Confused Yet???

1. Recently, the National ASSociation of Realtors reported that new home sales were actually 14% lower than previously reported and that 2011 sales were the worst in history.
2. U.S. Consumer Spending in November was originally reported to be up .03%.  But then that was revised to .01% and Non Defense Capital Goods Orders fell 1.2%.
3. The National Debt has increase by over $1 trillion in 2011 and;
4. Last week it was reported that Unemployment fell to 8.6%.  BUT, they conveniently left out a few details:
1. While new jobs increased by 278,000, it turns out that 487,000 folks conveniently "Dropped Out". 
2. Meanwhile other signs that the jobs situation might be improving were neutral to negative.  The average work week remained at 34.2 hours.  Temporary workers were increased by only 23,000 and the the average hourly earnings dropped .02 cents to $23.18.
3. Normally all of these factors would see an increase prior to a real turn around in employment.

But fear not!  Our President and Speaker of the House held the line and were able to once again use old fashioned Brinkmanship to obtain a 2 month extension of the Payroll Tax break.

Never mind that they haven't had a budget in close to 1,000 days even though they control the Senate.  With Brinkmanship skills like this they don't need no stinkin budget :-(

Brinksmanship? Obama claims GOP plays Brinksmanship! Ha, ha....

Yes Mr. President, the American People are tired of the Brinkmanship in Washington.  But we're not as stupid as you seem to think we are.  We realize that the core of the problem is that you and Harry have not had a Budget passed in the Senate for close to 1,000 days.  And yet here you are skipping your vacation and putting enormous effort in to another "Extension" just because you can't lead your party to pass a budget.  But then again, why should you pass a budget?  Then you would really be held accountable for something and you couldn't Blame the GOP.

I blame the GOP leaders as well for not taking a stand (until now) and educating the public on the real issues.  Instead they are allowing you and Harry to get away with not doing your jobs and confusing the real issue with political brinkmanship.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-republicans-defeat-two-month-payroll-tax-cut/2011/12/20/gIQAj8RI7O_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage

The Vicious Socialist Cycle of Spend and Tax - And the 2012 Election

TAXES are the means in which the Government collects money from citizens to pay for services that the citizen may or may not want.  Here is how this vicious cycle works:

• Politicians (Poli tic ians - many small flesh eating insects) pander to certain groups and create services that are not economical, efficient or in some instances Constitutional.  For example, since the establishment of the Department of Education, America's test scores have remained stagnant.  The Department of Energy has not produced any improvement in the delivery, cost or process of providing Energy. 
• Once a department or agency is created they need to have staff.  The staff of course is located in D.C. where they are isolated from the real citizens.
• The staff then needs to have an Office which in the case of Departments means a huge building. 
• Initially, the building is built to allow for expansion - but since there is room in the building the law of expansion kicks in.  "Services and people will expand to fill the space that is available."
• To demonstrate that they are "doing something" departments and agencies create regulations which in turn require additional staff to monitor which in turn requires - More Space.
• When it is discovered that the services are not working as envisioned the Politicians answer is to Expand the departments.  "Your can't be an Emperor unless you have an Empire".
• And so the beat goes on.  Deficit spending ensues, taxes rise and the National Debt soars.

There will be many minuscule issues that will come up in the next election.  However the paramount issue is whether or not we will continue with this Vicious Socialist Cycle that is bankrupting our country. 

The only way to stop this vicious cycle is to LIMIT THE SIZE OF GOVERNMENT!

A Real Fair Tax

Government bureaucrats are like the carpenter who only has one tool in his tool box - a hammer. To him every problem looks like a nail. For the bureaucrats every problem can be solved by increasing taxes. However, the current tax system is filled with loopholes and as such is a maze of hidden breaks for the wealthier citizens since the lower class has no loopholes. This doesn't mean that the wealthiest don't pay taxes. However, due to these loopholes there is great disparity in the "Effective Rate".  For example, according to the Tax Policy institute households earning more than $1 million pay 29% of their income while households making $50 to $75,000 pay only 15%.  According to the IRS 1,500 households making more than $1 million a year paid no Federal income tax in 2009. But that is out of 238,000 families or less than 1/2 of 1%. However, unencumbered by facts, Obama wants to increase the tax rate for the wealthy on top of the Government spending increases that will already result in increases to everyone.

