Boner offers Kool-Ais to GOP Reps.

House GOP revolts against Boehner plan

House Republicans do not have enough support to pass their debt-ceiling increase plan on their own, a top conservative said Tuesday as his party’s leaders tried to cobble together a coalition of Republicans willing to drink Kool-Aid and join Democrats to put the bill over the top. Lots of luck with that Boner

NASA's Magic Carpet

QOTD

“ Now that our future is behind us and America is through with all that outer space stuff, NASA can zero in on what director Charles Bolden calls its primary mission, helping Muslims feel good about their alleged scientific accomplishments. Maybe this will allow us back into space after all: - [Moonbattery] ”

OBAMA'S BASE CRUMBLES - but .....

“ More than a third of Americans now believe that President Obama’s policies are hurting the economy, and confidence in his ability to create jobs is sharply eroding among his base, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. ”

But ...this is a Washington Post-ABC poll

“ But Americans’ discontent does not stop there. The survey also found that Americans harbor negative feelings toward congressional Republicans. Roughly as many people blame Republican policies for the poor economy as they do Obama. But 65 percent disapprove of the GOP’s handling of jobs, compared to 52 percent for the president. ... and  a majority of Americans still blame former president George W. Bush for the state of the economy.  Did I say "Rabid Dog Alert?"   This is the article introduced on DRUDGE as:  WASHPOST/ABC: Blacks, liberals flee in droves..., and OBAMA'S BASE CRUMBLES, so guess who was polled?  That's right, Obama's base. The WaPost made me laff and dance a jig.

Contingency Fees: Another Name for Champerty

Torts Contingency Fees: Another Name for Champerty The Wall Street Journal Monday, November 10, 1997

I have a rather extensive file of articles I posted on Free Republic during the Clinton Terror, and from time to time find one that still has legs. This is one.  Note: Barn Army JAG Officer Chuck Martel is of course excepted, absolved, and applauded in all his endeavors.

“ [www.FreeRepublic.com] How did a crime under common law become a common practice of modern American law? It began in 1848 with the repeal of New York state's statutes regulating lawyer's fees. Known as the Field Code, this allowed victims of then-common industrial accidents to retain a lawyer. It was, as we still hear the contingency fee described today, "the poor man's key to the courthouse door." A century and a half later, on almost any given day in America, the newspapers bear witness to the evils that jurists have been warning about for centuries and are still fighting off in the courtrooms of Europe. In Florida, a settlement was just struck in the second-hand-smoke suit against the tobacco industry. This $5 billion class-action case was begun on a contingency-fee basis in 1991 by lawyers Stanley and Susan Rosenblatt, who will get $49 million. Their 60,000 clients, so far as one can tell, will get little or no money. "Fee litigation," in which lawyers specialize in defending the fees of other lawyers, is now a thriving field. There is even a publication called Mealey's Attorneys Fees to keep tort lawyers up to speed on what other lawyers are getting, lest anyone settle beneath the going rate. At the American Bar Association meeting in August, a packed seminar called "Proving and Defending Attorney Fee Petitions in Employment Litigation" was devoted entirely to instruction in the latest techniques in bill padding for employment lawyers. [Full Article]

Why are Western and coalition forces still fighting in Afghanistan? ...

Why are Western and coalition forces still fighting in Afghanistan?

British MP Rory Stewart, a quite brilliant speaker,  asks "Why are Western and coalition forces still fighting in Afghanistan?"  I didn't want to watch this, and did only because of cuzzin ricky's recommendation.  Even then I thought to quit listening several times, but could not.  I  now recommend it to you. The truth is I'd have been delighted to see us out of that wretched country long ago, save for this nagging thought.  Although never really articulated by The Great Unarticulater G.W. Bush,  central to our strategy in taking on Iraq and Afghanistan simultaneously was a need to isolate Iran within the region.  I still see that as a worthwhile, even necessary strategy.  So there's that. A thought too far I know what you're thinking.  "Okay braniac, if you were in charge, what would you do?'  Fair enough.  I'd turn both Pakistan and Afghanistan into a huge crater lake and stock it with bass. Seriously though, my answer lies in the question "How would Reagan have handled Iran over the past decade?"  I think we all have a general idea, but it never happened, so it's prolly too late.  So, this.  Get rid of Obama;  elect a government that will promote tapping 100% of our energy resources;  build that missile shield;  reinvoke the Monroe Doctrine; drive leaded gas muscle cars to our hearts content, and let the middle east rot. All of these are doable.

