Thoughts on Arizona

First, critics should read the law. The bottom line is that this law does not create new enforcement actions, but only enforces existing Federal immigration laws.

It is amazing how ignorant most criticism is on this issue. It is way out of control. Not that some Republicans have been any better.

If people want to deride this law as 'Nazi' or 'police state' tactics, 'draconian', or surprise surprise, 'racist', then they need to ask themselves, are all immigration laws are racist?

If this law is racist, then so are our existing federal laws. What say you, Mr. President?

Second, some conservatives like the esteemed Hugh Hewitt are worried that this law is problematic for the Right's efforts to win big in this fall's elections. This is a legitimate concern, as the Dems know how to put on a good propaganda show, especially with the media in lock-step.

However, I think things can turn for the better. If the law were to stand, then the propaganda show could proceed apace. However the liberal interest groups will not be able to help themselves, as they trip over one another to get to the courthouse door to get a liberal judge to order and injunction. In doing so, they will shift the focus.

The easiest liberal argument is that Federal laws trump state law on immigration. While this is a valid legal argument, politically it allows conservatives to turn the tables and point out how pourous and ineffective those federals laws actually are.

If the left wants to defeat Arizona by claiming that the Federal Govt trumps states on the issue, then bring it on. Thats isn't a record of achievement I want to run on going into the November elections.

Orszag: Obamacare Rationing is "Automatic"

#hhrs #ucot #rs #sgp #handsoff
Ed Morrissey: "ObamaCare is a rationing system, and the IPAB will be one of the key drivers for that rationing. If you don’t believe me, just listen to Orszag."



The truth comes out....shocking...

GM's Plan: Using Govt $ to pay back Govt $ to get more Govt $

#hhrs #tcot #rs #sgp
GM knows its has a problem. It knows that many Americans may not consider buying a GM vehicle while the company is still in effect, a branch of the United States Government.

That would explain why they feel the need to go on TV with ads hype the meme that its has paid back its debt to the government.



Unfortunately, this is all bunk.

GM CEO Ed Whitacre announced in a Wall Street Journal column Wednesday that his company has paid back its government bailout loan "in full, with interest, years ahead of schedule." He is even running TV ads on all major networks to that effect--a needless expense given that a credulous media is only too happy to parrot his claims for free. Detroit Free Press' Mike Thompson, for example, advises bailout proponents to start "warming up their vocal chords" to jeer their opponents with chants of "I told you so."

But before belting out their victory aria, GM-boosters ought to hear the whole story--not just the fairytale version about Government Motors' grand comeback that Mr. Whitacre is feeding them.

Uncle Sam gave GM $49.5 billion last summer in aid to finance its bankruptcy. (If it hadn't, the company, which couldn't raise this kind of money from private lenders, would have been forced into liquidation, its assets sold for scrap.) So when Mr. Whitacre publishes a column with the headline, "The GM Bailout: Paid Back in Full," most ordinary mortals unfamiliar with bailout minutia would assume that he is alluding to the entire $49.5 billion. That, however, is far from the case.

Because a loan of such a huge amount would have been politically controversial, the Obama administration handed GM only $6.7 billion as a pure loan. (It asked for only a 7% interest rate--a very sweet deal considering that GM bonds at that time were trading below junk level.) The vast bulk of the bailout money was transferred to GM through the purchase of 60.8% equity stake in the company--arguably an even worse deal for taxpayers than the loan, given that the equity position requires them to bear the risk of the investment without any guaranteed return. (The Canadian government likewise gave GM $1.4 billion as a pure loan, and another $8.1 billion for an 11.7% equity stake. The U.S. and Canadian government together own 72.5% of the company.)

But when Mr. Whitacre says GM has paid back the bailout money in full, he means not the entire $49.5 billion--the loan and the equity. In fact, he avoids all mention of that figure in his column. He means only the $6.7 billion loan amount.

As Forbes puts it further down in this article, this is "using government money to pay back government money to get more government money".

America, you are being hoodwinked. GM thinks you are a crash test dummy. Don't believe the hype....

Climate Change Helps Killer Fungus!

Reuters has an interesting article about a fungus that is spreading in Canada and the US, which can be deadly for some people.

Potentially deadly fungus spreading in US, Canada

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - A potentially deadly strain of fungus is spreading among animals and people in the northwestern United States and the Canadian province of British Columbia, researchers reported on Thursday.
The airborne fungus, called Cryptococcus gattii, usually only infects transplant and AIDS patients and people with otherwise compromised immune systems, but the new strain is genetically different, the researchers said.
"This novel fungus is worrisome because it appears to be a threat to otherwise healthy people," said Edmond Byrnes of Duke University in North Carolina, who led the study.

This otherwise concerning article takes a humorous turn at the end though....

Freezing can kill the fungus and climate change may be helping it spread, the researchers said.

So how exactly did 'Climate Change' help this deadly fungus? Did it give it a ride across the border?? Did it loan it some money? Baloney.

The article says that this fungus has been spreading over the last few years, during a time which global temperatures have not shown any warming? And given this winter's cold weather, one could deduce that that fungus should have been eradicated.

I am sure this this fungus is deadly, and may even be a wider threat, but let drop the hyperbole about it being worse due to an undefined "climate change" co-conspirator....

Cool Animation of Volcanic Ash Spread

Astute Bloggers shows us a very cool animation that shows the spread of Iceland's volcanic ash over Europe. Or at least that is what is alleged to be since I don't read Danish...



