Aimless Ames, A Lot of Numbers and a Tiger

Worth Its Weight In...Straw

With all the news of doom and gloom and threats to halt Social Security checks, you might not have noticed there is a political event coming up that the media will inevitably hype - the Ames Straw Poll. Some Republican Presidential candidates will be falling all over themselves to get a few people to vote for them in a meaningless “event” in the small town of Ames, Iowa.

Why do I say it’s meaningless? Because it is. A look at the history of the Ames poll shows no correlation between the winner and the eventual nominee. More importantly, it shows no correlation between the winner and the winner of the Iowa Caucus. It’s pointless, unless your goal is to waste a lot of money.

The poll started in 1979, so there’s no storied history here, no long tradition of...well, anything. But let’s pretend for a second, shall we?http://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2011/07/31/aimless_ames,_a_lot_of_numbers_and_a_tiger

New numbers, no surprise: Affordable Care Act anything but affordable

We already knew this, but, today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid released a 10-year forecast that confirms it: National health spending will grow at a rate faster than it would have if Obamacare had not passed. The Washington Times reports:

Total spending is projected to grow annually by 5.8 percent under Mr. Obama’s Affordable Care Act, according to a 10-year forecast by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Thursday. Without the ACA, spending would grow at a slightly slower rate of 5.7 percent annually. …

The federal government is projected to spend 20 percent more onMedicaid, while spending on private health insurance is expected to rise by 9.4 percent. …

“Simply put, this report states the obvious, that Americans have known for more than a year – the $2.6 trillion law only makes the fundamental problem of skyrocketing health care costs worse,” said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

The White House responded to the report in a blog post, spinning the report to emphasize, “National Health Expenditures Reach Historic Low.” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Nancy deParle writes:http://hotair.com/archives/2011/07/28/new-numbers-no-surprise-affordable-care-act-anything-but-affordable/

Social Security: Broke at the Beginning

It is an axiom in the insurance business that insurance is not bought but sold. In 1935 Franklin Roosevelt sold Congress and Congress sold the U. S. the Social Security Act, the biggest, most comprehensive, most expensive mass insurance policy ever written. Since then its purchasers, the nation's taxpayers, have had occasion to read their policy carefully and, if they have detected no outright jokers, their reaction has been such that practically every politician in the U. S. from Franklin Roosevelt down has put revision of Social Security at the top of his must list.-  "Pie from the Sky" Time Magazine, Feb. 13, 1939

 “It takes a great deal of history to produce a little literature,” said American-born writer Henry James. While generally James has been proved correct, in the case of Social Security, the literature, at least by volume, has swamped the history.

One of the earliest pieces of literature that contributes to the history of Social Security is Time Magazine’s Pie from The Sky, an account of a House Committee hearing called to deal with “reforming” Social Security. The hearing was held four years after passage of the Act and before even a single check was written to old age beneficiaries. The Time article is stunning not because it gives us a quaint, sun-dappled and leaded window into the Norman Rockwell past, but because it provided a pinpoint, spotlight prediction of the acrimonious future of a failed federal program.

It predicted, amongst other things, that by 1980 the “the bond interest” on Social Security “will in turn have to be met by the Treasury, through other taxes.” That is, that the insurance “scheme” was really just a Ponzi scheme that would collapse in time if other taxes to fund it weren’t raised in the future. In fact, the prediction was off by just three years. The solvency of the program was addressed in landmark legislation pushed through by President Ronald Reagan and Speaker Tip O’Neil in 1983. That legislation though only amounted to a twenty-year truce in the Social Security war. The truce ended at the turn of this century.

"Some of the proposals were less than ideal," writes US News, "one that was ultimately enacted into law raised the regressive payroll tax, which hit working- and middle-class Americans harder than wealthier citizens. Nonetheless, the 1983 agreement did succeed in extending the trust fund's solvency for a couple of generations by raising the retirement age to 67 from 65 (to be phased in by 2027); imposing a six-month delay in the cost-of-living adjustment; and requiring government employees to pay into Social Security for the first time."

The Time article also said that the federal government would borrow the money accumulated from the Social Security “reserve” to finance deficit spending and ultimately the public would have to pay the bill:http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/johnransom/2011/07/23/social_security_broke_at_the_beginning

Angry Obama Demands Tax Increases or No Deal

WASHINGTON - U.S. House Speaker John Boehner broke off talks with President Barack Obama on Friday on a deficit-reduction deal to prevent a devastating default and said he would try to hammer out an agreement through the Senate.
In a dramatic turn of events with the deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling just 11 days away, a stern-faced Obama expressed frustration at the Republican leader's move, saying it was "hard to understand why Speaker Boehner would walk away from this kind of deal."
Boehner, in a letter to fellow lawmakers, said he and Obama were unable to reach agreement on a broad deficit reduction package they had been negotiating and that the two "had different visions for our country."
A deep divide over tax revenue was at the heart of the collapse in negotiations, which derailed an effort to craft a sweeping $3 trillion deficit-cutting plan that now seems beyond reach. Both sides blamed the other for the impasse.
With the Aug. 2 deadline fast approaching for Congress to increase the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling, Boehner said he would begin talks with Senate leaders to "in an effort to find a path forward." An aide said a deal needs to be set by Monday.