Let’s Lower the Debt Ceiling

Thinking Outside the Box: Let’s Lower the Debt Ceiling

“ Today, I introduced a unique bill that goes in a completely different direction than everything else we’ve been hearing out of Washington. It would force politicians to start practicing what they’ve been preaching by lowering the debt ceiling from $14.3 trillion back down to $13 trillion. Admittedly, this is not your run-of-the-mill kind of law, but it would make it imperative for Congress to think outside of the box and come up with ways to pay off a portion of our debt while drastically cutting back spending. Since 1996, the national debt has increased by an inexcusable $8.79 trillion. I firmly believe that this calls for emergency measures to reduce the debt. Moreover, in this time of crisis, liberals are pushing for a $2 trillion increase in our debt ceiling. And their only answer for our financial fiasco is to cut nothing and raise taxes on everything —  [more Rep. Paul Broun, M.D. (R GA)]  Say Amen

She'll have to be put down Timmy.

Rabid Dog Watch Democratic Rep: Debt Crisis Has Been ‘Manufactured by House Republicans’

“ (CNSNews.com) – Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) released a statement Monday saying the “debt crisis” has been “manufactured by House Republicans” who are “attempting to advance an extremist agenda.” ”

What is it Lassie?

What is it Lassie? SondraK slipped in the shower? Woof! Bark! Woof!  Show Me!

Late-term aborted baby girl lies in open casket

Shocking photo: late-term aborted baby lies in open casket at city hall funeral

“ Orlando, FL, July 25, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – On this past Thursday, July 21, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, preached at a memorial service for an aborted baby girl. The child was intact and her body was retrieved after a late-term abortion. The memorial service, organized by Operation Save America, was held outside of City Hall in Orlando. [Full] ” Some of you may also have watched the Hitler Channel episode last night— where Heinrich Himmler deigned to watch his extermination squads at work shooting Jews.  The sight of it made him faint, and caused him to yell "Do it quickly ... do it quickly."   After the war of course the allies forced Germans living near the killing camps to walk through and view the piles of corpses.  I would similarly force every professional democrat to view this picture.  Bill Clinton especially,  who vetoed legislation that would haved ended what can only be described as murder.

sid

A simple request ...

A simple request

One lazy Sunday morning the wife and I were quiet and thoughtful, sitting around the breakfast table when I said to her unexpectedly, "When I die, I want you to sell all my stuff, immediately." "Now why would you want me to do something like that?" she asked.  "I figure a woman as fine as yourself would eventually remarry and I don't want some other asshole using my stuff." She looked at me intently and said: "What makes you think I'd marry another asshole?" merrily

Huffington: ‘The stimulus package failed’

Arianna Huffington: ‘The stimulus package failed’

“  Yes, Arianna says the $787 stimulus package hasn't worked. And you'll never guess why! Go ahead, guess.  "During the online 'Green Room' segment of ABC's 'This Week' on Sunday, Huffington said  "The stimulus package failed because it was all over the map...  It was not a targeted, clear jobs creation program." I didn't know this was still questionable.  Huffington argued:  “When you consider that infrastructure is crumbling and we have 20 percent of construction workers unemployed, surely there is something we can be doing.”  Well, that was precisely what, according to Obama, the stimulus $$ would be used for in large part - repairing crumbling infrastructure.  So what happened? #Would Obama's Infrastructure-Stimulus Proposal Spend Money in the ... www.newsweek.com/...Sep 8, 2010 #Critics to Obama: Spend the Stimulus Money Already - ABC News Jul 10, 2009 #New Obama plans: 'spend our way out' of downturn www.breitbart.com #YouTube - Limbaugh: Where Did The Dead Spend Their Stimulus Money ‏ 4min - Oct 8, 2010 That's right.  Almost all of it went to reward his friends, and create more strangling government.. EPA received more than $7 billion in stimulus funds. Most of it was directed to 4,687 projects, many of which purchased signs. And do tell me, when was the last time EPA created anything that did not undermine industry?  Why am I bothering?

