For all things relative to politics.

[BigLutz]

I was just about to post a topic on that, has anyone seen Drudge's front page? $335 Million Dollars for STD Prevention. How.. How is that supposed to stimulate anything? ( Not inserting the usual sexual joke here )

Also via Politico, the CATO Institute put up a Front Page Ad today with what looks like nearly 100 economist signing on to the fact that this Stimulus plan will further hurt our economy than help it.

http://www.cato.org/special/stimulus09/cato_stimulus.pdf

I just have to wonder, is anyone actually for this plan? And does anyone actually still believe it is a Stimulus plan anymore, or has everyone realized this is just well, what the WSJ put it this morning "40 years of pent up Liberal Plans"

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Well, in my case, I figure that Obama will be better off simply allowing the market to correct itself, thereby creating more wealth for this country. That said, I may have a different reason for worrying about this economic shockwave than most people here. When the Great Depression happened during the 1930s, Adolf Hitler began building up his empire and preparing to not only invade the rest of Europe, but also exterminate the Jews. If Barack Obama is Franklin Roosevelt, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is Adolf Hitler, and Kim Jong-Il is Hideki Tojo, then history might be about to repeat itself -- a point perhaps amplified even further if Mehdi Khazali's claim that Ahmadinejad is Jewish proves accurate.:

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-iranian-figure-says-ahmadinejads.html

 

[GhostAnime]

so the bill looks like it passed with not a single republican in support of it.

... and the bill is ridiculous to me, btw.

 

[BigLutz]

so the bill looks like it passed with not a single republican in support of it.

... and the bill is ridiculous to me, btw.

I am shocked, absolutely SHOCKED! I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the final count. Not only did every Republican vote against it, but 11 Democrats did as well!

Right now the Democrats own the bill, its rise or fall, and the 1 Trillion Dollar price tag is attached to the party. Even more shocking is that Obama with all the talk about how he can bring Republicans and Democrats together, and how he has a Mandate, lost 11 Democrats and didn't gain a single Republican, on his very first major bill!

 

[GhostAnime]

eh, i seriously dont understand how the bill will even stimulate anything; i'm more surprised obama supported such a thing.

 

[shadowkami]

I was rather excited about this

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans blocked legislation to postpone the U.S. transition to digital-only television until June...

Until I saw this....

, handing the Obama administration its first legislative defeat and increasing uncertainty over the timing for the switch.

Seriously, Obama. You couldn't have believed that after a couple of years of nagging, America could wait another 4 months?

 

[HoennMaster]

I admit, I'm not the smartest when it comes to all these political things. Can some please explain exactly what the stimulus package is suppose to do. And for God's sake leave your opinion out please.

 

[BigLutz]

I admit, I'm not the smartest when it comes to all these political things. Can some please explain exactly what the stimulus package is suppose to do. And for God's sake leave your opinion out please.

Supposed to do originally: Stimulate and create jobs, both through tax cuts to the private industry, and with creating Government jobs through infrastructure projects.

Supposed to do now: Stimulate and create jobs, both through tax cuts to the private industry, and with creating Government jobs through infrastructure projects, but only with a part of the money that is extended out through several years. As well as providing hundreds of billions to various ideological projects that wouldn't have been able to pass in the past 8 years that has nothing to do with stimulating the economy.

 

[shadowkami]

Supposed to do originally: Stimulate and create jobs, both through tax cuts to the private industry, and with creating Government jobs through infrastructure projects.

Supposed to do now: Stimulate and create jobs, both through tax cuts to the private industry, and with creating Government jobs through infrastructure projects, but only with a part of the money that is extended out through several years. As well as providing hundreds of billions to various ideological projects that wouldn't have been able to pass in the past 8 years that has nothing to do with stimulating the economy.

Yes, like the spread of broadband...what the hell? Only like 12% of it is actual stimulus anyways.

 

[HoennMaster]

I guess I'm mixed on it then.

 

[~Magic Thunderbolt~]

I am shocked, absolutely SHOCKED! I nearly fell out of my chair when I saw the final count. Not only did every Republican vote against it, but 11 Democrats did as well!

Right now the Democrats own the bill, its rise or fall, and the 1 Trillion Dollar price tag is attached to the party. Even more shocking is that Obama with all the talk about how he can bring Republicans and Democrats together, and how he has a Mandate, lost 11 Democrats and didn't gain a single Republican, on his very first major bill!

Looks like he'll have to do it the Hard Way.

