Charles Krauthammer - The Old Obama in new clothing

Image by Robert Couse-Baker via Flickr

The November election sent a clear message to Washington: less government, less debt, less spending. President Obama certainly heard it, but judging from his State of the Union address, he doesn't believe a word of it. The people say they want cuts? Sure they do - in the abstract. But any party that actually dares carry them out will be punished severely. On that, Obama stakes his reelection.

No other conclusion can be drawn from a speech that didn't even address the debt issue until 35 minutes in. And then what did he offer? A freeze on domestic discretionary spending that he himself admitted would affect a mere one-eighth of the budget.

Obama seemed impressed, however, that it would produce $400 billion in savings over 10 years. That's an average of $40 billion a year. The deficit for last year alone was more than 30 times as much. And total federal spending was more than 85 times that amount. A $40 billion annual savings for a government that just racked up $3 trillion in new debt over the past two years is deeply unserious. It's spillage, a rounding error.

Even Megyn Kelly Is Laughing

Nobody Came to My Aid - Part II

WFMZ/YouTube

Cathy A. Cruz Marrero, the moron who fell into the fountain while trying to send a text and walk at the same time is back in the news. As expected, she has an attorney and is considering a law suit against the mall. Even though she has charges against her for stealing credit cards, hit and run and several other crimes, we are expected to believe that she is a "victim" here.


Her complaint is that mall security personnel did not leap to her assistance. I watched the video and from the time she makes splash down to the time she is back on dry land is 13 seconds. Hell, most security guards I know can't run the hundred yard dash in that amount of time. (You can see the video and time it for yourself here.)


Her attorney, James M. Polyak, is quoted as saying, "We also want to know what happened, how it happened and who is responsible - and then we'll go from there."


OK, I'm going to try and explain it to this Einstein. A little lesson we shall call Walking 101. 


When I was very young and started learning to walk, it became clear to me very quickly that certain things such as furniture, trees, light poles and other inanimate objects do not tend to leap out of your path as you approach. Therefore it is very important, in fact imperative, that you watch where the hell you are going. This was further explained by some guy named Newton who made it a scientific fact when he said, "Objects at rest tend to remain at rest." How important is this concept? Hell, even blind people use a cane or a dog to detect obstacles. So to explain to Mr. Polyak the what and how from his question: Your client, not looking where she was going, tripped and fell into a fountain.


The next part of Mr. Polyak's question asks, "Who is responsible." Let me analyze that very carefully. Was the fountain clearly visible. It appears from the video that the fountain was in plain view and that the mall had not tried to hide it or camouflage it in any way. Would a reasonable person have been able to avoid the fountain? The answer is a resounding yes, provided that one is actually looking as we discussed previously. So who is responsible for this tragic dip in the fountain? The answer can only be Cathy A. Cruz Marrero, our walking challenged fried.


My opinion is that this is a blatant money-grab by someone who obviously has some amount of disregard for the law. Hope the judge sees it the same way.

Related articles

• "I fell. I fell. I fell in the fountain. I fell in the fountain." (dreamindemon.com)
• FOX + Woman Trips Into Mall Fountain While Texting (foxnews.com)
• Fountain Lady, Cathy Cruz Marrero, is Going to sue (manolith.com)
• Potential Lawsuit of the Day: Fountain Lady Compounds Her Embarrassment By Suing the Mall (abovethelaw.com)
• What not to do after you fall into a fountain (salon.com)

Encouragement - Pass It On

"Based on a true story, this poignant moment in a concert hall reminds us how even the most embarrassing situations can be turned around with a little patience and Encouragement."

This video is from "The Foundation for a Better Life".
www.forbetterlife.org

A True Optimist

Image via WikipediaJack and Tom, are having a beer in a saloon when a cowboy walks in with an Indian’s head under his arm. He hands it to the bartender, and the bartender hands him money.

The bartender turns to them and says, “I hate Indians. Last week they burnt my barn to the ground and killed my wife and three kids. Anybody brings me the head of an Indian, I’ll give them a thousand bucks.”

Jack and Tom guzzle their beers and leave to go hunt Indians. After a while, they finally spot one. Jack throws a rock, it hits him on the head, the Indian falls off his horse, and rolls seventy feet down a ravine. The two cowboys make their way down the ravine and Tom pulls out his knife to claim their trophy.

Jack says, “Tom, take a look at this.” Tom says, “Not now, I’m busy.” Jack says, “I really think you should have a look.” Tom says, “Asshole, can’t you see I’m busy? I’ve got a thousand dollars in my hand.” Jack says, “Please, Tom, take a look.”

Tom looks up at the top of the ravine, and there’s five thousand Indians standing there. Tom says, “F*ck! We’re gonna be millionaires!”

Nobody Came to My Aid

Anyone know Cathy Cruz Marrero? She's the Pennsylvania woman who was walking through the Berkshire Mall while texting and fell into a fountain. A security guard watching the remote monitors apparently recorded the fall on his cell phone camera and posted in on YouTube where it went viral.