There is much talk on the other side now of a "Fair Tax" especially from Herman Cain. In order to understand this better, I recently read "The Return to Prosperity" by Arthur Laffer one of the leading economists in the country.  Laffer’s key point is that a Fair Tax would broaden the tax base increase revenue and be much more transparent.  Here is a brief recap of what I took away from this:

• Laffer proposes a Flat Tax on:
• Personal Income - with very minimum deductions such as mortgage payments and charitable contributions.
• Business Tax - a flat tax on income that does not include taxes on goods purchased from other companies.
• NO PERSONAL SALES TAX - unlike Cain's 999.
• In analyzing data from 2007 Laffer used a 13% Flat Tax when using the targeted revenue requirement (at the time) of $2.4 Trillion.
• However, the Flat Tax Rate is a political decision that would be based on the size of the Government budget - that is the bad news.
• So, in order to calculate a Flat Tax Rate we would need to have a "Complete" Federal Budget that included Medicare, Social Security, and Wars etc. It would have to be honest and transparent with serious measurement of the Executive and Legislative branches of government.
• The good news (in my opinion) is that a Flat Tax Rate would also be transparent. (Rate X Income = Tax) and we would be able to measure bureaucratic performance based on the rate.
• The result "could be" an electorate and their representatives that would place more focus on the size and costs of the Federal Government.
• If we were to seriously consider a Flat Tax we should first:
• Eliminate Departments that are not required by the Constitution.
• Eliminate redundant Agencies (See Senator Coburn's recommendations).
• Work to eliminate waste and improve productivity in the remaining Departments.

In doing this we would by default be focusing on Government Spending which is the real culprit. We would begin with the question: "How much of my income do I want the Federal Government to take"?

It also seems like the same approach could be applied to State Governments (especially in Illinois). 

I've tried to present the highlights of a Fair Tax System however, like any other there are details to be worked out. If you’re interested in this approach, Laffer presents many tables to illustrate his approach and calculations and it is an easy read.

God Save the Republic!

Employers Do the Math on Obamacare

McKinsey survey shows that 30% of employers surveyed say they will Definitely or Probably drop employee health coverage after 2014.  It make sense.  The average cost per employee is $12,000 per year.  The penalty for not providing the insurance is $2,000.  Do the Math, they save $10,000 per employee.  Why would they provide coverage?


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/11/01/employers-consider-dropping-insurance-plans-once-health-law-provisions-take/?intcmp=trending

Obamcare Update

As we predicted in July of 2010 this Socialist Legislation was so corrupt and riddled with time bombs that it would be impossible to modify and extremely difficult to dis-member.  We have to pray that the Supreme Court declares it un-constitutional. 

1.     Flawed and Deceptive Process

a.     Promised that all negotiations would be on CSpan.  Only one was televised and Obama didn’t listen to a thing.

b.    Promised that all Legislation would be posted on the internet for 5 days before a vote.

c.     Pelosi, “We have to pass it so you will know what is in it”!

d.    Legislators who voted for the bill didn’t read it, which became obvious in the Townhall meetings.

e.     The “Cornhusker Kickback”.  Nebraska D Senator Ben Nelson dropped his opposition to the Bill AFTER he was given millions of dollars in Federal aid for his state giving the Dems the 60^th vote needed to prevent a Republican filibuster.  They tried the same thing with Louisiana D Senator Mary Landrieu who was to get $100 million in a bribe called the “Louisiana Purchase”.  It was so corrupt that the Dems pulled it out at the last minute.  Of course they had Nelson by then.

f.      Presented as a Tax but when challenged they changed it to “The Commerce Clause”.  IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL!   