The Honeymoon is over this early?

 

[Genome]

I admit, I'm not the smartest when it comes to all these political things. Can some please explain exactly what the stimulus package is suppose to do. And for God's sake leave your opinion out please.

That WSJ article posted earlier covers the peculiarities quite nicely.

Looks like he'll have to do it the Hard Way.

The Honeymoon is over this early?

Obama tried to shove his entire agenda the first chance he got. He's probably regarded as opportunist scum (they could use more mirrors up there), his image―soiled.

I don't blame him though, Tim Geithner's already got his back. Obama was moving along with the master plan.

I admit I didn't like a guy tied with Bush's failed policies. But the surmounting pressure on China, and that incoming establishment of the First National Bad Bank, he's growing on me. I feel like not filing taxes too.

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Supposed to do originally: Stimulate and create jobs, both through tax cuts to the private industry, and with creating Government jobs through infrastructure projects.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/28/AR2009012804002.html

Keynesian economics, or supply-side economics? America may have tried the first option twice already, but another component of my "Is history about to repeat itself?" idea might now be about to fall into place... in the form of a trade war initiated by a practical shutout of foreign steel and iron by Congress on those infrastructure projects. If this scenario sounds familiar, then that's because Representative Willis Hawley and Senator Reed Smoot -- both Republicans, if you can believe it -- tried the same basic strategy... in 1930. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not liking the scenario I'm seeing out of these developments one bit.

 

[BigLutz]

It should be interesting how the Democrats Protectionist rider on the "Stimulus" will turn out. As much Protectionist crap they are preaching, it would be nice for the WTO to smack them around a bit.

I really wont blame Obama for the Stimulus plan in its current form, he has no power as to what is added to it, that is more Nancy Pelosi's area. Then again he promised up and down the Campaign Trail that he would go "Line by Line" to prevent Pork. Since the President doesn't have a line item veto like a Governor. He is breaking his Campaign Promise by not being more proactive to prevent pork. But outside of his Campaign Pledge, he shouldn't be held responsible for what is currently in the bill. Once he signs it into law, then he can share the blame.

Anyway there has been some new development in the Stimulus plan, apparently Illegal Aliens are also up to get money from the Stimulus as well! So basically it isn't okay to allow other nation's goods to compete in the market place, but we are more than happy to give money to other nation's citizens that have broken our laws.

Last thing, today Obama called Wall Street Execs, "Shameful" and "the height of irresponsibility" for getting 18 Billion in bonuses. While last night his party passed a trillion dollar bill that will do more damage to our country than help it. Think about that...

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

Anyway there has been some new development in the Stimulus plan, apparently Illegal Aliens are also up to get money from the Stimulus as well! So basically it isn't okay to allow other nation's goods to compete in the market place, but we are more than happy to give money to other nation's citizens that have broken our laws.

How interesting that you should mention illegal aliens right now. You see, you just reminded me of a report by the Department of Defense a couple of weeks ago saying that... Mexico might be about to collapse.:

http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/14/is-mexico-near-collapse/

It would seem that el problema de México is worse than we thought, much worse. If it helps, the only other country mentioned by that report as being at or near Mexico's level is Pakistan, one of the four countries in or near the Middle East that come to my mind whenever I think of international jihadism. Should Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and their sordid ilk extend their tentacles toward those Mexican drug cartels, we might want to tighten our seat belts.

 

[BigLutz]

So just wondering, and I hope that this topic doesnt become my daily musings, but... did Obama vet ANY of these guys? Or did they pick names out of a hat?

Outside of Hillary, what other good choices did they make? They have a Tax Cheat running the IRS, they have some one with no experience in the Intelligence field running the CIA.

And now, their Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Service, not only had bad tax problems, something that has been hinted at for a while as a potential bombshell to drop. But ABC News is saying they are WORSE than what was first reported!

Again, outside of the few obvious choices like Hillary, are they just picking names out of a hat?

 

[ccangelopearl1362]

So just wondering, and I hope that this topic doesnt become my daily musings, but... did Obama vet ANY of these guys? Or did they pick names out of a hat?

Outside of Hillary, what other good choices did they make? They have a Tax Cheat running the IRS, they have some one with no experience in the Intelligence field running the CIA.

And now, their Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Service, not only had bad tax problems, something that has been hinted at for a while as a potential bombshell to drop. But ABC News is saying they are WORSE than what was first reported!

Again, outside of the few obvious choices like Hillary, are they just picking names out of a hat?

