from his trusty TelePrompTer, without his new age logos and legions of swooning hopey-changey sycophants, he's got nothing.

There's no leadership. When Al Franken calls you a putz, you really are a putz. The Obama White House is in its own Private Idaho, disconnected from reality and unable to engage in substantive policy negotiations. Barry expects the force of his personality to sway seasoned politicians in the same way it won over a generation of vacuous coeds. He's still trying to tell us what he's gonna do and then sits back and expects the accolades to roll in before anything actually gets done. (See what happens when every kid gets a trophy? The kid grows up to be President and he expects a trophy.)

There's no upside for the GOP to march to Barry's drummer. The voters have seen what he wants to do to America and they're scared. It's good to be "the party of no" when the voters are the ones saying "hell no". The country is concerned about jobs and the economy. If ObamaCare flounders most people won't notice (or care). And with the way the Tea Party message has resonated nationwide I'm thinking that after November Barry will be rendered inert.

Then come January 2013 President Palin (or if you prefer, President Thune) can implement healthcare reform the right way.

Posted at 23:00 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: ObamaCare Republicans

Gov. Christie's pension reforms fall short

NJ Governor Chris Christie is prepared to champion a series of public employee pension and benefit reforms which he claims will save our state billions of dollars going forward. And if he was looking to put a band-aid on our state's structural fiscal problems he might be off to a good start. But we need real systemic change and these proposals fall short.

The proposals would require workers and retirees at all levels of government and local school districts to contribute to their own health care costs, ban part-time workers at the state and local levels from participating in the underfunded state pension system, cap sick leave payouts for all public employees and constitutionally require the state to fully fund its pension obligations each year.

Sounds tough, right?

Uh, no.

Here are his "reforms":

Requiring all current public employees to contribute at least 1.5 percent of their annual salaries toward their health benefits, and all future retirees to contribute at least 1.5 percent of their base pension to their health benefits.

One and half percent? Is he kidding? If their plan costs taxpayers $10,000 a year that's a measly $150 bucks. Tie their contribution to the cost of the plan. Make it at least half the premium. Then the employee will carry an incentive to keep health care costs down.

And what's with "future retirees"? Make every retiree pony up some cash! Especially if they've left the state! If NJ was good enough while you were suckling at the public teat then by golly it ought to be where you spend your golden years.

Changing how pension payments are calculated, and who qualifies for a pension, for future employees at all levels of government. That includes repealing a 9 percent increase in benefits put in place in 2001, factoring in the highest five years of salary instead of three years to determine pension payouts, and banning part-time workers from participating in the pension system. State employees would have to work 35 hours a week and local employees 32 hours a week to qualify.

Why doesn't this extend to current employee and retirees? The 9 percent pension bump was a gift. Take it away! Take it away from everyone! Calculating pensions based on 5 years instead of three won't end the abuses; throw out the last 5 years. That's when they pad the overtime. Just look at Port Authority cops or exiled legislators in cushy jobs. They rack up the overtime just to send their pensions into the stratosphere. In fact, overtime should never be a factor in pension calculations.

Enrolling future part-time employees at all levels of government in a defined-contribution plan instead, and raising the minimum annual pay to participate to $5,000 from $1,500. Current part-timers would continue in the pension system as long as they remain continuously employed.

Dump all of the part-timers right now. Keeping current part-timers in the plan just perpetuates a blatant avenue for abuse. How many people with insufficient years of service are parked on a part-time job just to pad their pension? Thousands? Every defeated legislator seems to end up on some obscure authority or board for the sole purpose of continuing his participation in the state pension plan. It's time to drop these hangers-on from the system.

Capping payouts for unused sick leave at $15,000 for all public employees, mirroring the limit already in place at the state level, and limiting stored vacation time.

Sick days are for when you're sick. If you're not sick, you shouldn't get to bank them for future use, or cash them out. At the same time, supervisory discretion should be available for catastrophic illness. If you're really sick, and you don't have "enough" sick days, allowances should be made.

Governor Christie's proposals are more than reasonable. In my opinion they're far short of what needs to be done in order to rein in excessive pensions costs and abuses. There is no reason that any public employee should be permitted to retire at full pension prior to the prevailing Social Security retirement age. Teachers can walk out at age 55. Cops can hit the beach after 20 years. Yet those of us who pay their salaries and benefits have to work far longer before we can relax, and we're still taxed day and night to pay for public employee benefits.

Come on Governor. We elected you to fix our state's fiscal mess. Strike while the iron is hot and end the public employee gravy train once and for all.

Posted at 22:50 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics Chris+Christie pension budget

Meet some world-class teachers union shakedown artists

You guys know that I'm not a fan of the teachers union. The NJEA cares more about their pensions and benefits than they do about educating our children. They march in lockstep with the Democratic Party and until Chris Christie came to town they generally got whatever they wanted out of Trenton.

But the NJEA's got nothing on the teachers union in Montgomery County Maryland where they've taken politics to a whole new level. There the teachers union has perfected "pay to play". As in, if you want to get elected, you gotta pay them.

In the latest elections for the Montgomery County Council most candidates on the union-approved (and trademarked) "Apple Ballot" coughed up the maximum contribution allowed by state law, $6,000, to a PAC run by the Montgomery County Education Association, as the teachers union is known. Union-backed candidates for the Board of Education also paid handsomely. Supposedly, these funds covered the cost of the union's mailings to constituents and other activities on behalf of its anointed candidates -- although there is no real accounting on a campaign-by-campaign basis. In theory, these contributions are voluntary. In fact, several sources told us that the MCEA's chief political strategist, Jon Gerson, made it clear that he expected candidates, once endorsed, to pay what they "owed" for the union's campaign on their behalf. One candidate, asked to explain the decision to pay, answered concisely: "Fear."

The inmates are running the asylum.

The union's endorsement is powerful enough to essentially guarantee electoral victory. And if you incur their ire, you're in for one heck of a fight.