2.     Deceptive Math

a.     Used 6 months of costs v. 10 months benefits

b.    Failed to include $115b of Implementation Costs

c.     Double counted $500 B in Medicare Cuts – Sebilius to Congress.

d.    Ignores Doc Fix

e.     Obama – 9.12.2008 – “I can make a firm pledge that no family making less than $250m will see a tax increase.  Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, NOT ANY OF YOUR TAXES”!

f.      Unions etc. granted waivers from the beginning and costs not included.  Now entire states have been grandfathered and “selected” companies like McD, Pelosi’s district.  As of 9.2.11 there were 1472 one year waivers and 106 three year waivers covering 3.4 million people over half of which were in Unions.  As of 11.2.11 my own waiver request has not yet been approved L

g.    Didn’t consider impact of “Comprehensive Immigration Reform”.  (What ever happened to that?  Seems to have gone the same way that the BUDGET did – nowhere.

h.    Original estimate was $800B – now CBO est is $2.0T and rising

i.       Class Act already discontinued. 

3.     Deceptive Promises

a.     So many new things – for free.

b.    You can keep your current insurance.

c.     You can keep your doctors.

d.    Etc. etc. 

4.     Failed to go after real savings:

a.     Tort Reform, sky rocketing mal-practice insurance costs, defensive medicine ($210+B).

b.    Interstate insurance options.

c.     Illegal Immigrant limits. 

5.     Regulation Mania

a.     159+ New Agencies

b.    MedPac – similar to NICE in UK.  They have already recommended a 50% reduction in Specialist’s pay over next 10 years, 25% over next 3 years.  For my surgery, the Ortho Surgeon only received $1,800.  Already has said he can see where he won’t perform surgeries in a few years.  Neuro-surgeon currently pays $175,000 in malpractice insurance.  Death panel???

c.     Look for cuts and lower cost implants to be used in future.  If you’re over 60+ may not get some surgeries or get plastic instead of Titanium implants. 

6.     Constitutionality

a.     Tax v. Commerce Clause???

b.    26 States suing Federal Government – will go to SCOTUS

c.     Judge Vinson decision.

d.    Kagen must recluse herself! 

7.     Socialism

a.     When has the Government ever managed something effectively?

b.    Wealth distribution.

c.     Will take away incentives:

                                                    i.     Paying for Med School

                                                  ii.     Docs participating in Medicare

                                                iii.     Companies providing insurance – especially small to medium.  It’s cheaper to pay the fines.

                                                iv.     Becoming a specialist – we currently have the best in the world.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission Declares War on Docs

Obamacare Panel that reports directly to HHS Secretary and can implement anything they choose which then requires the full Congress to over ride it if they can.


By Dick Morris And Eileen McGann

10.26.2011

The worst fears about Obamacare are now being realized in a decision on Monday by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MPAC) established by the law to supervise $500 billion in Medicare cuts. MPAC, whose decisions have the force of law, has voted to impose drastic pay cuts on all doctors under Medicare and, by extension, under Medicaid (which tends to follow suit). The cuts will effectively reduce the real pay for specialists by 50% over the next ten years — including a 25% reduction over the next three years — and cut general practitioners’ pay by one-third over ten years (and that assumes that inflation stays down at 3% a year).

