On the sixth anniversary of the war in Iraq, why are the loudest champions of the War on Terror no longer talking about it?
Category: Obama
President Barack Hussein Obama's March Towards Communism
In all honesty…. it is more like a marathon run towards Communism actually.
Thanks to the stupidity of the Carter and Clinton Administrations and the inaction on the Republican controlled 2003 Congress. We are now becoming a Communist Nation. We have no one to blame, but ourselves.
The Communist owned Washington Post reports:
The Obama administration is considering asking Congress to give the Treasury secretary unprecedented powers to initiate the seizure of non-bank financial companies, such as large insurers, investment firms and hedge funds, whose collapse would damage the broader economy, according to an administration document.
The government at present has the authority to seize only banks.
Giving the Treasury secretary authority over a broader range of companies would mark a significant shift from the existing model of financial regulation, which relies on independent agencies that are shielded from the political process. The Treasury secretary, a member of the president’s Cabinet, would exercise the new powers in consultation with the White House, the Federal Reserve and other regulators, according to the document.
The administration plans to send legislation to Capitol Hill this week. Sources cautioned that the details, including the Treasury’s role, are still in flux.
Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner is set to argue for the new powers at a hearing today on Capitol Hill about the furor over bonuses paid to executives at American International Group, which the government has propped up with about $180 billion in federal aid. Administration officials have said that the proposed authority would have allowed them to seize AIG last fall and wind down its operations at less cost to taxpayers.
The administration’s proposal contains two pieces. First, it would empower a government agency to take on the new role of systemic risk regulator with broad oversight of any and all financial firms whose failure could disrupt the broader economy. The Federal Reserve is widely considered to be the leading candidate for this assignment. But some critics warn that this could conflict with the Fed’s other responsibilities, particularly its control over monetary policy.
The government also would assume the authority to seize such firms if they totter toward failure.
Besides seizing a company outright, the document states, the Treasury Secretary could use a range of tools to prevent its collapse, such as guaranteeing losses, buying assets or taking a partial ownership stake. Such authority also would allow the government to break contracts, such as the agreements to pay $165 million in bonuses to employees of AIG’s most troubled unit.
The Treasury secretary could act only after consulting with the president and getting a recommendation from two-thirds of the Federal Reserve Board, according to the plan.
Geithner plans to lay out the administration’s broader strategy for overhauling financial regulation at another hearing on Thursday.
You see folks, this is where it starts. They start seizing businesses, and taking the assets for themselves. Then the Government decides to take YOUR assets; because they happen to think that you are making too much money. What amazes me, is the resounding silence from the Republicans, especially the Neo-Conservatives like Michelle Malkin and over at HotAir.com. Could it be that the Neo-Conservatives secretly approve of such actions? Possibly the Republican Party as well? Could it be that the Republican Party is now infiltrated with Communists to the point of having lost it’s true identity?
You decide.
Others: The Moderate Voice, Reuters, pw, , The Strata-Sphere,Bloomberg, Washington Monthly, Pajamas Media, Right Wing News, Sweetness & Light, Neptunus Lex, Stop The ACLU, Sister Toldjah, and Fausta’s Blog
(Via Memeorandum)
Barry Continues to win friends
It is being reported in French paper Le Figaro:
Barack Obama a écrit à Jacques Chirac
Le président américain vient d’adresser une lettre «très sympathique » à Jacques Chirac, selon l’expression de ce dernier. «Je suis certain que nous pourrons au cours des quatre années à venir collaborer ensemble dans un esprit de paix et d’amitié afin de construire un monde plus sûr» , écrit le successeur de George W. Bush au prédécesseur de Nicolas Sarkozy. En évoquant le mot de « paix», Obama rend un hommage implicite à l’action de l’ancien président français qui s’était opposé à la guerre en Irak. Une intervention américaine contre laquelle le futur président américain s’était opposé comme sénateur, lors du vote au Congrès.
Which Translates to: (As good as google translate can do so…)
Barack Obama wrote to Jacques Chirac
The U.S. President has just sent a letter “very sympathetic” to Jacques Chirac, in the words of the latter. “I am confident that we can over the next four years working together in a spirit of peace and friendship to build a safer world,” writes the successor to George W. Bush’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy. In mentioning the word “peace,” Obama makes implicit tribute to the action of the former French president who opposed the war in Iraq. A U.S. intervention against which the future U.S. president had opposed as a senator, in a vote in Congress.