This distorts and perverts the political process. A case in point is Nancy Floreen, the current County Council president, who suggested, during a budget crunch in 2003, that the union make some concessions on compensation. That probably cost her the MCEA endorsement in the 2006 primaries, in which she barely managed to retain her council seat. This year, facing reelection and even more dire budgetary circumstances, Ms. Floreen has been quiet as a mouse on the subject of union concessions, even though negotiations on a new contract for teachers are underway.

"Fear" is right. Do what the union says, and fork over your cash, or you're out of a job.

In addition to its multiple and targeted mailings in the last elections, the MCEA planted yard signs, bought advertising on the radio and at Metro stations and deployed teachers to every key county polling station, where they handed voters sample "Apple Ballots" of endorsed candidates bearing the words "Teacher Recommended." Of the 47 "Apple Ballot" candidates in 2006, 42 won their races for county and state legislative offices.

How's that for hitting parents low and hard? "Teacher Recommended" translates into what's best for the union. What's best for the taxpayers (or the children) doesn't figure into the mix. The implication is clear, toe the union line, or else.

The union gets to decide who their bosses are (the school board) and who gets to approve the county budget (which includes the teachers union contract). It's no wonder that they have exhorbitant salaries, lavish benefits, and unprecedented control over the educational process. No politician dares to cross them.

And of course the other county unions see the MCEA making out like bandits and demand similar pay and benefit scales. In the midst of the deepest recession in a generation the MCEA is insisting on big raises in their current contract negotiations. Anyone who objects will almost certainly fail to be "teacher recommended" for re-election.

So, where is the outrage? President Obama is appalled at the prospect of "corporate money" influencing the political process. Yet Montgomery County is under the complete control of a far more insidious force. The MCEA has perfected legalized extortion. They're worse than the Mafia, because the Mafia doesn't target children.

Posted at 15:47 by Chris Wysocki   [/rants]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJEA education campaign+finance

Rule 5 Weekend flashback, Jillian Barberie forecasts the weather

Who remembers when Jillian Barberie was the weather girl on Fox NFL Sunday? Didn't she do a great job? And wasn't she fun to look at?

I thought of her today when I woke up and saw that the Storm of the Century had passed me by. The TV weather guys hyped and hyped and said we were gonna get hit, and then it stayed to the south. Atlantic City got pounded. We got nothing. Not even one flake.

So I said to myself, "if I'm going to get bum weather forecasts I should at least be getting them from a pretty girl." And so here's Jillian to warm us up with her smile.

Posted at 13:56 by Chris Wysocki   [/rule5]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rule5 Jillian+Barberie

A million dollars ain't what it used to be

RNC Chairman Michael Steele unwittingly teed up the perfect straw man for the progressive populists yesterday. While discussing tax policy with potential U.S. Senate candidate Harold Ford, Jr. Steele opined, "Trust me, after taxes, a million dollars is not a lot of money."

A line like that is tailor-made for ridicule by the "consumers of government" crowd.

But he's right. After taxes a million dollars in New York state (where Ford, Jr. plans to run) comes to about $440,000.

Before anyone jumps on Mr. Steele's case, ask yourself, would you work for 44 cents on the dollar? A minimum wage job paying $7.25 per hour would only be worth three dollars and nineteen cents. Could you live on $127.60 a week?

If you think about it, and I mean really think about it, a million dollars (well, $440,000 after taxes) won't get you very far. Maybe you could pay off your mortgage, buy a nice car, and take a vacation. Then what? Time to head back to work!

I had this discussion with a friend's father about 20 years ago. Angelo was a successful businessman, and enjoying his retirement. My wife cavalierly said "I wish I had a million dollars" and Angelo replied "a million dollars ain't what it used to be".

Then he laid out the math. He was right. Angelo could never have retired if he had "only" a million dollars in the bank.

Don't get me wrong, it would be nice to have a million dollars. But it wouldn't change my life. And that's Michael Steele's (and Angelo's) point.

Posted at 21:06 by Chris Wysocki   [/odds_n_ends]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Michael+Steele

FMJRA Thursday, the waiting for the Storm Of The Century edition

To hear the guys on the Weather Channel tell it we're going to be buried under avalanches of snow. So much snow that it'll be April until the roads are passable again.

Or, it could miss us completely if the guys on Channel 4 turn out to be right.

So, before I dash off to the store to buy the last gallon of milk and some extra toilet paper, I'm going to take a minute to acknowledge my blog buddies who linked me over the past week.

Fishersville Mike beat me to the bread aisle.

Classic Liberal says "Bloggers Rock". Who am I to disagree?

Pundette reports on a new medical study that should give us all pause. "Persistent vegetative state" might be an apt description for Congress but when it comes to the rest of us it has often been a misdiagnosis. All the more reason to always err on the side of protecting life.

Here's an interesting look at the Law of Unintended Consequences.

Pat Austin, the proprietress of And So it Goes in Shreveport, is an English teacher who understands the value of learning history. All of our history. When schools replace George Washington with Al Gore you know things are headed in the wrong direction.

Grandpa John wants to be perfectly clear, Barack Hussein Milhous Obama is not an ideologue!

Ruby Slippers rejoices in watching Joe Biden perform his Constitutional duty.

Bob Belvedere sees some more sinister forces at work. After reading what Jolting Joe had to say, Ewwww! is the only suitable response.

The Daley Gator reports that Monty Python's killer rabbit has been upstaged by a pheasant.

Smitty is making blind guy jokes. Again.

Edisto Joe likens the Obama Administration to Alice in Wonderland — verdict first!, trial later.

Washington Rebel wants to know what will happen when China decides that the United States is too big to fail.

Motorcitytimes.com is worried about who Barry might appoint to the next Supreme Court vacancy. Lynne Stewart, the President is on line 2.

Tigerhawk looks at the John Edwards fiasco and discovers there are really three Americas.

Doug Ross thinks it's time to put Eric Holder under oath. Yup, and right afterward it's time to put him out to pasture.

Of all the things Obama could have cut from government spending, why did he have to pick on sasquatch breeders?

Beatrice has some good ideas for improving our public schools.

I've loaded up the wood ring on the front porch. Food shopping is done, and the wine rack is full. Let it snow! And while you're sitting at home waiting for the plows to come by, click the links, and then tell 'em WyBlog sent you.