No need to worry, fellow political junkie. Even though America voted for -- and is getting -- "hope" and "change" last November, new Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele should be no less energetic about advocating some real hope and change for this country.:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuGRX6rbbMI
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/30/new-obama-tax-evasion-scandal-tom-daschle/
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/30/rnc-chair-voting-now-underway/

I've heard Steele once or twice recently, substituting for Bill Bennett on Morning in America, and I figure that he's pretty good. (Of course, I opine that Bennett's pretty good, too.) Perhaps as a measure of how powerful Steele might be among Hot Air's readers, I see about 250 comments on the "Tom Daschle tax-evasion" post and about 1,200 comments on the "Republican National Committee vote/Michael Steele wins!" post. I don't know about you, but I'd call that a remarkable level of optimism, or at least interest. Yet, despite these observations on my part, my greater interest may be concentrated elsewhere... such as, say, the activities of one Father Zakaria Botros.:

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTUwY2QyNjA0NjcwMjExMzI2ZmJiZTEzN2U1YjYyZjE

 

[S.Suikun]

First Tim Geithner gets probed for not paying taxes properly (but still gets in), then Nancy Killefer withdraws her bid for chief performance offer also because of tax issues, and now Tom Daschle is withdrawing his bid for Health Secretary after he gets caught with a failure to pay taxes.

Inconsistencies in the Obama tax plans, you say? Easy to see why - it doesn't seem as if anybody in that cabinet actually pays them.

The silver lining is that with Daschle out, we may get somebody with a more sensible health care agenda, provided that Obama doesn't pick from an identical pool.

 

[BigLutz]

So, where is the "Culture of Corruption" statement the media loved to throw at Bush? And does my family still have to pay their taxes? Not one, Not two, but THREE freaking tax cheats?

So lets look at what Obama has done so far in nominations.

Tom Daschle = Cheated on his Taxes
Timothy Geithner = Cheated on his taxes
Nancy Killefer = Cheated on her taxes
Bill Richardson = Under federal investigation
Leon Panetta = No Intelligence Experience, picked to run the CIA

Now lets look at the lobbyist.
"Lobbyists won’t find a job in my White House" - Barack Obama

Eric Holder - Attorney General
Tom Vilsack - Secretary of Agriculture
William Lynn - Deputy Defense Secretary
William Corr - Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary
David Hayes - Deputy Interior Secretary
Mark Patterson - Chief of Staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
Ron Klain - Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden
Mona Sutphen - Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Melody Barnes - Domestic Policy Council Director
Cecilia Munoz - White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Patrick Gaspard - White House Political Affairs Director
Michael Strautmanis - Chief of Staff to the President’s Assistant for Intergovernmental Relations
Tom Daschle - Withdrawn Nominee for Tax Problems

So... Where are all the Obama supporters? Where are the Hope/Change nut jobs that populated this board just weeks ago? I wanna see a defense to this.

 

[~Magic Thunderbolt~]

So, where is the "Culture of Corruption" statement the media loved to throw at Bush? And does my family still have to pay their taxes? Not one, Not two, but THREE freaking tax cheats?

So lets look at what Obama has done so far in nominations.

Tom Daschle = Cheated on his Taxes
Timothy Geithner = Cheated on his taxes
Nancy Killefer = Cheated on her taxes
Bill Richardson = Under federal investigation
Leon Panetta = No Intelligence Experience, picked to run the CIA

Now lets look at the lobbyist.
"Lobbyists won’t find a job in my White House" - Barack Obama

Eric Holder - Attorney General
Tom Vilsack - Secretary of Agriculture
William Lynn - Deputy Defense Secretary
William Corr - Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary
David Hayes - Deputy Interior Secretary
Mark Patterson - Chief of Staff to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner
Ron Klain - Chief of Staff to Vice President Joe Biden
Mona Sutphen - Deputy White House Chief of Staff
Melody Barnes - Domestic Policy Council Director
Cecilia Munoz - White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs
Patrick Gaspard - White House Political Affairs Director
Michael Strautmanis - Chief of Staff to the President’s Assistant for Intergovernmental Relations
Tom Daschle - Withdrawn Nominee for Tax Problems

So... Where are all the Obama supporters? Where are the Hope/Change nut jobs that populated this board just weeks ago? I wanna see a defense to this.

Forgive them for not appearing due to the bitter aftertaste post-Inauguration.

Still, you Americans should fix it up real quick.