Nice…… Barry in his first 100 days, manages to piss off the British AND the french! Great. 🙄
Others Covering:
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: Winning friends internationally again
Erick Erickson / RedState: Morning Briefing for March 23, 2009
(H/T to Gateway Pundit)
Tim Geithner reveals his plan and it still sucks
There’s a great deal of coverage on this… go here to check it out. We’re screwed, and I do mean badly.
Others covering:
Frank James / The Swamp: Geithner’s financial-rescue plan, take two
Jeremy P. Jacobs / The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room: Geithner lays out toxic asset plan
Caitlin Taylor / The Note: The Note, 3/23/09: Crisis of Confidence …
Simon Johnson / The Baseline Scenario: Breaking The Bank — My problem with Monday’s expected announcement …
Atrios / Eschaton: Risk — One thing which stood out from Timmeh’s WSJ op-ed (perfect place to leg hump the
Ben Pershing / Washington Post: A New Week, A New Economic Plan to Sell
Clay Risen / The Plank: Foxes Guarding the Henhouse?
James Joyner / Outside The Beltway: Geithner Plan: TARP 2.0?
Caitlin Taylor / Political Punch: Will the Public Want to Partner with Wall Street?
Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire – bk: Geithner’s Plan, Take Two — In advance of his second attempt …
Betsy Newmark / Betsy’s Page: Obama and the AIG bonuses
Barry Ritholtz / The Big Picture: US Futures Higher: Dow 212+
William Richards / Dealbreaker: Opening Bell: 03.23.09 — Geithner Looks To Announce New Plan Today (Bloomberg)
Charles Lemos / MyDD: D-Day for Geithner — It’s showtime for Secretary Geithner.
Lambert / Corrente: What you mean, “we,” Timmy?
Doug Stanglin / On Deadline: Geithner set to unveil bank bailout plan
more via Memeorandum
Editorial: The psychos are running the nuthouse!
Originally published over at my column at NolanChart.com:
It has been a while since I have written an article for my column; with all my days spent blogging about the political happenings post-Obama election, I just have not had the time to sit here and hammer out a good column. I have not forgotten to write, I just have not had the time to sit down and gather my thoughts and put my opinion to the current matters.
President Barack Obama has not been in the White House for 100 days yet and already it seems that our Country is headed for either one of two things; either economic disaster or outright European socialism. Although I tend to believe that one will follow the other, I do firmly believe that capitalism is in grave danger. I also believe that our Nation is going to be one that is going to become a society that rewards failure.
This applies in the area of the home mortgages; since when do we bail out people who have gotten in over their heads in debt? To be clear, I do understand that there were those who were victimized, and those who did this, to innocent people, should be prosecuted. However, those who knowingly got into mortgages that they knew they would not normally be able to afford, I have zero pity for. You make a stupid mistake you pay the consequences. That is how a free and democratic society works. You have to responsibility for your own actions.
Let me give you a personal example. When I was 19 years old, Discover Card sent me an application for a Credit Card. My parents came on as co-signers. Between the time that I first received that card and the time in 2004, when I finally filed for bankruptcy, I was over 14K in debt. Conversely it was over 18K of debt with the new truck that I bought, that I could not really afford; however because I had a job, I could make payments. One day the unthinkable happened, I lost my job; the gravy train stopped and threw me off. Those gravy trains never were known for their cordialness. After doing the obligatory and quite painful grunt and skid across the debt parking lot. I decided I had better go see a bankruptcy lawyer.
What does this have to do with what is happening now in the United States Government? It has quite a bit to do with it actually. Did the United States Government come in and offer to pay off my debt? No. Did the United States Government offer to come in and give me any kind of relief on my truck payments? Nope! I ended up losing that truck someone else owns it now. In other words, I was not rewarded for making stupid decisions, like going over my head in debt. Which by the way, was my own fault, I am the one that charged items on my discover card and got over my head in all that debt not anyone else, not that American taxpayers, but me.
Another way that the United States Government is rewarding failure is by losing their ever-loving minds over bonuses that were contractually awarded to employees of a company. Now I understand the reasons why people are upset about the bonuses. The problem is, the people on the left, or the Democrats are looking at this from a rather idiotic point of view. If the Democrats in Congress are so mad about these bonuses, then why in the heck did they vote to prop up these banks in the first place? The bonuses were a drop in the bucket to what we spent to take ownership in these companies. Why nationalize a company and then gripe about a bonus? It makes zero sense to me.
Again, even bailing out these companies in the first place is rewarding companies for failure. Sorry, I do not buy the notion of a business being too big to fail, that is simply stupid political double talk for a nationalization argument.