Posted at 21:05 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rule2

Who whoulda thunk it - high taxes chase rich people away!

New Jersey's past two governors, Democrats Jim McGreevey and Jon Corzine, followed the liberal, progressive playbook right down the line. Rule #1 is "raise taxes on the rich". And raise taxes they did! They raised income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, business taxes, and of course created a whole new "millionaires tax" (which curiously applies to anyone making more than $250,000 per year).

We saw one impact of their tax policies last November when the people overwhelmingly voted for Republican Chris Christie. But a new study issued by Boston College indicates that "the millionaires" voted with their feet too.

The study focused on interstate wealth migration, where "wealth" is defined as assets such as real estate, stocks, bonds, 401ks, mutual funds and vehicles. The people with "wealth" are a key driver of economic activity. They create jobs, they buy real estate, they pay the majority of our state's taxes.

In New Jersey, the top 1 percent of taxpayers pay more than 40 percent of the state's income tax.

"This study makes it crystal clear that New Jersey's tax policies are resulting in a significant decline in the state's wealth," said Dennis Bone, chairman of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce and president of Verizon New Jersey.

Yup. When the wealth leaves town the tax revenue dries up. It's one reason New Jersey is facing an almost $10 trillion dollar budget shortfall this year.

With Chris Christie as our new governor there is at least some hope for a reversal of New Jersey's fortunes. But what is going to happen now that these destructive tax policies are going national?

President Obama has latched on to that $250,000 per year number as his threshold for "soaking the rich". He plans to impose an additional $1.9 trillion dollars in new taxes on that group in fiscal 2010.

If New Jersey is any kind of example he's in for a rude surprise. Class warfare is a funny thing. Sometimes people will stand and fight. (Hello Tea Party activists!) And sometimes people will walk away.

So which nearby low tax countries look appealing to you? Bermuda? The Cayman Islands? In an age of ubiquitious high speed data and satellite television it's not necessary for a person to reside in one particular location in order to do his job. Talent, and the wealth which accompanies it, can go almost anywhere.

As Lady Margaret Thatcher famously said, "the problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." And I believe that Barack Obama will soon discover that you run out of other people's money a whole lot faster when you paint a target on their backs and give them an incentive to seek out greener pastures.

UPDATE 04 Feb 2010 16:02:
New Jersey's legislative "budget expert" does his best Alfred E. Newmann impression.

"What, me worry?"

Hello? McFly? Anybody home?

Wealth can take many forms, and New Jersey has a lot of taxes. Wealthy people own expensive real estate, and we have the highest property taxes in the nation. Wealthy people buy and sell assets, and New Jersey taxes capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income.

And New Jersey most certainly does tax wealth at death; our death tax was never indexed (or phased out) like the federal death tax. Assets in excess of $750,000 are subject to New Jersey's death tax.

Sheesh. It's no wonder our state is so screwed up. The legislature's budget and finance guy doesn't understand how our tax system works.

Posted at 13:14 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics taxes deficit Obama

NJ Supreme Court rules schools can search cars of students at will

The New Jersey State Supreme Court has delivered a message to high school students interested in individual liberty. "You don't have any."

When it comes to the War on Drugs there is no such thing as an "unreasonable" search. Or put it another way, the Fourth Amendment doesn't apply to students on school grounds. Even if that student is an adult (age 18+).

The standard now set for New Jersey students is "reasonable suspicion" and not the more stringent "probable cause" required for police to obtain a search warrant. School administrators can compel random drug testing, search lockers and backpacks at will, and now scour vehicles driven by students ostensibly to prevent drugs from being distributed.

But what if a teacher or school employee is "reasonably suspected" of dealing drugs? Then the assistant principal is powerless! The usual "probable cause" standard applies, and the police must be called. So what exactly is the difference between an 18 year old student and a school employee? Student status? Both are adults. Both should be treated equally under the law. Yet our State Supreme Court hath decreed that students, regardless of their age, are second-class citizens.

That's a fine lesson to be imparting to the leaders of tomorrow.

Posted at 19:22 by Chris Wysocki   [/rants]   | Perm Link |

Gov. Christie's veto pen slashes more questionable spending

When he took office NJ Governor Chris Christie notified all state agencies to prepare for significant budget cuts. The Delaware River and Bay Authority, which operates the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the Cape May - Lewes Ferry, didn't pay attention. Their latest proposed budget increases spending by more than 3%.

And so, with the stroke of his veto pen, Gov. Christie told them to wake up and smell the coffee.

On Tuesday, Christie vetoed the agency's 2010 budget because it contained a 3 percent increase in spending compared with 2009. The authority's 2009 budget was $76.2 million, a 1.8 percent increase compoared with 2008.

When the boss says to cut spending you'd damn well better cut some spending! Or, he'll cut it for you (cough, Burlington City High School, cough).

I think the next stop for Gov. Christie's Veto Pen Clue Train needs to be the city of Camden, NJ. One of newly elected Mayor Dana Redd's first official acts was to double the salaries of her top aides.

The top salary for mayoral aides would jump to $150,000 from $71,000. Redd also wants to raise the maximum salaries for city attorney and mayor's counsel, though not as drastically.

Camden receives hundreds of millions of dollars in state aid every year. But if they're so flush with cash that they can double the salaries of their mayor's political cronies, well then perhaps it's time for the state to reconsider just how badly Camden needs our tax dollars. A very careful scrutiny of that aid formula, veto pen at the ready!, is apparently long overdue.

Watch the pennies Mayor Redd, and the dollars will take care of themselves.

Posted at 17:34 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics Chris+Christie veto budget Camden Dana+Redd

Obama's education strategy: No Union Left Behind

Via Fausta Wertz we learn that Barry has big plans to eviscerate the standards set in the No Child Left Behind Act.

The Obama administration is proposing a sweeping overhaul of President Bush's signature education law, No Child Left Behind, and will call for broad changes in how schools are judged to be succeeding or failing, as well as for the elimination of the law's 2014 deadline for bringing every American child to academic proficiency.