MPAC has ruled that specialists must accept a 6% cut in their fees per year for each of the next three years followed by a seven year freeze in their fees without any adjustment for inflation. If inflation stays very low — at 3% per year — this cut amounts to an 18% cut in nominal pay and a 50% cut in real pay for specialists. General practitioners will face a ten year freeze on their pay, reducing their real compensation by one-third assuming ongoing low inflation. Higher inflation, of course, would make the cuts in real pay even more drastic.
The consequences of the MPAC decision will be immediate and drastic:
* Many physicians, and many more specialists, will refuse to treat Medicare patients. It will become very, very difficult to see a cardiologist or an oncologist or a gastroenterologist or OB-GYN specialist if you are on Medicare unless you are willing to pay out of pocket or have the kind of health insurance coverage from a private source that would reimburse for their care.
* More and more medical care will be turned over to nurses or physician assistants, and fewer people will ever get to see a doctor on Medicare.
* Private health insurers will follow in the footsteps of the Medicare program and likely slash their fees as well.
* Fewer students will enter medicine, and a major shortage of doctors will reduce the quality of medical care in America drastically.
The MPAC cuts will bring American doctors’ incomes more into line with European doctors who typically earn half or less of what their American counterparts earn — and deliver worse medical care as a result.

We have got to stop these MPAC cuts from taking effect. The very future of Medicare and of our entire health care system is at stake. If they are allowed to stand, Medicare will become akin to Medicaid or public housing — a program for poor people who cannot afford to pay for medical care from specialists outside the system.

Click Here to watch my video on Obamacare Declares War On Doctors.
http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/obamacare-declares-war-on-doctors-dick-morris-tv-lunch-alert/

INEPTOCRACY

I received this in an email today.  It's just too good not to pass on expecially now when Obama is submitting plan after plan that have nothing to do with job creation and only serve to pander to his base.

Finally, an accurate description of Obama and his voters.

Ineptocracy (in-ep-toc’-ra-cy)... a system of government where the
least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing,
and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or
succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the
confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.

That is the end of the English lessons for today.

The GOP's Urgent Dilemma

The GOP’s Urgent Dilemma  

Our Country is under attack Economically, Politically and Socially. This next election may be the last chance we have to turn this wreck around. It's pretty clear that the current Marxist/Socialist Government does not have the solution.  In fact they are steering our Country into failure by creating Economic, Political and Social Chaos. Unfortunately, the current GOP primary candidates are slapping each other around and it’s getting nastier at every debate. Their petty attacks on each other are causing the Conservative Movement to lose focus. Cain has brought some focus on taxes with his 999 plan.  But this seems like the proverbial cart leading the horse, and it doesn't have much support from the mainstream conservatives. In addition, although he is trying to make this sound simple, recent comments about "opportunity zones" have already introduced 'loopholes'.  Romney, has a 59 point program but that's too much for the general public to get its mind around not to mention his record of "Flip Flopping".  He'd like us to believe that he is the Business Candidate but Romneycare and Flip Flops leave him with large vulnerability in a debate with Mr. Hope and Change. Newt is probably the most cerebral candidate and should stay around for a while longer to add gravitas to the debate, but again his past is going to prevent him from being the party's nominee. The others are ---- the others. Several years from now we'll be trying to come up with their names in a Trivia contest. Most people will come up with 'the Donald' before John Huntsman or Rick Santorum. They are all good people who would be better than Obama but it's time for them to clear out so the party can focus on selecting the next leader and a more Comprehensive Plan to solve our problems.

The Economy 

Of course we are not without proposals for our dilemma. There have been many in the past year. 

a)    December 2010, The Presidents (own) Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform - http://www.fiscalcommission.gov/sites/fiscalcommission.gov/files/documents/TheMomentofTruth12_1_2010.pdf

b)    April 2011, Paul Ryan 2012 Budget Proposal - http://budget.house.gov/UploadedFiles/PathToProsperityFY2012.pdf 

c)     May 2011, Connie Mack  1% Spending Reduction Plan - http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/connie-mack-unveils-one-percent-solution-cap-federal-spending 

d)     July 2011 Senator Tom Coburn proposal to cut $9 Trillion in spending over the next decade http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/over-1-trillion-defense-cuts-coburn-deficit-reduction-plan_576982.html ,  

e)    July 2011, The Gang of Six Proposal - http://money.cnn.com/2011/07/19/news/economy/gang_of_six_budget/index.htm?iid=Lead&hpt=hp_c1%27%20rel=%27nofollow 

f)      July 2011, House Cut Cap and Balance Plan - http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/07/19/house-approves-cut-cap-and-balance-plan/

 

Unfortunately, all have been blocked by Obama and (dead on arrival) Reid. Meanwhile, the Administration and Dirty Harry have seen no need to propose a budget and bring it to the floor. They don't need no stinkin budget! They plan to overspend any budget any way.