Read more on Newsmax.com: Angry Obama Demands Tax Increases or No Deal
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Boehner: House Will Compromise on Debt Limit Despite Tea Party

House Speaker John Boehner predicted Thursday that a majority of House Republicans will end up supporting some kind of compromise as the Senate began debating a House-passed effort to tie an increase in the debt ceiling to conservative demands for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called up the measure to placate Republicans demanding a vote. But he said it "doesn't have one chance in a million of passing the Senate."

At a news conference, Boehner told reporters, "Frankly, I think it would be irresponsible on behalf of the Congress and the president not to be looking at back-up strategies for how to solve this problem."

"At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to act," the Ohio Republican said.

Asked whether GOP lawmakers supporting the House "cut, cap and balance" debt limit measure would be unwilling to ultimately compromise, Boehner said, "I'm sure we've got some members who believe that, but I do not believe that would be anywhere close to the majority."
Bailey Comment: Does this really surprise anyone? Birds of a feather flock together.
Read more: Boehner: House Will Compromise on Debt Limit Despite Tea Party
Important: Can you afford to Retire? Shocking Poll Results

House Votes 234-190 to Pass 'Cap, Cut and Balance'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House has passed legislation conditioning a $2.4 trillion increase in the nation's borrowing cap on a tea party-backed plan to require immediate spending cuts and a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget.

The 234-190 vote sends the "cut, cap and balance" plan to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it has virtually no chance of passing.

With the House tally cast, attention is returning to efforts in the Senate to provide President Barack Obama authority to impose an increase in the debt limit without approval by Congress and on a new Senate "Gang of Six" proposal to cut the deficit by almost $4 trillion over the coming decade.

Read more on Newsmax.com: House Votes 234-190 to Pass 'Cap, Cut and Balance'
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

Why Is Cost of Illegal Immigration Ignored In Debt Ceiling Debate?

While the debt ceiling debate rages and Congress is busy haggling over who should be taxed and what programs should be slashed, they’ve promised to consider all options except…one.

Lawmakers have chosen to forget that immigration is a discretionary social policy that by definition is designed to be adjusted to serve the nation’s broad national interest, particularly during difficult economic times. This discretionary policy is a powerful economic tool, but only if it is brought out and used.

Reforming immigration would tighten the labor market, open up jobs for legal U.S. residents, and reduce the overall fiscal strain that immigration imposes on health care, education and other social services.

Doing so is an urgent mandate and a legitimate, justified use of policy. 

If not now, then when? 

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/07/18/why-is-cost-illegal-immigration-ignored-in-debt-ceiling-debate/#ixzz1SXd7vFg3

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2011/07/18/why-is-cost-illegal-immigration-ignored-in-debt-ceiling-debate/#ixzz1SXcw8Vln

What the Debt Limit Battle Is All About

It's hard to keep up with all the arguments and proposals in the debt limit struggle. But what's at stake is fundamental.

The bedrock issue is whether we should have a larger and more expensive federal government. Over many years, federal spending has averaged about 20 percent of gross domestic product.

The Obama Democrats have raised that to 24 or 25 percent. And the president's budget projects that that percentage will stay the same or increase far into the future.

In the process, the national debt as a percentage of gross domestic product has increased from a manageable 40 percent in 2008 to 62 percent this year and an estimated 72 percent in 2012. And it's headed to the 90 percent level that economists Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart have identified as the danger point, when governments face fiscal collapse.http://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbarone/2011/07/18/what_the_debt_limit_battle_is_all_about

Obama Plans Pricey Birthday Bash on Default Day

As America’s poorest wait for Social Security checks that may never come on Aug. 3, President Barack Obama will be out celebrating a milestone birthday at a party where tickets cost up to $35,800 each.
http://www.newsmax.com/

GOP Should Call Obama's Bluff on Debt Deal

Ordinarily, I'd have difficulty grasping the magnitude of arrogance driving President Barack Obama in budget negotiations that could determine the survival of our nation, but after several painful years of observation, I've come to expect it from him.

Obama's personality type does not well handle opposition, so when House Majority Leader Eric Cantor refused to budge on Obama's unreasonable demand that the GOP agree to raise taxes during these economic hard times, which would not raise revenues, Obama blew up and "stormed out of the room."