No more deadline means that the teachers unions can stop worrying about accountability. Barry will give them oodles of more federal dollars to ease the pain of having been almost forced to produce concrete results.

Instead, under the administration's proposals, a new accountability system would divide schools into more categories, offering recognition to those that are succeeding and providing large new amounts of money to help improve or close failing schools.

Because one thing that's been proven in New Jersey is that you can't throw enough money at failing schools! Billions and billions and billions of dollars have been lavished on urban schools across our state and generation after generation of kids still can't read or write.

The cost per pupil now exceeds $30,000 per year in Camden, NJ. And year after year their schools fail NCLB. Somehow I don't think providing them large new amounts of money will do one iota of good.

Our schools don't need "new money"; they need new ideas. They need competition from private and parochial schools. And yes, it is past time for us to acknowledge the power of "the V word" - vouchers. Yeah, I know, vouchers will drain the best and brightest away from the public schools, and take badly needed resources with them too.

So what? Shouldn't "the best and brightest" be given the opportunity to succeed? The egalitarian notion that every kid deserves a public education only results in consigning everyone to wallow in mediocrity. Let's weed out the disruptive kids, the gang-bangers, and the hoodlums. They don't want to learn anyway; why hold up everybody else's progress while trying to cajole them into paying attention?

What if attending math class was subjected to the same kind of rigor we impose on participation in athletics? To play sports you have to try out, and if you make the team, you have to agree to attend all the practices, work at improving your skills, and show up for every game. Design a similar scholastic obligation for school. And then just like in sports, if you don't hold up your end of the bargain, you're out.

This way we let the students who want to learn leap ahead of the kids who are just taking up space. Eventually the waste-oids will either wise up or die off.

Sure that's harsh. But life is harsh, too. And what we're doing now, which is failing to help the kids who could be helped, is a crime against humanity.

Posted at 16:38 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obama education NJEA NCLB

The Lancet acknowledges there is no autism - vaccine link

A controversial 1998 study published in The Lancet which linked the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine to increased instances of autism has been officially retracted.

"It has become clear that several elements of the 1998 paper by Wakefield et al. are incorrect, contrary to the findings of an earlier investigation. In particular, the claims in the original paper that children were 'consecutively referred' and that investigations were 'approved' by the local ethics committee have been proven to be false. Therefore we fully retract this paper from the published record."

It's about time. Wakefield's "study" has always been suspect, but because it was published in a respected medical journal many people believed it's veracity, even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

I hope this retraction finally discredits the anti-vaccine movement. Withholding vaccinations from our children exposes them to real, documented, provable dangers. The fear of contracting autism has led to untold numbers of children being afflicted with preventable diseases.

It is extremely rare for a medical journal to issue a retraction. We should all be grateful that The Lancet took this step in order to set the record straight. Vaccines do not cause autism!

Posted at 14:32 by Chris Wysocki   [/odds_n_ends]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Lancet autism vaccine MMR

I was right, Obama is not serious about nuclear power

When Barry touted nuclear energy during his State of the Union speech I said it surprised and pleased me, but knowing him it was probably just a throw-away line and he wouldn't follow through.

Yup. I was right.

In his 2011 budget to be announced tomorrow Barry has "zeroed out" all funding for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste disposal facility in Nevada. In addition, he intends to pull the project's pending license application, thereby completely killing it.

Without a place to store our nation's nuclear waste it is highly unlikely that any new nuclear power plants will be approved in the forseeable future. And all the existing waste will remain in hundreds of ad hoc holding areas rather than in one secure location, giving more ammunition to the no-nukes nuts.

But, so that Barry can pretend he's doing something we'll get a "high-level Blue Ribbon Commission on America's Nuclear Future". Oh, yea. They'll start from square one, take decades to make any kind of recommendation, and then the NIMBYs will start their legal battles all over again.

America needs leadership on nuclear energy. We needed statesmen, and instead we got Barack Obama and Harry Reid.

Posted at 19:05 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obama SOTU nuclear+power Yucca+Mountain

NJ braces for influx of Haitian refugees

Florida Governor Charlie Crist has closed his door. So Barack Obama needs somewhere else to deposit the millions of refugees fleeing the disaster in Haiti. Hello New Jersey!

Confidential documents prepared for Governor Chris Christie note that New Jersey can expect a substantial "surge" of refugees.

Florida said "no mas" because they've already accepted thousands of refugees with estimated health care costs in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Barry hasn't offered dime one to help.

So now New Jersey is in the cross-hairs. This is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions but our Democratic Congressional delegation is AWOL. Bob Menendez, Frank Lautenberg, Bill Pascrel, the Norcross brothers, haven't said a peep.

You have to imagine that Rahm "never let a crisis go to waste" Emanuel is rubbing his hands together with glee at the prospect of sticking Republican governors with the bill for Haitian relief.

Posted at 21:43 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Maiti NJ+Politics Bob+Menendez Frank+Lautenberg

Rule 5 Weekend, Danielle Staub has her day in court

(Un)Real Housewife of New Jersey Danielle Staub finally had her day in court. She got into an altercation with the teenaged daughter of one of her co-stars during a charity fundraiser. Staub accused 19 year old Ashley Holmes of assault for yanking on her hair extensions. Charges and counter-charges flew, and you couldn't help but wonder if it was all just a publicity stunt.

On Friday Ms. Holmes was found guilty in Wayne, NJ Municipal Court of one count of simple assault and fined $189. During the trial Staub said she was "afraid" of the teen. Uh, sure Danielle.

Here's a shot of Ashley Holmes. Does she look "scary" to you?

And here's another photo of Danielle Staub.

Tell me, who's scarier looking?

UPDATE 31 Jan 2010 14:37:
There's more Rule 5 Sunday goodness at The Daley Gator.

And of course don't miss the Godfather of Rule 5 Sunday.

Posted at 16:37 by Chris Wysocki   [/rule5]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rule5 Danielle+Staub Ashley+Holmes

Gov. Christie vetoes latest round of school construction project cost overruns

Unlike his predecessor Governor Chris Christie will not be a rubber stamp for the education bureaucracy. He has now taken aim at the school construction boondoggle, and in particular a Burlington City High School project that was originally budgeted at $28.7 million and has already cost the taxpayers $46.4 million.