So I ask myself what would I do if I was the CEO of a Major Conglomerate that was circling the drain.

1. It all starts with a Market Analysis. What does the Market want, what does it need and what is it willing to pay for? In today's Socialistic Nanny State we are constantly being lobbied by special interest groups and politicians to supply services that were never intended by our founding fathers nor provided for in the Constitution. And, there is no real review of the Constitutionality or Fiscal Responsibility of adding these as Government funded services. So, the buck stops (or starts) right here. We need a budget that is Fiscally Responsible based on constitutionally supported services. To this end I point out that the preamble to the Constitution states that this perfect Union should:

• Establish Justice - this meant based on the Constitution, not Judges interpreting it to institute new social agendas.
• Insure Domestic Tranquility - This does not allow the Justice Department to select which laws it will enforce based on their social agenda. The law is the law - do the crime and serve the time.
• Provide for the Common Defense - This meant that we were to defend the USA not the rest of the world. It does not include a Department of Offense that engages in "Nation Building". As our very first President said in his farewell address, "beware of entangling foreign alliances". The rest of the world now sees us as either the world’s police force (aka. mercenaries) OR invading tyrants.
• Promote the general welfare - unlike the first three, the terminology here is "Promote" - not "Ensure" and not "Provide". The founders were men who valued personal responsibility and self-reliance. They knew the difference when they chose these words. Promote to them meant a government who enabled individuals to be successful. The government cannot guarantee success; it can only enable and not constrict the economy of its citizens.
• Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our Posterity - $15 Trillion in Debt plus another $60-$70 in future obligations ( Social Security, Medicare etc.) would have freaked them out and resulted in the abolition of this "Perfect Union".

Thus a Budget based on constitutionally responsible funding is the first step in this arduous process. 

2. Step two is to "Cut" all spending that is not constitutional.  Start this by repealing Obamacare. Then look at the cuts identified by Senator Tom Coburn

3. Step three is to "Cap" future spending at xxx % of the constitutionally established budget. This percentage should be designed to reduce the outstanding National Debt. One consideration here might be the Connie Mack 1% plan. 

4. Step four is to pass a Constitutional Amendment to require the Congress and the Administration to "Balance the Budget" 

5. Concurrent with the above we should develop and pass a recommendation that will blow up the current tax system and level the playing field sans loopholes. This doesn't mean that the rich should get a break. In fact if you level the playing field many people in the higher income brackets will not have the deductions (like Buffet) and be force to pay their "Fair Share" of their bracket. So, a person with $1 million in earnings will pay much more than a person with $50,000 in earnings. Leveling does not mean regressive! 

Politics 

Addressing the Economic inequities should go a long way to eliminating the use of finger pointing by the political parties. However, we all know the origin of the word "poli tics" - many flesh eating insects. And as Alexis de Tocqueville commented on American Politics “There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle.”

As long as we have a multi-party Republican system of government there will be differences of opinion as to the best types of political approaches. It's up to the Citizens to become informed and to elect men and women of Unquestionable Character, AND to hold them accountable (one suggestion here is to limit the term of Senators to 3 years). This may be the hardest job of all. 