As of this time, there is no evidence to suggest a link between that incident and this one:

How Do You Really Feel, Mr. President?

Instapundit linked to a video on Weaselzippers, showing us the President's obvious lament that the United States of America is still a superpower....



I am sure Robert Gibbs will say he was reminding the other nations that we are the remaining superpower.....

But if you are doing that, you would say "Whether *you* like it or not..." Instead he said "Whether *we* like it or not..."

That tells me, that in his mind, he does *not* like being the only remaining superpower....and that is troubling. Although it might explain the whole unilateral nuclear disarmament thing....

Here We Bow Again

There are a few options that explain this picture:



1) The President has early-onset Osteoporosis

2) Hu Jintao said, 'Hey look, your shoe is untied." ("嘿，你看，你的鞋是不附带条 件")

3) The President is being overly deferential to his loan shark officer.

You make the call.....

1981 TV Report on Primitive Internet

Can you imagine reading newspapers on your home computer?!?



Sadly, there are some newspaper websites that haven't gotten much better in the last 30 years...

'I Like Trying to Explain'

You gotta love how the Dems can condescend without even knowing it....

LONDONDERRY — Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter told a boisterous crowd last night that the recently enacted health care reform bill is imperfect but needed.

[...]

Ultimately, Shea-Porter didn't shy away from the confrontational tenor of the meeting, and said in an interview later that she enjoyed the give and take.

"I love it," she said. "I like trying to explain."

Gee, it sure was nice of her to come down off the Mount to "explain" how good the impending Nanny State will be for us. I guess she thinks her constituents are too stupid to decide for themselves, and she must "explain" it to them.

It is a great example of how Dems can't understand how there could be a different, legitimate opinion than theirs.

Democratic Rhetoric v. New Nuke Policy

Dems have been trying to stoke fears that Tea Party "extremism" will lead to violence.

However, the only ones consistently using inflammatory extremist rhetoric are those very same Democrats.

Now there is a new one to add to the collection, from a Democrat District Attorney near Dallas:

“I won’t stop dispensing justice. But I’ve got to fight the political attacks coming at me from all directions. I’ll say it publicly: If you throw punches at us, we’ll drop a bomb on you.”

Perhaps he hasn't gotten the White House memo, that we will no longer be dropping bombs on anyone, no matter what they might do....

He should step it down a notch and take a page out of the Obama/Chicago Extremist Rhetoric playbook:

“If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun...” - Barack Obama

Tea Party Racism on Display!

It makes me sad to see another reminder of what a racist group these Tea Parties are.....



[Hat Tip: Instapundit & Gateway Pundit]

Life, Liberty, and Whatever - The Sequel

While we are on the topic of sequels today...

Here is a post of mine from almost 3 years ago, discussing the relative ignorance of people [read: political grandstanders] when using quotes from the Constitution:

Life, Liberty, and Whatever

Instapundit subtly points out that the NYT editorial writers (and their overseers) need to go back to school and re-take U.S. History 101.

THE NEW YORK TIMES' EDITORS think that the phrase "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is in the Constitution. But then, they believe many things that are demonstrably untrue.

Imagined NYT response:
"Constitution, Declaration of Independence...whatever. You are taking my words out of context, and missing the bigger point....blah, blah,blah."

Fast forward to present day, and we find example of a poor helpless Democratic lawmaker cornered by a dastardly Tea-partier attempting to impugn his honor by asking where in the Constitution exists the "right" to health care.



Interestingly, Congressman Phil Hare (D-Ill) tries to dance around blogger Adam Sharp's (Sharp Elbows) questions by stating:

"I believe it [The Constitution] says we have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..."

I am so glad that yet another one of our indignant elected officials wants to lecture us, when he doesn't even know the basic differences in our two most important founding documents. I suppose it is not a surprise, given his earlier statement "I don't care about the Constitution on this...." Sadly though, this is fairly indicative of American society, as most people wouldn't know enough to call him on it.

But I bet most Tea Partiers could (as Sharp does during his interview with Neil Cavuto)....

Lets keep those sharp elbows flying!

Obama - Bad Sequel or Bad Remake??

Obama's new low poll numbers have caused some to state that he is now entering...[duh duh DUH!] The Carter Zone!

Glenn Reynolds suggest that in movie terms this is actually the sequel, Attack from Beyond The Carter Zone.

This is a tough call. Is the Obama Administration simply a bad sequel to the Carter Administration? Or is it, as Hollywood is addicted to doing nowadays, just a bad remake of a tired old 70s/80s television show?

I would propose that it is actually worse than either of those. The Obama Administration is actually a much anticipated prequel, where using new and modern special effects (and a lot more money) they can change/ignore the historical backstory, and they can make liberalism really works this time!

Of course we all know how that turned out the last time that was tried....

And like the Star Wars prequels, the unfortunate reality is that the machinations of this Obama 'movie' will be around forever...they will never go away...

Obama & Israel Pt 1

From Instapundit:

ED KOCH DISAPPOINTED IN OBAMA: “I have been a supporter of President Obama and went to Florida for him, urged Jews all over the country to vote for him saying that he would be just as good as John McCain on the security of Israel. I don’t think it’s true anymore.”

I think the big question in Koch's mind ought to be...was it ever true?? Because if it wasn't, Koch can consider himself a rube like so many others, which is quite a feat for a political insider from NY.