Let me give you another personal example of why I think this propping up a business is just simply stupid and why it teaches that it is okay to have a bad business model. I used to run a small electronics out of my house here. I would never buy more than one or two items at the most. I would always tell my customers, you want something, you pay up front, and I will order the item. I would get the money and order the item, and whatever I had left over, I kept for profit. That is called responsible business practices. However, what if I went out, got a loan for say $500.000, and bought a bunch of inventory and then the market fell out in the electronics business or what if I just did not bother to advertise? I would be stuck with a bill for the loan and a bunch of inventory that I could not move. Now would it fair for me to want the United States Government to bail me out of that situation? I think not. Nevertheless, that is what the Government is doing; they are essentially saying that some businesses are just too big to fail.
Not only this, but we are bailing these banks out with money that we do not even have. We are using money that we are borrowing from china, money that is not even ours. What we do not borrow from China, we are printing ourselves, which will devalue the dollar. It is as the title of this column says a case of psychos that are running the nuthouse.
Cry me a river!
Scott over at power line Blog is depressed because the Liberals are running the country.
Sorry dude, but I have zero pity for you or the Republican Party. They could have chosen a real Conservative candidate; but instead they ran a rich Mormon asshole, a crazy hick preacher, a half asleep old man who stumbled and cleared his throat alot and finally a senile old man, who really wasn’t even a Republican, but rather a RINO.
The senile old fool won the beauty contest and went up against the most hip, the most cool, and the first ever black Presidential candidate ever…..and he lost.
Those are the breaks.
Of course, there was one guy, who had two first names, someone who went against the grain and did not fall in line, and you all treated him like a special education student; in fact, he had to go have his own party, because you all would not even let him speak at your convention.
Now America is being lead by a Neo-Liberal, who wants to take America down the path of European socialism, and eventually into the path of full blown Communism.
Indeed, America’s Chickens are coming home……to roost.
Others:
Donald Douglas / American Power: The Folsom Cell Block National Culture
Victor Davis Hanson / Pajamas Media: Thoughts About Depressed Americans
Fausta / Fausta’s Blog: Am I depressed yet?
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard: Iran Responds: “Death to America”
Obama's Katrina Moment?
Yes, Iran does hate us and they have reasons too
This is one of those posts that will separate me from the rabid Neo-Conservative right.
The New York Times reports that Iran has rejected the overtures of the Obama Administration.
The reasons were given:
Khamenei enumerated a long list of Iranian grievances against the United States over the past 30 years and said the U.S. was still interfering in Iranian affairs.
He mentioned U.S. sanctions against Iran, U.S. support for Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during his 1980-88 war against Iran and the downing of an Iranian airliner over the Persian Gulf in 1988.
He also accused the U.S. of provoking ethnic tension in Iran and said Washington’s accusations that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons are a sign of U.S. hostility. Iran says its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, like energy production, not for building weapons.
”Have you released Iranian assets? Have you lifted oppressive sanctions? Have you given up mudslinging and making accusations against the great Iranian nation and its officials? Have you given up your unconditional support for the Zionist regime? Even the language remains unchanged,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei, wearing a black turban and dark robes, said America was hated around the world for its arrogance, as the crowd chanted ”Death to America.”
While I will be the first to concede that much of this was done much before Obama’s time. The fact is that the United States has always treated that region as a pawn. A pawn in a game of “The Ends Justify the means.” and we are bearing the fruit of that now.
The Zionist remark can be described as simply this. The United States has never, ever, taken a critical tone with Israel and has mostly always blindly supported Israel’s acts of aggression in the region. All the while condemning anyone’s acts towards Israel. It is that policy that has people like those in Iran saying, “Death to America.”
Anyone that tries to tell you anything other than this, is selling you a line of bullshit.
Yes, we are a Banana Republic
John Hinderaker is shocked to discover that America is not what it seems to be:
I’m stupefied to find that some people are defending the constitutionality of Nancy Pelosi’s discriminatory, confiscatory and retroactive tax on people who receive bonus income from companies that got TARP money. I would have considered it a bright line rule that the government can’t identify a class of unpopular people and impose a special tax on them. What’s next? A 100% income tax on registered Republicans, retroactive to last year? If Pelosi’s bill passes muster, why not?
One theory, presumably, is that since the government is contributing TARP money it can put whatever strings it wants on that money. (Including, I guess, strings imposed after the fact that would deprive employees of agreed-upon consideration for work they’ve already performed.) But that theory has been rejected in a variety of contexts. The government cannot condition its spending on a relinquishment of constitutional rights. Here’s a thought experiment: how about putting a condition (retroactively, of course) on TARP money that says no employee of any bank that receives such money (or his spouse) can get an abortion? Would Nancy Pelosi think that’s constitutional?