Social Justice and Morals 

It seems like every day we are being bombarded by deteriorating values in our society. This starts with a Government that tries to "Provide" for the common welfare instead of "Promoting" the common welfare. In recent times we only have to go back to the Carter Administration and the passage of The Community Re-investment Act". The first oxymoron here is that the basic concept of this Bill was that “we should provide the means for people who could not afford homes in the first place to purchase their own home." The second oxymoron here was that the use of the prefix "Re" indicating that there was an original investment. This is a classic case of Socialism and the "unintended consequences" of its policies. It was followed by scores of initiatives that had the same basic flaw such as the Johnson "Great Society" program. Even Republicans did not argue against this nor did any Administration enforce existing regulations in order to prevent the greed that followed. In fact politicians (did I mention Barney and Chris) even encouraged this and turned their backs on the growing financial problems. Along with this we had the Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan ignore warnings from Brooksley Born the Chair of the Commodities Futures and Trading Commission because he was so enamored with Ayan Rand and her Libertarian Philosophy. Despite the Warning from Born he felt and stated that "The Market will Take Care of Itself". It should also be mentioned that Larry Summers and Tim Geithner were in this meeting with Born and no one had the common sense to allow her to dig in to the details to prove her point. Transparency was an Orphan in the Fed and the Treasury so Mortgage Brokers continued to approve "Toxic" mortgages and Investment Bankers would bundle them in to Securities that were then purchased by dummies who didn't know what was in them but insured them against future losses.   (See the following PBS Video that describes the factual events of this failed Libertarian Philosophy).  http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/ 

This all continued until 7 members of the Financial Advisory Systems Board decided that all Corporations and Banks should report the current Market Value of all Assets (Mark to Market) and the House of Cards came down. And all the Kings horses and all the kings’ men are still trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again. The lesson from all of this is "Transparency" and enforcement of existing regulations - not new regulations or more Government Bailouts and More Government Agencies. We also need the Justice system to do a much better job in enforcing the "intent" of regulations and laws and not allowing "technical" bloviating by attorneys.  

At the end of the day this political and moral calamity has served as fodder for the current Administration to BLAME everyone and everything in the Galaxy and to promote Class Warfare. Just this week our President said he supports the Wall Street Demonstrators (leaving out the culpability of Washington). And of course in the past we have seen the great healer blame the Boston Police, the Arizona Legislators and everyone he could in order to kindle (apologies to Amazon) Class Warfare. 

The next President will have his or her hands full in turning this limping ship of state around. With States now playing tit for tat to see who can have the first Primary the stakes are high for Conservatives and deadlines have been moved up. We urgently need the GOP to close ranks and trim down the Presidential Candidate pool so they can present a clear and consolidated plan to the voters. I suggest that all but Cain, Romney and Gingrich (the senior and most Cerebral Candidate) to back out of the race and allow these three to finish the process.

Art Laffer on the Cain 999 Plan

The 9% Sales Tax Portion of this plan had been a question mark for me so it's very encouraging to hear Arthur Laffer support this so enthusiastically.  Follow the link below to see the interview.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1217405910001/reagan-economist-a-fan-of-999-plan/?playlist_id=87485&intcmp=obinsite

FLOTUS - Flouts her position and lies about kids

From Judicial Watch

What a lovely time Michelle (Marie Antoinette) is having.  Trips to Spain, Vacations in Martha's Vineyard and an African Safari where she not only brings her family but lists her daughters as "Senior Staff"

She must think we are so stupid that in the middle of our Economic Crisis she can hop scotch around the World and Vacation while Americans are losing their homes and suffering financially.