How? Change orders. The Schools Development Authority routinely approves them, and they add up fast. Not a single new school in New Jersey has come in on time or under budget. Not one. Time and again the educrats go back to the well, soaking the taxpayers for elaborate upgrades like swimming pools and "media centers". And Jon Corzine's administration never batted an eye.

But now that he's the governor, Chris Christie has veto power over the SDA's actions. Yesterday he exercised it.

Apologists for the cost overruns always point to "unforseen circumstances" which necessitate the change orders. I can see maybe a few minor problems needing to be addressed, but who botched the initial estimate so badly that an additional $17.7 million dollars wasn't sufficient? Come on, get real already. You're over budget by 61%.

As the saying goes, don't piss down my back and tell me it's raining.

The more likely scenario is that "unforseen circumstances" were in actuality the result of somebody saying "wouldn't it be cool if we..." and what was once a pie-in-the-sky dream suddenly became an educational imperative simply because the money was free and no one ever said no.

Until now.

Posted at 12:43 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics Chris+Christie SDA

FMJRA Thursday, the "I'b dot a code" edition

Sophie and I both caught colds this week which has thrown our schedules out of whack. She missed a few days of school so there was homework to catch up on, and I got bogged down at work and so my weekly "thanks for the link-love" post is coming out later than usual. But, hey it's still Thursday!

Pundette's Quote of the Day is spot-on. She honored me with 2 "Recommended Reads" links this week which is really, really cool because her blog is one of the best out there.

TrogloPundit also sent beaucoup hits my way in the hope that he won't have to say too many Hail Marys the next time he goes to confession He also reminds us to be careful what we name our cats. For the record, Sophie named her cat "Pumpkin".

Some people did not watch Barry's SOTU speech! For example, Bob Belvedere drank a martini and watched paint dry. I guess that's what passes for excitement up in the Bay State now that the senate election is over. If you come paint my garage Bob, I'll help you watch the paint dry!

Edisto Joe did watch, and he was as unimpressed as I was with Barry's swipe at the Supreme Court.

MarySue crunched some numbers after Congress raised the debt ceiling yet again. Each and every one of us now owes the Chinese $45,000. Thanks Barry!

Pat Austin wants to know why the ObamaCare Express is passing the 9/11 Health Bill by. Tit for tat? ObamaCare is blocked, so health care for everyone is also off the table?

Robert Stacy McCain consigns Marxist historian Howard Zinn to the ash heap of history where he belongs, unless he's already rotting in Hell. Good riddance to bad rubbish. They should bury his worthless book with him.

Mako Snark illustrates a Boy and His Podium.

Gator Doug has a multiple choice question for us. The answer is (D) All of the Above.

Fishersville Mike wants to know what's going on in Oregon. Progressivism is a cancer Mike, it takes time to eradicate all of it.

On that score, Donald Douglas notes that Barbara Boxer is likely to lose her re-election bid come November. Maybe there's hope for California after all.

The Classic Liberal exposes the absurdity of granting some groups more rights than the rest of us.

Doug Ross has another example of Saudi tolerance. Curiously, our feminists have no comment.

Grandpa John had some fun with Barry's latest fundraising letter.

Maggie is worried that Scott Brown might be taking bipartisanship just a little bit too far for his first day on the job.

And now it's time for bed. If I missed you it's probably due to my Nyquil induced haze. No hard feelings, drop me a line and I'll make good in the AM.

Posted at 21:21 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rule2

Barry's first SOTU, The Audacity of Petulance

I took a bunch of notes during Barry's State of the Union speech but I was too tired to post anything last night so here goes...

Pundette has a very comprehensive roundup of opinions to which I can only add a few comments.

Barry started out looking down his nose at us. Even my wife noticed; she said he was "condescending". It took him a while to work up into full-on petulance, but when he took a swipe at the Supreme Court it really showed his immaturity. From then on in he was on his stride, channeling Hugo Chavez for all he's worth.

He's the President dammit! And we'd damn well better sit up and take notice! Or, he'll scold us again!

Puh-lease. Leadership requires persuasion, not petulance.

He's still pushing class warfare, harping on "big banks". What about "big unions"? The UAW got more bailout money than the banks did. The banks paid theirs back already.

He cut taxes? Not for me he didn't. And don't forget, if you did get a "Making Work Pay" tax credit, Barry wants it back.

His Porkulus "Recovery Act" hasn't been proven successful, no matter how many made-up jobs "created or saved" numbers he throws out. Even his own guys can't decide whether it's 2 million, 4 million, or more likely, zero. And his idea of a "Jobs Bill" is just Porkulus II.

When it comes to the economy he's still blaming Bush. You've been in charge for a year now Barry. Time to take some resonsibility. Did you hear the laughter when he brought up his "spending freeze". Even his own guys think it's a joke. Yes Barry, they're laughing at you.

He's still got the same tired old ObamaCare talking points. That ship has sailed. And what's with "my plan"? He doesn't have a plan! Harry Reid has a plan, larded up with so many bribes it finally collapsed under its own weight. Nancy Pelosi had a plan, until Reid's came along, but neither of them can decide what to do next.

I'd take his platitudes about education policy a lot more seriously if he backed them up with some solid action. Like, oh I don't know, reinstating the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program? You know, something that actually works.

Caps on student loan payments? So a kid can just rack up the bills and then a magic unicorn is going to cover the difference if his payments exceed 10% of his income? And after 20 years all loans are forgiven, even if they're not paid off? How's that gonna work? More importantly, why would any of us chumps save for our kid's college education if we can get a deal like that?

He didn't say much about terrorism, except to chide Republicans for "schoolyard taunts" about who's tougher. Listen up sport, if you gotta tell us how tough you are maybe it's because you haven't actually shown anyone that you've got what it takes. Talk is cheap. And terrorists don't need lawyers, no matter what you or Eric ("The FALN Kid") Holder might think.