Cantor suggested that the parties opt for a short-term deal to avert the debt ceiling deadline, but Obama adamantly refused. "Enough is enough," said Obama. "I've reached my limit. This may bring my presidency down, but I will not yield on this."

Why is it acceptable for Obama to be overtly uncompromising but express outrage that his GOP opposition is unyielding? It's as if he's saying, "How dare you be as intransigent as I'm being."

Obama also warned Cantor, "Don't call my bluff." Notice all the I's and my's in Obama's threatening language. Did anyone ever tell this narcissistic man "no" before he became president?

He acts as though the United States is his personal chattel to do with as he pleases, and no one (including members of the co-equal legislative branch) and nothing (including the Constitution) dare get in his way. He masquerades as a mere bystander in all this instead of the primary mover in accelerating this financial catastrophe and the primary obstructer of the reforms necessary to avert it.

Read more on Newsmax.com: GOP Should Call Obama's Bluff on Debt Deal
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

NBC Apologizes to Lawmakers for Omitting 'Under God' in Pledge

NBC has issued a formal apology to members of Congress for opening its broadcast of the U.S. Open championship with a montage that included children reciting the pledge without the words "under God" and "indivisible."

In a letter to 108 U.S. lawmakers, Kyle McSlarrow, president of Comcast and NBC Universal, said that the channel's effort to produce a patriotic piece was undermined by "a serious error in judgment" by a "small group of people" who have been "reprimanded."

"To be absolutely clear, this was not an ideological decision by the company and it was not discussed with or approved by any senior NBCUniversial official," McSlarrow wrote.

"We have made quite clear -- internally and externally -- that the employees who made this decision were wrong," he said. "Not only were countless citizens justifiable upset, but also the actions of this small group cast a negative light on NBCUniversal, NBC, and NBC Sports, as well as our partners at the United States Golf Association.

"It was an inexcusable mistake in judgment and it will not be repeated."

The letter sent last week came in response to a missive from Reps. Randy Forbes, R-Va., and Mike McIntyre D-N.C., co-chairmen of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, sent to NBC Chief Executive Officer Stephen Burke last month after NBC issued an on-air apology for the altered pledge.

That note was signed by 108 members of Congress.

"Although we are aware that NBC has apologized for the omissions, we are concerned that the video was allowed to air with the altered Pledge of Allegiance in the first place," they wrote. "We live in a society where there are increasing efforts to remove all mention of religion from public life, and we remain dedicated to defending against such attempts."

Bailey Comment: I'm curious about what religion if any this this small group of people belong to? Surely there is no Muslims among them?

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/13/nbc-apologizes-to-congress-for-omitting-under-god-in-pledge/#ixzz1S4Kg3ICl

House Turns Out the Lights on Bulb Ban

The House of Representatives voted to preserve a scheduled phase out of incandescent light bulbs Monday evening.

The Better Use of Light Bulbs (BULB) Act, would have rescinded efficiency standards for incandescent bulbs included in a 2007 energy bill.

233 members voted yes and 193 cast nay votes. But the House required a supermajority to approve this particular package. In this case, it would have needed 285 yea votes to pass.

Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) voted present.

The measure gained support after the 2010 elections, as tea party Republicans seized on the prohibition as an example of government overreach.

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, says that the increased efficiency standards have the government picking winners and losers in the lighting market.

"To take off the market something that's cheap, effective, and average use costs two or three cents a week to use seems to me to be overkill by the federal government," Barton said of the move away from incandescent bulbs. Supporters of the bill also claim that the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs designed to replace incandescent bulbs are too expensive and don't work as well as their 19th century competitor."Here's the bottom line, those of us at a certain age, under a compact florescent bulb, we don't look as good as an incandescent bulb," said Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, "The American people should be able to choose what type of light bulb they use in their home. They should not be constrained to all the romance of a Soviet stairwell when they go home in the evening."

Democrats were quick to point out that the bulb ban wasn't their idea. "Our current (Energy and Commerce) Chairman Mr. (Fred) Upton (R-Mich.) introduced the bill to set the standards. our former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) supported it along with many other republicans, and finally President George W. Bush signed these standards into law," noted Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Penn.

The energy efficiency law Doyle cites passed the House with more than 300 votes in the House and over 80 in the Senate.

Upton co-wrote the light bulb language in that energy bill with former Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif. Action on the BULB Act was seen by some as a concession to the loser of the Energy and Commerce Chairmanship, Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, who highlighted Upton's light legislation during their leadership contest last year. Barton has since thanked Upton for taking action on the proposal.

The Obama administration issued a statement announcing its opposition to the repeal, saying it would "result in negative economic consequences for U.S. consumers and the economy."

