Friday, May 29, 2009

Biden's Teleprompter Joke

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Republican Health Care Alternative

On a blogger call today Senator Coburn and Representatives Nunes and Ryan discussed their alternative health care plan entitled 'Patients' Choice Act.' Representative Nunes noted that the Obama administration has yet to release any of the details of the plan that it is already starting to promote. Summaries of the Patients' Choice Act as well as additional information are given on Representative Ryan's website.

“The Patients’ Choice Act of 2009,” transforms health care in America by strengthening the relationship between the patient and the doctor; using choice and competition rather than rationing and restrictions to contain costs; and ensuring universal, affordable health care for all Americans. “The Patients’ Choice Act” promotes innovative, State-based solutions, along with fundamental reforms in the tax code, to give every American, regardless of employment status, age, or health condition, the ability and the resources to purchase health insurance. The comprehensive legislation includes concrete prevention and transparency initiatives, long overdue reforms to Medicare and Medicaid, investments in wellness programs and health IT, and more.




Republican Health Care Alternative, Patients' Choice Act

Friday, May 15, 2009

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Obama Adminstration Creates New Report to Make Numbers Fit

The Obama administration is having some difficulty with the economic projections they used to sell the stimulus bill, so they've decided to rewrite their projections. The administration projected that the unemployment rate would peak at 8%, it is now at 8.9%. This would lead many reasonable people to think that that the stimulus package has not yet been successful at creating jobs. Hence the Obama administration has written a new economic report. USA Today article White House defends 3.5M job forecast states...
The new report by the White House Council of Economic Advisers offers more details about the projected impact of the $787 billion stimulus package, which Obama signed into law in February. The figure of 3.5 million jobs saved or created, the report says, is the difference between the projected number of jobs during the last three months of 2010 with the stimulus and the projected number of jobs without if there had been no stimulus plan.

The report also offers a new measure of the stimulus law's economic effects: 6.8 million additional job-years between the signing of the legislation and the end of 2012. A job-year represents one job held for one year.

Christina Romer, Obama's top economic adviser, said the administration's goal has been to come up with realistic estimates, not to manipulate the numbers for political purposes. "Accuracy has always been the main thing, not the political back-and-forth," Romer said in an interview Saturday.

Beyond the Obama administration need for 'new math', the AP's article STIMULUS WATCH: Early road aid leaves out neediest reports that areas hardest hit by the economic downturn are receiving less stimulus aid that lesser affected regions.
Counties suffering the most from job losses stand to receive the least help from President Barack Obama's plan to spend billions of stimulus dollars on roads and bridges, an Associated Press analysis has found.

Although the intent of the money is to put people back to work, AP's review of more than 5,500 planned transportation projects nationwide reveals that states are planning to spend the stimulus in communities where jobless rates are already lower...


...The early trend seen in the AP analysis runs counter to expectations raised by Obama, that road and infrastructure money from the historic $787 billion stimulus plan would create jobs in areas most devastated by layoffs and plant closings. Transportation money, he said, would mean paychecks for "folks looking for work" and "folks who want to work."

The budget deficit is expected to exceed $1,800,000,000,000 this year, and there has been no sign by this administration that they see huge deficits as a problem. This leaves many wondering how massive inflation will be avoided, and wondering how much number shuffling will be needed in order to make this gratuitous government spending look wise.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Friday, May 8, 2009

McCain and Graham on Guantanamo Detainees

Senators Graham and McCain laid out a set of guidelines for handling Guantanamo detainees. They start their article by noting the need to move forward instead of looking back, as there are pressing concerns to addressed.
The country must move on from debates about the past, because pressing questions about U.S. detention policy in the war on terror requires us to make difficult choices -- and to make them soon.

In January, the president announced via executive order that the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay will close within a year. The announcement was easy -- but it left unanswered the hardest questions about detainee policy for the future.

How do we prosecute detainees suspected of committing war crimes now that military commissions have been suspended? How should we handle those detainees who cannot be tried, but who are too dangerous to release? Where will we house them? How should we deal with detainees who, if released, would return to the fight against us? How do we deal with the prisoners held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan where some detainees captured outside Afghanistan are being held?

There are no easy answers. As senators who have struggled with these issues for years, we believe some basic principles can help us find a common path forward...

The full article is worth a read and consideration should be given to the fact that these two Senators are experts in this area. Senator Graham is a JAG, and both Senators championed the surge strategy that eventually lead to success in Iraq. Both were critical in drafting and passing the Military Commissions Act which set forth procedures for trying detainees. Senator McCain has also been a particularly vocal critic of torture and the use of waterboarding. These two senators have given consistent thoughtful and useful guidance on issues related to foreign policy and military conflict, and again set forth an important set of guidelines for the handling of Guantanamo detainees.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Political Wit and Humor

libsav

Couldn't resist passing along these graphics/headlines. Savage Politics is obviously addressing the government's bone-headed move to fly over NYC and the Statue of Liberty. Liberal Rapture pokes fun at President Obama's image among die-hard supporters as savior. A hat-tip both; smart and funny.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Free Us Now Radio Featured Guest, Author Katherine Morrison

Featured Radio Presentation

Monday Night May 4th soROARity
Katherine J. Morrison
"Author of An Independent Call"

Free Us Now guest, Katherine Morrison wrote a book about the 2008 presidential election. The book entitled An Independent Call, chronicles the journey of an Independent New Hampshirite from wary observer of town hall meetings to eventual McCain supporter and volunteer. It is an amusing look at the events of a campaign. From meeting candidates from both sides of the aisle, to becoming a blogger for McCain, to being chewed out on campaign phone calls, to receiving press credentials for the Republican National Convention, this account relates the experience of being a participant at the lowest level politics from an outsider's perspective. A mix of good humor and political opinion from the middle.

Rockingham NH County Commissioner, Maureen Barrows, recommends An Independent Call stating that it is- "A must read for anyone interested in the day to day life of a volunteer in a political campaign-attention to detail is brilliant."
No radio needed The Free Us Now Radio show is online - If your computer is down no problem call on the phone and hear the entire show right on the phone- Please come! Monday 10 PM eastern/ Bring your questions.
Call-in 347 539-5420.

Event: Free Us Now Radio Show
Host: BettyJean Kling
Start Time: Monday, at 10:00pm
End Time: Monday, at 11:30pm
Where: http://www.Blogtalkradio.com/NO-WE-WONT
Call-in:  347 539-5420

Jack Kemp Tribute

ESPN posted a very nice article in tribute to Jack Kemp who passed away yesterday of cancer. The article does an excellent job of describing Kemp's personality and life, and is definitely worth a read. Also, Kemp's own open letter to his grandchildren after the 2008 presidential election shows why Mr. Kemp will missed by so many.