Now Ms. Marrero is all over the news with an ambulance chasing lawyer threatening legal action against the mall because no one came to her aid. Hell, as quick as she got out of the fountain they could not have responded if they had been in the store next door. It was obvious she was not injured.


No - she is pissed - or is she really? How many people fall, get up unhurt, and then contact mall security? She is an employee at this mall and her husband is currently unemployed. Can you say PAYDAY!


Appears she is not only a careless walker but also a careless driver as you can see at this link.


She also has charges for identity theft, receiving stolen property and other assorted charges. You can see the complete list at this link.


I don't know about the rest of you, but I smell something fishy going on. As my Dad used to say, "Don't piss on my shoes and tell me it's raining."


Details of the story and the video:


1 step leads 'Fountain Girl' to unwanted fame


Fountain Lady: 'Nobody Went to My Aid'

Related articles

• I'm suing: Shopper who fell in mall fountain while walking and texting hits out against laughing security guards (dailymail.co.uk)
• For No Reason Except It's Funny, Here's A Video Of A Woman Walking Into A Fountain While Texting (mediaite.com)
• Texting woman whose fall into fountain gathered worldwide attention is upset at Pennsylvania mall (pennlive.com)
• Texter who tumbled into fountain upset over video (philly.com)

Health Care Repeal Won't Add to the Deficit

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By DOUGLAS HOLTZ-EAKIN, JOSEPH ANTOS AND JAMES C. CAPRETTA

The Congressional Budget Office says repealing the Affordable Care Act would increase the deficit by $230 billion over the coming decade and by a modest amount in the decade after that. The CBO estimate has become the central defense by ACA advocates fighting the upcoming repeal vote in the House.

They might want to re-think their strategy. A close examination of CBO's work and other evidence undercuts this budget-busting argument about repeal and leads to the exact opposite conclusion, which is that repeal is the logical first step toward restoring fiscal sanity.

Federal finances are buckling under the weight of unaffordable entitlement programs. So what is the primary aim of the ACA? Open-ended entitlement expansion: to more people at greater expense than anytime since the 1960's. If CBO is right, 32 million people will be added to the health entitlement rolls, at a cost of $938 billion through 2019, and growing faster than the economy or revenues thereafter.

How, then, does the ACA magically convert $1 trillion in new spending into painless deficit reduction? It's all about budget gimmicks, deceptive accounting, and implausible assumptions used to create the false impression of fiscal discipline.

Click here to read the rest of the story.

Health Care a Right?

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John Lewis, a Democratic Congressman said, "I happen to believe that health care is a right." I wonder how that concept came to be accepted. Neal Boortz has a great write up about this so-called "right." You can read it here:

Health Care a Right?

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Radio stations told to censor Dire Straits - Yahoo! News

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From today's "You can't Make This Shit Up Files." When will folks grow up? Wonder if they plan to apply the same standards to Gangsta Rap songs? Guess we will have to censor the dictionary and delete all potentially offensive words.

Radio stations told to censor Dire Straits - Yahoo! News

Chris Christie's Jersey Attitude

Image via WikipediaBy Alan Caruba

It’s the curse of having sat through too many local town council meetings and too many speeches by politicians; it’s taking notes as they speak because you want to keep what’s said fresh in mind. Regular folks don’t do this, but anyone who has spent any time as a reporter will tell you it is a hard habit to break.

So, on Tuesday, January 11, I found myself taking notes as New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, gave his first constitutionally required State of the State speech. He will be back in February with a speech about his budget. It was delivered to the members of the New Jersey Senate and Assembly, mostly Democrats; all of whom had learned in the previous year that the Governor was a jolly, fat buzz-saw who just loves a good fight.

Gov. Christie was preceded by two of the worst Governors in current times, Jim McGreevey who discovered he was gay after he put his boyfriend on the payroll and the whispers in the statehouse became a raging storm. He was followed by Jon Corzine, a limousine liberal. Together they increased taxes and fees 115 times in eight years! In a single term in office, Corzine raised taxes $9 billion!

Arizona Views

Simply Because It Is: Thoughts on Democracy - Hanging by a Thread.....

Image via WikipediaSimply Because It Is: Thoughts on Democracy.........Hanging by a Thread.....

In light of the recent shooting in Arizona in which a U.S. Congressional Representative and a Federal Judge were targeted, we have much to ask ourselves as a nation and as a people.

First, I've heard the line of thought that "it was good that it was a Democrat" and "the Democrats have it coming."

I've also heard the line of thought that "we need gun control now" and "this is a product of the right wing."

As an hard-core conservative myself - meaning - I am an ardent believer in the constitution and our founding principles and willing to lay down my life for my country and it's principles - reasons I enlisted in our U.S. military - and as a gun-owner and a licensed-concealed-hangun-carrier - I have much to add to this.   Allow me to critically think and interrogate the suppositions listed above. 

First, I think it is a grave tragedy when our elected and public officials become targets of violence - nationally, morally, personally, spiritually and conceptually.  Violence to achieve a domestic national end does not serve us as a nation. While it might be "good for the numbers" - i.e. - one less Democrat - it sets a dangerous and deadly precedent for us as a nation and a people.  When we begin to lose faith in the system, to where violence and insurrection alone will preserve us and achieve our goals - or so we feel - then the end of our nation is truly nigh. 