Setting yet another line-in-the-sand deadline for withdrawal from Iraq ("the end of August") seems unwise to me. BTW Barry, speaking of deadlines, how's that deadline for closing Gitmo working out for you?

I did hear two things that I liked! I even rewound the TiVo to make sure he actually said what I thought I'd heard. Yup, he endorsed nuclear power. And he alluded to us needing more offshore oil and gas exploration. Drill, Baby, Drill! Unfortunately they're probably just throw-away lines, and he won't follow through. Especially since he followed them up with a pitch for Cap & Tax, which has been dead and really should stay that way.

All in all this was not a State of the Union speech as much as it was another campaign stump speech. Except that since being elected he's campaigned 3 times already and struck out each time. Of course, if one were to point that out to him, he'd probably blame Bush!

Posted at 11:12 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: SOTU Obama Samuel+Alito

The State of our Union? Fear.

I don't know what brand of solipsistic tripe Barry will toss out tonight during his State of the Union speech. I do know this though, nothing he says will do any of us any good. If the past year has proven anything it is this — Barack Obama and his band of progressive marauders don't have the faintest idea what they're doing.

More importantly, people are coming to the realization that Barry doesn't have a clue as to what he should do next. In fact, I agree with Michael Ledeen when he says that people are afraid of what Barry will do next.

This fear is extremely broad-based. It is not limited to social class nor to domestic or foreign policies. Banks are not lending, companies are not hiring, because they are afraid of what Obama will do next. Both are afraid of onerous taxes, including new health care burdens, and the banks fear new regulations and the consequences of the recently declared war on evil bankers by the president. Seniors are afraid they will be deprived of medical treatment. Juniors are afraid they are going to be forced to buy health insurance they don't think they need. Across the board, Americans are afraid they're not going to find work, and won't be able to afford a house. And, as the Massachusetts vote showed, Americans are worried about threats from abroad, worried about Iran, afraid of terrorist attacks, and afraid the Obama Administration doesn't take all this seriously enough. As Scott Brown put it, most Americans think our tax dollars should go to fighting terrorists, not to pay lawyers to defend terrorists.

In an ominous sign that progressivism and class warfare are still a dangerous combination, Oregon voters overwhelmingly approved tax hikes on "wealthy people" and corporations. There they go again, taking money away from the folks who could create new jobs just to feed the "tax and spend" government behemoth.

Here in New Jersey the econuts are working feverishly to kill a badly needed upgrade to a key electrical transmission line. What do they think will happen when we don't have enough electricity? Will the electron fairy keep their lights on? Businesses won't risk expanding if they fear that there won't be enough electricity for their needs. Once again we see that a purported "win" for the environment actually does more harm than good.

The whole "science" of global warming has gone up in flames. But Cap & Tax is still wending its way towards Barry's desk, and when he signs it our energy bills will skyrocket. Where will the money come from to pay those bills? Well, if it's a choice between keeping the heat on or hiring another worker, you know how most companies will respond.

The State of our Union is perilous. FDR said "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." With Barack Obama in the White House, the only thing we have to fear is everything.

Posted at 16:15 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: SOTU Obama

Senator Bob Menendez is a Birther?

New Jersey's Senator Bob Memendez is Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He's in charge of ensuring that Democrats are (re)elected to the U.S. Senate. Since he did such a bang-up job with Martha Coakley in Massachusetts he's changing tactics, veering off into hitherto bizarre fringe areas populated by the certifiably insane.

A new memo from the DSCC tells candidates to pose the following question to their opponents:

"Do you believe that Barack Obama is a U.S. citizen?"

Um Bob, you mean you're not sure?

You're really telling your guys to run for office by raising questions about Barack Obama's eligibility to be president?

Acording to Menendez this question is supposed to put GOP candidates on the defensive. But since it's the Dems asking the question, it's pretty simple to just toss it back in their faces. I mean, if you gotta ask...

(h/t Instapundit)

Posted at 10:15 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Bob+Menendez DSCC birther

Pro-choice groups object to Tim Tebow's "Choose Life" Super Bowl ad

CBS has agreed to air an ad during the Super Bowl which is sponsored by Focus on the Family. It features Florida quarterback Tim Tebow and his mom Pam expressing a pro-life theme consistent with their evangelical Christian beliefs.

The ad carries the tagline "Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life" and recounts the struggles Pam Tebow faced when she was advised by her doctors to terminate her potentially problematic pregnancy. Instead she relied on her faith and carried Tim to term.

What could be more beautiful than a positive family friendly message aired during an event watched by millions of families?

Well, if you're a liberal feminist, the ad isn't so much "pro-family" as it is "anti-choice"! The Women's Media Center sent CBS a letter demanding that they pull the ad.

CBS's recent decision to air an anti-choice advertisement during Super Bowl XLIV was outrageous. Even worse is the network's about face from its own policy of rejecting controversial Super Bowl ads. The Women's Media Center, and organizations dedicated to reproductive rights, tolerance, and social justice, are urging the network to immediately cancel this ad.

In their puny little minds there is only one choice and that choice does not include the word "life". Of course they can't say that outright; they can't very well air a countervailing ad espousing "choose death" without looking ridiculous. So they agitate for the "choose life" ad to be censored instead.

After all, once people start to feel all warm and fuzzy about having babies the next thing you know we'll be inundated with a boatload of kids like Trig Palin! Then what would happen to all those people who toil away day after day in the abortion-industrial complex?

Here's what I don't get.

If they're so "dedicated to reproductive rights" shouldn't they embrace the right to choose life? Or, do women no longer have that particular "right"?

And, if they're in favor of "tolerance" why is it that they cannot tolerate Tim Tebow expressing a viewpoint with which they disagree?

In liberal-land the only valid messages are the ones which they have approved in advance. Kudos to CBS for giving the Tebow family the opportunity to express the joy inherent in choosing life.

Posted at 19:41 by Chris Wysocki   []   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Tim+Tebow Superbowl abortion pro-choice pro-life

Gov. Christie proposes freezing teacher pay

By far the largest component of our escalating property tax bill is the school tax. And a major factor in the school tax is teacher and administrator salaries, which rise on average more than 4% each and every year.