More on Michelle Obama’s Family Trip to Africa
As Congress was in the middle of the debt ceiling debate this summer, deciding which bloated federal programs to cut, Michelle Obama decided to take a nice taxpayer-funded “working” vacation to South Africa and Botswana with her children. Judicial Watch began asking some very simple questions: What was the purpose of the trip and how much did it cost? We’re just now starting to get some answers.
This week we obtained mission expense records and passenger manifests from the United States Air Force related to the June 21-27, 2011, trip. Judicial Watch obtained the documents pursuant to an August 19, 2011, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. It is amazing how transparent the Obama administration becomes once you sue them in a federal court!
On June 28, 2011, we filed a FOIA request seeking the mission taskings, transportation records, and passenger manifests for Michelle Obama’s Africa trip. Our FOIA lawsuit extracted some interesting information:

• According to U.S. Department of Defense’s published hourly rates for the C-32A aircraft used for the trip, we calculated the total cost to American taxpayers was $424,142 for the flight and crew. (The C-32 is a specially configured military version of the Boeing 757.) Other expenses ─ meals (off the plane), transportation, security, various services, etc. ─ have yet to be reported.

• The expense records also indicate $928.44 were spent for “bulk food” purchases on flight. Overall, during the trip, 192 meals were served for the 21 passengers on board.

• The passenger manifests confirm the presence of Obama’s daughter’s, Malia and Sasha on the trip. The two girls are listed as “Senior Staff.” The manifests also list Mrs. Obama’s mother, Marian Robinson, and niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, as well Mrs. Obama’s makeup and hairstylist (Carl Ray and Johnny Wright).

The professed purpose of Michelle Obama’s trip to South Africa and Botswana was to encourage young people living in the two growing democracies to become involved in national affairs; and during her scheduled stops in Pretoria and Cape Town, South Africa, and in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, the First Lady used the opportunity to speak on education, health, and wellness issues.
The trip also included such tourist events as visits to historical landmarks and museums, plus a nonworking chance to send time with Nelson Mandela, a meeting that Mrs. Obama described as “surreal.” The trip ended with a private family safari at a South African game reserve before the group returned to Washington on June 27.
While the aircraft and crew expenses are now known, as stated in an analysis by White House Dossier (the blog of White House reporter Keith Koffer, writer for CongressDaily, National Journal, Roll Call and POLITICO), certain expenses incurred during the trip are difficult to assess without examining the records ‒ such as Secret Service protection, the care and feeding of staff, and pre-trip advance work done by administration officials in Africa.
This trip was as much an opportunity for the Obama family and friends to go on a safari as it was a trip intended to advance the administration’s agenda in Africa.
This certainly isn’t the first time Judicial Watch exposed the Obama’s frivolous spending on family social events. We previously uncovered that the First Couple’s 2009 “date night” trip to New York for dinner and a Broadway show cost taxpayers over $11,000 in Secret Service costs alone.
Until next week…

Reid Blocks Vote on Obama Jobs Plan

While the President is Campaigning and Blaming the GOP, his Senate stooge is blocking a call to Vote on the same Bill.  Why, because he doesn't have enough Democratic votes.

Blame, blame, blame is the name of the Obama game - since his own record is abysmal.


http://blog.heritage.org/2011/10/04/reid-uses-procedural-maneuver-to-block-vote-on-obamas-jobs-bill/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Morning%2BBell

Chicago Gun Violence Down

Picked this up from an Andrew Breitbart post.  I don't even know how I got there but this is interesting especially since I just moderated a Forum on 2nd Amendment and Conceal Carry.  The data is taken from John Lott.

Murder and violent crime rates were supposed to soar after the Supreme Court struck down Chicago’s and Washington, D.C.’s gun control laws. Politicians predicted disaster. “More handguns in the District of Columbia will only lead to more handgun violence,” Washington’s Mayor Adrian Fenty warned the day the court made its decision. Chicago’s Mayor Daley predicted that we would “go back to the Old West, you have a gun and I have a gun and we’ll settle it in the streets.” The New York Times even editorialized last month about the Supreme Court’s “unwise” decision that there is a right for people “to keep guns in the home.”