Targeted by Default: Shifting Blame for the Giffords Shooting

Targeted by Default: Shifting Blame for the Giffords Shooting : America's Right
January 9, 2011 by Jeff Schreiber

I don’t know how they do it.

Time and time again, the left manages to pin these disgruntled, deranged individuals and their sick, twisted, bloody actions on the American right.   Despite being able to bring together millions of people from coast to coast with only one indiscretion–an idiotic redneck at a Rand Paul event who roughed up an aggressive political activist seeking access to the now-senator–the Tea Party is instantaneously blamed for the terrible happenings yesterday in Tucson, Arizona, where a congresswoman lay nearly dead and several others ended up not so lucky.

Despite being characterized by friends as “left-wing” and “quite liberal,” despite admitting to enjoying the works of Hitler, Marx and Engels as his favorite books, Jared Loughner was successfully painted as a product of right-wing political rhetoric, the physical manifestation of Sarah Palin’s “targeting” of vulnerable Democrats leading up to the previous election.

Before Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was even revealed to have survived the attack, folks at FireDogLake and the Daily Kos pinned the shooting on Sarah Palin, citing a “target map” circulated by her Political Action Committee in advance of last year’s mid-term elections.  Lefties across the Internet, quick to politicize the event before the bodies could even be counted, ignoring the fact that similar “target” lists were released by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Leadership Council, and ignoring the fact that Congresswoman Giffords had both participated in the controversial reading of the Constitution on the House floor this past week and voted against Nancy Pelosi as House Minority Leader, landing her in hot water with the lefternmost base of the Democratic Party.  (One entry by an author named “BoyBlue” at The Daily Kos, long since scrubbed, even went so far as to employ the headline “Congressman Giffords is now DEAD to me!!”)

In short, it doesn’t matter that a far-left Democrat shot a conservative Democrat in the head.  This was definitely the act of a Tea Party member and a product of Rush Limbaugh’s political rhetoric.

The same thing has happened before.

Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know

Image via WikipediaThings Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know | The Best Article Every day

Written by Stacy Johnson

Huffington Post recently put up a story called You’re Out: 20 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade. It’s a great retrospective on the technology leaps we’ve made since the new century began, and it got me thinking about the difference today’s technology will make in the lives of tomorrow’s kids.

I’ve used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago — and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that’s been decimated by the Internet. When it’s time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you’re carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it’s not just your friends who can find you — so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books — but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.

Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They’re practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Partisanship on Display

Disgusting Partisanship on Display After Shooting

—Gabriel Malor

When the news broke yesterday that there was a shooting at an event for Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, the response for most was immediate: concern, prayers, and hope that the perpetrator is caught immediately and punished severely. Politics didn't matter in that moment; if someone shoots at one of our elected leaders, that person is an enemy of us all. The response for a few others was equally immediate: Sarah Palin.

This has become a recurring pattern for liberal commentators over the past few years. Something bad happens and somehow, without any evidence at all, it is Palin's fault and, more broadly, the Tea Party's. That was the first reaction of Markos Moulitsas and Matt Yglesias yesterday. It was widely taken up by the left side of the blogosphere who managed to convince themselves that Gabrielle Giffords had been shot on the express orders of Sarah Palin. Not kidding.

Remember, all this liberal posturing about Sarah Palin's gun rhetoric took place before we knew anything about the shooter. In fact, at that time we didn't even know how many shooters there were. Giffords had been reported dead, then alive, then unknown. For a while it was unclear whether she had been the target or the federal judge who was also killed. This uncertainty about the facts went on for most of the afternoon. But liberals kept a steady faith: this is all Sarah Palin's fault.

Consent Of The Governed: What's With The Dead Animals?

Consent Of The Governed: What's With The Dead Animals?: "Birds dropping from the sky. Dead fish washing up on the shore. Marine die offs. It's pretty creepy if you ask me. And I am not buying 'the fireworks scared the birds" story."

A Modest Salary

More government double-speak. This little tidbit is from Neal Boortz. If you don't routinely visit his site you should. You can check out his daily news at Neal Boortz

Let's see now ... help me out here ... how much money would you have to make for Obama to raise your taxes? That would be $200,000 a year. Obama proposes raising taxes on individuals who make over $250,000 a year, the republicans oppose it, and the Democrats start screaming about tax breaks for "millionaires and billionaires."

Well ... if $200,000 a year makes you rich, as Obama says, then what would say about someone who makes about $172,000? Well, you'll be surprised to know that Barack Obama thinks that $172,000 a year is a "relatively modest" income. Now bear in mind that the average household income in this country is around $55,000 a year ... and Obama thinks that over three times the average is "relatively modest."

What have we learned here? We've learned that this incompetent hack has no idea how real Americans live and what they make. Only a moron could go from "relatively modest" to "wealthy" with just $28,000 in income.

Global Warming?

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Differences Between Liberals and Conservatives