Meanwhile New Jersey is facing a cataclysmic budget deficit, now estimated to be in excess of $10 billion dollars. Goveronr Christie has called for a salary freeze at all levels of state government. And since he believes that all public employees should actually mean all public employees he's calling for that freeze to extend to K-12 education, county, and municipal governments too.

Hey, we're all in this together, right? Taxpayers are getting squeezed, folks are losing their jobs (and their homes), investments are in free fall. The only growth industry in New Jersey is government, so it's high time for them to feel some pain too.

Uh, not according to the NJEA. They're like Tony Soprano coming around to collect his vig. They don't care what trouble we're having, their standard line is "F-U, pay me".

A spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, which represents 200,000 teachers statewide, called the pay-freeze proposal "a direct violation of collective bargaining." Most districts are in the middle of current contracts, said spokesman Steve Wollmer.

Well Mr. Wollmer, it's either a pay freeze or massive layoffs. You make the call.

Posted at 10:42 by Chris Wysocki   [/nj_politics]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics Chris+Christie NJEA teachers

Thanksgiving at the Biden's is gonna be awkward this year!

Beau Biden has decided not to follow in his father's footsteps. He announced today that he won't be running for the Vice President's old senate seat. You know, the one for which he's been groomed since birth and is being kept warm by Joe's old crony aide, Edward Kaufman.

Michelle Malkin isn't buying Beau's stated excuse that he's staying on as Delaware Attorney General to prosecute child abuse cases.

Yeah, there are plenty of other prosecutors who could take over those cases.

We'll see how this plays out, and if a more plausible explanation for Beau's withdrawal is forthcoming. For starters, it's now likely that former governor and Republican Congressman Mike Castle will win the seat over whoever else the DSCC digs up to run in November.

But no matter what happens, you gotta believe that Thanksgiving at the Biden's is gonna be mighty awkward this year!

Posted at 11:45 by Chris Wysocki   []   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Delaware Joe+Biden Beau+Biden

Obama loves his presidential podium like a rock

Barry went to Falls Church, VA to talk to some sixth graders.

Complete with TOTUS and presidential podium in tow.

Now that's funny. His momma put him up on the presidential podium, just like Paul Simon predicted!

C'mon Barry, who do you think you're fooling?

And, you forgot the styrofoam columns!

Posted at 09:49 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Obama TOTUS

Pope Benedict embraces blogs and new media

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI has opened the door to priestly blogging.

The Holy Father clearly sees the beneficial side of social media. A passive web presence was a good start but with the advent of Facebook and Twitter it is now possible to engage in meaningful dialog outside of the traditional venues. Interacting with the faithful in these new settings provides a unique opportunity to spread the Word of the Gospel as well as humanize the message.

In today's far-flung yet interconnected world the use of social media for good works is a welcome step forward by Holy Mother Church.

Saint Isidore of Seville must be pleased.

Posted at 12:22 by Chris Wysocki   [/media]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: blogging Vatican Catholic Pope+Benedict

Two words on why someone should bail out Air America

The temptation is strong to gloat at the death of Air America. The thought of Randi Rhodes walking the unemployment line brings a smile to my face.

But before we crack open the champagne I'd like to mention two little words that should strike fear into our hearts.

Fairness Doctrine.

The existence of Air America's daily clown show put paid to any notion that talk radio was not "fair and balanced". Sure we still have NPR and the fun that is All Things Distorted but they have to at least pretend to be non-partisan or risk losing their government funding.

Without Air America in the game the temptation will grow for Barry and his puppets on the FCC to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine. He's been gunning for Fox News and Rush Limbaugh already, why tempt fate by giving him an excuse to shut them down too?

So, if I was Roger Ailes, I'd find a way to prop up Air America. It shouldn't cost him too much cash, liberal True Believers work cheap. Think of it as an insurance policy to keep our guys out there fighting the good fight.

(There's more gloating at the Memeorandum thread.)

Posted at 11:46 by Chris Wysocki   [/media]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Air+America Fairness+Doctrine FCC

NFL player and congressional candidate Jon Runyan is NOT a tax cheat

Using legal loopholes to minimize our taxes is an American tradition. It's why we hire accountants and lawyers and use online tools like H&R Block's "refund maximizer". So how exactly is it "news" for the Star-Ledger to report that NFL star and GOP congressional candidate Jon Runyan takes advantage of a property tax exemption to which anyone is legally entitled?

Mr. Runyan owns 20 acres in Mount Laurel, NJ. On the 5 acres around his house his property tax bill was a whopping $57,000 dollars last year. (Yikes, it really is true that NJ has the highest taxes in the nation!) But on the other 15 acres he claims a "farmland" exemption. He uses that land to raise 4 donkeys as well as harvest timber which he sells for firewood. The tax bill for his farmland is only $468.

It's all perfectly legal. The farmland exemption was enacted by the legislature many years ago to encourage people to keep the land undeveloped.

But of course that doesn't stop the Democrats and their toadies in the media from crying "foul". They believe Joe Biden when he said it's our "patriotic duty" to pay taxes. Not that they themselves should pay taxes; only "rich people" should pay taxes!

So I'll take this occasion to remind all my liberal friends of my favorite quote of all time.

"Anybody has a right to evade taxes if he can get away with it. No citizen has a moral obligation to assist in maintaining the government."
— J. P. Morgan

Jon Runyan pays all the taxes which he is legally obligated to pay. Can the Democrats say the same about Charlie Rangel? Or Tim Geithner?

UPDATE 22 Jan 2010 13:24:
Linked at Ruby Slippers where MarySue notes that the libs are gearing up the smear machines early in the mistaken belief that Martha Coakley lost in Massachusetts because they didn't play dirty enough.

Posted at 10:07 by Chris Wysocki   [/election]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NJ+Politics Jon+Runyan taxes Star-Ledger

Tone deaf GOP leadership picks VA Gov. Bob McDonnell for SOTU response

Remember that email I trumpeted saying newly elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown would deliver the GOP response to Barry's SOTU speech?