Wells Fargo didn’t want any TARP money, but the government forced it to take more than $5 billion worth, so Wells Fargo employees who receive bonuses would be subject to Pelosi’s proposed tax. Say you’re a teller at a Wells Fargo branch in Minnesota and you’re married to a lawyer who makes $250,000 this year. You get a $10,000 bonus for your good work during 2008. The government steals it all (90 percent federal plus 8.5 percent state plus, unless it’s included in the 90 percent, 3 percent Medicare). That is simply insane.
Welcome to the new real world John! This is what happens when Conservatives, Libertarians and those pesky independents falls for the nice speeches and sweet swagger of a man, who in all honesty has zero business being President.
Luckily for us, there some Republicans who have some brains up on the hill. The AP Reports:
Senate Republicans are drawing out a flap that has made the Obama administration squirm, applying the brakes to Democratic attempts to quickly tax away most of the bonuses at troubled insurance giant AIG and other bailed-out companies.
Sen. Jon Kyl, the Republicans’ vote counter, blocked Democratic efforts Thursday evening to bring up the Senate version of the tax bill to recoup most of the $165 million paid out by AIG last weekend and other bonuses in 2009. The House had swiftly approved its version of the bill earlier in the day.
By rushing, Kyl said, Democrats were letting populist outrage trump informed decision making in the Senate, which is supposed to be insulated from the pressures of public passion.
“I don’t believe that Congress should rush to pass yet another piece of hastily crafted legislation in this very toxic atmosphere, at least without understanding the facts and the potential unintended consequences,” Kyl said on the Senate floor. “Frankly, I think that’s how we got into the current mess.”
Senate Democrats said they will try again next week to take up the tax bill and hope to complete it before April 4, when Congress leaves for a two-week spring break. Combining the disparate House and Senate versions of the bill might have to wait until after the recess.
If the Democrats want to fix the problem, they should try turning to the moron that they put in the White House and his treasury secretary. Both of their resignations would be nice right about now. We need some real leadership, and not that idiot Harlem Globetrotter nonsense, that we have been getting since Barry took office. In other words, it’s time for “Teleprompter Boy” to hit the damned road.
Others:
- Kim Priestap / Wizbang: An Adult Steps up and Takes Control
- Peter Robinson / The Corner: Commandante Obama — Are we becoming a banana republic?
Barry's Budget might bring $9.3 trillion in deficits
Nothing like something to make your Saturday a bit more gloomy. Knowing that the Globetrotter in chief is basically spending your Country into a economic black hole.
Via the AP:
President Barack Obama’s budget would produce $9.3 trillion in deficits over the next decade, more than four times the deficits of Republican George W. Bush’s presidency, congressional auditors said Friday.
The new Congressional Budget Office figures offered a far more dire outlook for Obama’s budget than the new administration predicted just last month — a deficit $2.3 trillion worse. It’s a prospect even the president’s own budget director called unsustainable.
In his White House run, Obama assailed the economic policies of his predecessor, but the eye-popping deficit numbers threaten to swamp his ambitious agenda of overhauling health care, exploring new energy sources and enacting scores of domestic programs.
The dismal deficit figures, if they prove to be accurate, inevitably raise the prospect that Obama and his Democratic allies controlling Congress would have to consider raising taxes after the recession ends or else pare back his agenda.
By CBO’s calculation, Obama’s budget would generate deficits averaging almost $1 trillion a year of red ink over 2010-2019.
Worst of all, CBO says the deficit under Obama’s policies would never go below 4 percent of the size of the economy, figures that economists agree are unsustainable. By the end of the decade, the deficit would exceed 5 percent of gross domestic product, a dangerously high level.
Here is the real kicker, what are the so-called “Liberal Experts” saying is the solution to the above? Spending more money! But of course!
As Washington Post columnist Steven Pearlstein pointed out, the numbers confirm that “the recession is worse than they thought when they did these things last time,” and thus “the more urgent it is for us to spend more money to stimulate the economy.
It is indeed a scarey time to be an American. The mental cases are running the asylum.
Others:
- Tobin Harshaw / The Opinionator: Weekend Opinionator: Obama’s Communication Breakdown
- Right Wing News: Former CBO Director Now Finds CBO Numbers Not So Good
- James Joyner / Outside The Beltway: Trillion Dollar Deficits as Far as the Eye Can See
- Jeremy Pelofsky / Reuters: U.S. Budget Office offers darker economic and deficit outlook
- David Kramer / LewRockwell.com Blog: $1 trillion deficits seen for next 10 years