But Armageddon never happened. Newly released data for Chicago shows that, as in D.C., murder and gun crime rates didn’t rise after the bans were eliminated; they plummeted. They have fallen much more than the national crime rate, but the national media has been completely silent. One can only imagine the coverage if crime rates had risen.
In the first six months of this year, there were 14% fewer murders in Chicago compared to the first six months of last year– back when owning handguns was illegal. It was the largest drop in Chicago’s murder rate since the handgun ban went into effect in 1982. Meanwhile, the other four most populous cities saw a total drop at the same time of only 6 percent.
Similarly, in the year after the 2008 Heller decision, the murder rate fell 2.5 times faster in D.C. than in the rest of the country. It also fell more than three times as fast as in other cities that are close to D.C.’s size.
And murders in D.C. have continued to fall. If you compare the first six months of this year to the first six months of 2008, the same time immediately preceding the Supreme Court’s late June Heller decision, murders have now fallen by 34%.
Gun crimes fell more than non-gun crimes. Robberies with guns fell by 25%, while robberies without guns have fallen by 8%. Assaults with guns fell by 37%, while assaults without guns fell by 12%. Just as with right-to-carry laws, when law-abiding citizens have guns, some criminals stop carrying theirs.
Read the full article at Fox News.

2010 Congressional Ratings on Tax Votes

Citizens Against Government Waste have recently issued their report on Congress for 2010.  Below you will find their ratings for our Illinois delegation.  The usual suspects like Durbin and those from the Republic of Chicago are of course "Hostile" to reducing waste and saving Tax Payers money.  Also noteable was Mellissa Bean listed as "Unfriendly" at 24 % as well as Bill Foster who was "Hostile" at 9%.  Fortunately thay were defeated but Foster is looking to come back.

Kudos to Peter Roskam at 93%, and Don Manzullo at 87%.  Somehow they rate Mark Kirk at "Friendly" even though he only scored 65%.  I had thought that Kirk was at least Conservative on Fiscal issues but he's certainly not Conservative enough for me.  The following links will take you to the CAGW Overview Report and the Full List.

I for one am Taxed Enough Already - how about you?

http://www.ccagwratings.org/images/2010_Ratings_Introduction.pdf

http://www.ccagwratings.org/?mode=ratings

Overview | View by State Delegation | View Ratings | Vote Descriptions | Summary

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Illinois Ratings

Senate

Sen. Burris, Roland
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: IL
2010 Rating: 0% (Hostile)
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Congress

Sen. Durbin, Dick
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: IL
2010 Rating: 0% (Hostile)
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Congress

House of Representatives

Rep. Bean, Melissa Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 8
2010 Rating: 24% (Unfriendly)
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Congress

Rep. Biggert, Judy
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 13
2010 Rating: 74% (Friendly)
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Congress

Rep. Costello, Jerry
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 12
2010 Rating: 7% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Davis, Danny
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 7
2010 Rating: 5% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Foster, Bill
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 14
2010 Rating: 11% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Gutierrez, Luis
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 4
2010 Rating: 3% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Halvorson, Debbie
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 11
2010 Rating: 13% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Hare, Phil
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 17
2010 Rating: 7% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Jackson, Jesse
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 2
2010 Rating: 2% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Johnson, Tim
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 15
2010 Rating: 80% (Hero)
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Congress

Rep. Kirk, Mark
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 10
2010 Rating: 65% (Friendly)
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Congress

Rep. Lipinski, Dan
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 3
2010 Rating: 7% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Manzullo, Donald
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 16
2010 Rating: 87% (Hero)
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Congress

Rep. Quigley, Michael
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 5
2010 Rating: 2% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Roskam, Peter
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 6
2010 Rating: 93% (Hero)
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Congress

Rep. Rush, Bobby
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 1
2010 Rating: 5% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Schakowsky, Jan
Party Affiliation: Democrat
District: 9
2010 Rating: 0% (Hostile)
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Congress

Rep. Schock, Aaron
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 18
2010 Rating: 86% (Hero)
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Congress

Rep. Shimkus, John
Party Affiliation: Republican
District: 19
2010 Rating: 89% (Hero)
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Congress

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