No such luck.

The GOP leadership brain trust has selected Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell for that honor.

"Gov. McDonnell understands that the American people are more interested in shrinking unemployment than expanding government. He is an impressive public servant and an excellent choice to offer Republican solutions for our country," House GOP Leader John Boehner (Ohio) and Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said in a joint statement.

The go-along-to-get-along GOP leadership is playing it safe when they should come out swinging at the Democrats by shoving Scott Brown in Barry's face. (Wouldn't it be great for him to drive up to the camera in his pickup truck, hop out, and launch into his speech?)

Perhaps Gov. McDonnell will deliver a fine speech. But so what? The SOTU response doesn't get anywhere near the same public recognition as what the president says. But having Scott Brown deliver it makes him the story; what he says would be secondary to the mere fact that he is saying it.

The GOP should strike while the iron is hot. Scott Brown is hot. He'll still be hot next week. The Republicans blew a perfect opportunity to upstage The TelePrompTer Kid.

Posted at 19:09 by Chris Wysocki   [/gop]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: NRSC GOP Mitch+McConnell John+Boehner Bob+McDonnell Scott+Brown

It's the economy, stupid

ObamaCare is dead.

Nancy Pelosi looked in the mirror, and saw Reality.

Reality is not pretty, even when it's pumped full of Botox.

Getting Pelosi to pass the Senate bill through the House in unmodified form was one of the few options left to Barry as he worked to salvage his attempt at nationalizing 1/6 of our economy. But some Democrats are finally comprehending the Tea Party message they've been hearing since last summer from irate voters back home.

Sweeping health care reform has to take a back seat to jobs and economic issues.

So much for getting it passed by the time Barry gives his State of the Union speech. There's no other way for him to spin it except as an ignominious defeat.

Barry should have been concentrating on our economic problems. That's the message he would have been hearing, if he'd been paying attention. Yet on that score he's also struck out. $787 Billion dollars in Porkulus spending hasn't created or saved a single private sector job. It has managed to balloon our national debt to over $14 Trillion though.

I have a suggestion for Bob Casey. You don't need "a jobs bill" on the table. You need to (a) cut spending asap and (b) stop penalizing businesses for being successful. That means Barry's TARP tax on big banks has to go down in flames too. Banks can't lend out money if they're shipping it off to Washington so Barry can feed it directly to the UAW. And businesses won't hire new employees until they're sure that Barry won't paint a bulls-eye on their backs for daring to make a profit.

The voters of New Jersey rejected Jon Corzine's plan to tax us out of a recession. The voters of Massachusetts rejected Barry's plan to tax everything in sight for a massive new social program. The only pro-growth plan that is proven to work is tax cuts.

There was a well-known Democrat who once said "It's the Economy, stupid". I never thought I'd look back at Bill Clinton's tenure with fondness, but after a year and a day of Obamunism all I can say to Barry is this. "I remember Bill Clinton, and the thing is sport, you're no Bill Clinton."

Posted at 16:11 by Chris Wysocki   [/obamacare]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: ObamaCare Nancy+Pelosi Obama Bob+Casey

FMJRA Thursday, the Hopenchange a year and a day later edition

So, a year and a day after the Hopenchange Express left the station it looks like the wheels are about to fall off. Probably due in no small part to how many people they've thrown under the bus.

Those of us on the Right are recharged, reinvigorated, and ready to take back our country!

A Day Which Will Live in Infamy.

Who says Republicans can't wear bikinis?

The Obamunists want to nationalize the student loan industry.

This week's Obamunist increase in the National Debt is $1.9 Trillion.

Barry's still hoping to spend his way out of debt.

Keeing a finger on the pulse of America.

Did Barry just call all of us stupid?

Ted Kennedy's neighbors overwhelmingly voted for Scott Brown.

Do people really care what Meghan McCain says?

Marc Thiessen: 1, Christiane Amanpour: 0

"I'm pretty close to giving up on Mr. Obama..."

President Urkel speaks!

Democrats, if they only had a brain!

The only thing we have to fear is more Obamunism.

Brown Win Derails Collectivization of Agriculture

Barry has been a naughty little boy.

Democrats Have A Listening Problem

Somewhere, George Harrison is giggling.

Hey Barry, can you hear us now?

Posted at 11:03 by Chris Wysocki   [/misc]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: Rule2

Oh sure, now Barry bans tax cheats from government service

Does this mean that Charlie Rangel is fired?

Today, President Obama will direct the Office of Management and Budget, together with the Treasury Department and other federal agencies, to take steps to block contractors who are delinquent on their taxes from receiving new government contracts. He will also direct the IRS to conduct a review of the overall accuracy of companies' claims about tax delinquency to be sure that when a company says it's paying taxes, it is telling the truth.

I'll bet Barry said it with a straight face too.

"By issuing this directive, all of us in Washington will be required to be more responsible stewards of your tax dollars. All across this country, there are people who meet their obligations each and every day. You do your jobs. You support your families. You pay the taxes you owe — because it's a fundamental responsibility of citizenship," said President Barack Obama.

Tim Geithner, the IRS is on line 2.

Kathleen Sebelius, Tom Daschle, Gary Locke, Lael Brainard, Ron Kirk, Nancy Killifer, Gregory Craig, Capricia Marshall, Hilda Solis, Sam Sayyad, Caroline Atkinson, Rahm Emanuel, Pete Rouse — did I miss anyone? Yes folks, they're all current or potential members of Barry's inner circle, nominated by him for key government posts, and each and every one failed to comply with the tax code.

I guess "a fundamental responsibility of citizenship" doesn't apply when you're a friend of The One?

Like I said, Barry's newfound love of paying taxes doesn't seem to apply to bigshot Democrats like Charlie Rangel. Or Laura Richardson. Maxine Waters got a pass too. And who could forget Bob Torricelli?

Hey Barry, clean up your own house first. Because people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Posted at 22:18 by Chris Wysocki   [/obama_watch]   | Perm Link |
Technorati Tags: taxes IRS Tim+Geithner Charlie+Rangel