The statement of administration policy issued by the Office of Management and Budget cited Department of Energy figures that say the law "could collectively save U.S. households nearly $6 billion in 2015 alone." That's because even though CFL bulbs cost more off the shelf, they last longer and use less energy than incandescent bulbs, and could ultimately save the consumer money over the light's lifetime.

The legislation, considered under an expedited rules procedure, required a two-thirds majority for passage.

Despite its failure in the House, a way forward in the Democratically-controlled Senate is uncertain. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., supports the current efficiency standards and is unlikely to support action on a similar measure in committee.

Fox News Producer John Brandt contributed to this report

Read more: http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/07/12/house-turns-out-lights-bulb-ban#ixzz1RyVQ908S

Obama Says Economy Has 'Long Way to Go'

Hiring slowed to a stagnant pace last month, pushing the unemployment rate up for the third consecutive month and raising questions about whether the economy has what it takes to climb out of its post-recession slump. 

President Obama, addressing the bleak report outside the White House Friday, acknowledged the economy still has a "long way to go" to fill the jobs hole left in the wake of the 2008 recession. "Our economy as a whole just isn't producing nearly enough jobs for everybody who's looking," Obama said. 

Bailey Comment: Duh!! Mr. President you finally got it (maybe)? Try cutting up your government credit card and coming out into the real world. It's easy to spend money when it's not coming out of your own pocket!

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/08/unemployment-rate-rises-to-2-percent-in-june-as-hiring-stalls/#ixzz1RhhGBIke

Texas to Execute Killer Despite Pleas

President Obama, the State Department and Mexico ask Texas to halt the impending execution of a Mexican national convicted of rape and murder, citing a U.N.-enforced treaty. Bailey comment: "Do you believe that Mexico would do the same thing for America"? This sounds like another Casey Anthony deal to me!http://www.foxnews.com/

Obama Violated ACORN Funding Ban With Housing Grant to Offshoot, Watchdog Says

A conservative watchdog group is accusing President Obama of violating a funding ban that he signed into law that prohibits the flow of federal money to the now-defunct community activist group ACORN or any of its affiliates.

Judicial Watch says that in March, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued nearly $80,000 in grants to Affordable Housing Centers of America (AHCOA), which the groups says is an offshoot of ACORN.

"This was an ACORN affiliate at the time of the funding ban and it has not changed in sum or substance since then," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told Fox News in an interview. "The funding ban was violated and the administration is calling these new entities. It just doesn't pass the laugh test."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/06/obama-violates-acorn-funding-ban-with-housing-grant-to-offshoot-watchdog-says/#ixzz1RMxnMzD4

Happy 4th of July!

Aside from being a long weekend and an opportunity to have some hot dogs and beer in the back yard, the 4th of July celebrates America’s independence from an imperial government that was taxing us to death; was indifferent to our problems; and crushed ideas of liberty and freedom.

If those words seem to describe what is beginning to happen again in America, then it is time for Americans to rise up again and declare our independence from a Congress that seems to have forgotten both the words and the meaning of our Declaration of Independence.  Only this time, we can use the power of the ballot box, not musket fire to get the job done.

Bailey: AMERICA LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT!

http://www.usbc.org/national-security/immigration-news/happy-4th-of-july/

Remember the Alamo?
It's getting pretty bad when the Mexicans can't run Mexico, but the  damn Democrats let them run  America.
What for? Because they want the Mexican vote!

Glenn Beck Bids Farewell and Reveals New Plans

Marking the end of a media era, former Fox News host Glenn Beck signed off his program during a live broadcast Thursday, saying his decision to leave the show was “divinely inspired,” and promising to continue his fight to restore the values that made America great.

The final program that concluded his two-and-a-half year Fox run was vintage Beck. He lampooned the mainstream media, predicting that his new endeavors to GBTV.com would make them pine for the days when his television time was limited to only an hour a day.

Beck nostalgically recounted the unique features of his program, including its idiosyncratic reliance on chalk boards in an age of high-tech wizardry, and a red phone he used to challenge the Obama administration to call and defend its policies on air.

“This show has become a movement,” Beck said. “It’s not really a TV show anymore. And that’s why it doesn’t belong on TV. It belongs in your home.”

There have been reports of tension between Beck and the network, reportedly over advertisers who held back their support out of concern that Beck was too hot to handle. But Beck scoffed at the notion he may have been dropped by Fox News due to his controversial past statements, including his July 2009 remark that President Barack Obama was “racist” and harbored “a deep-seated hatred for white people or the white culture.” Beck later apologized for his choice of words.


Read more on Newsmax.com: Glenn Beck Bids Farewell and Reveals New Plans
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!