Muslims hang 8-year-old boy in southern Afghanistan

Into the mix Muslims hang 8-year-old boy in southern Afghanistan

hem The boy was kidnapped Friday. It was unclear when he was killed. The incident comes amid a recent wave of attacks on local officials who are considered anti-Taliban. Less than two weeks ago, Ahmed Wali Karzai, Karzai's half-brother and a provincial council chief in neighboring Kandahar, was killed in his home by a longtime bodyguard. ” What happened in Norway is an everyday fact of life somewhere in greater Islam. I'm just saying.

Phony Arbitron Ratings

Playing "Let's Pretend" "A new Arbitron report shows Rush Limbaugh's ratings down 33 percent from a year ago and Sean Hannity down 28 percent over the same time period." Crain's New York Business Newsletter     "Is right-wing talk dying?" John Avlon asked hopefully at The Daily Beast.

“ A few years ago, Arbitron began phasing out diaries and brought in the Portable People Meters, or PPMs. These pager-sized devices automatically record whatever their wearers hear as they go about their day. No need to rely upon fallible human memories, or worry about diarists "fudging" their feedback or forgetting to send it in. The PPM sounded like the accurate, scientific ratings system sponsors and programmers always hoped would be invented. Until the first batch of ratings came in, showing conservative talk going strong and certain, urban and minority programs far lower than ever calculated before. [...] Minority station owners immediately complained. Attorneys general of New York, New Jersey and Maryland filed suits, and Congressmen Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y., and John Conyers, D-Mich., called for investigations into Arbitron, charging that the PPM system was discriminating against minorities. Arbitron moved quickly to placate minority owned stations, their listeners and sponsors. Precisely what the ratings-tracker did remains a trade secret, but Jeffrey Lord's investigation led him to the following conclusion: that Arbitron raised its payouts to PPM participants from $50 a month to as high as $200 (at least according to an industry insider who spoke to Lord anonymously) in order to incentivize lower-income, and thus more minority, participation. Shortly thereafter, the Arbitron ratings of Hispanic and urban radio stations returned to pre-PPM heights, while talk radio ratings showed those precipitous drops that led to so much crowing in the liberal commentariat earlier this year. Read more: Is 'fix' in to sink ratings for Rush, Savage, other conservatives? There's a criminal aspect to this story. If it's true, it seems to me then that Arbitron has engaged in a massive price fixing scheme to redirect revenue into the pockets of the undeserving.  In other words, being Liberal, but in a criminally liable and prosecutable manner.  I'm sure Eric Holder will be all over this one.

Boehner Fox News Sunday

Boehner was brilliant  ... Well, acquitted himself nicely anyway

“ Boehner was brilliant on his FoxNews Sunday interview with Chris Wallace. Compared to the waffling of Tim Geithner in the preceding interview ...  It is the first time, in following politics for 40 years, that I have seen a Republican politician exhibit real political courage. Republicans, especially in the Senate, have become very frightened of the power of the mainstream media. They cower in fear at the thought of getting bashed by the liberals. The Old Guard Republicans have been reduced to operating in the shadows, in back rooms, committees and commissions; with their only strategy consisting of trying to win elections to get more power in Washington D.C. They have no fight in them. They have become cowards. That's why Boehner was such a refreshing surprise on Sunday. Watch the video. He is actually standing his ground and fighting when most all of the Old Guard Republicans, even conservative commentators, have turned and run, scared silly of being blamed for an Armageddon. (If the stock market drops significantly on Monday, I am buying because it will be a short term panic, which are always great money making opportunities.) Boehner is going to do the right thing for the country -- he said just that, literally, several times during the interview, and I believe him. He said that he didn't take the job for the fancy title, he took it to get something accomplished. He said he doesn't care about the Asian Markets, because he cares more about jobs and the future of America.  [Free Republic comment] What I took away from this is, yes, give Boner some credit for his public display of backbone.  Clap clap clap.  But it's clear that only pressure from House Teaparty Republicans have kept him from agreeing to even more "revenue" than the 800B in "flatter, fairer taxes"  he says are still on the table.  BTW, calling tax increases  "new revenue" doesn't show the same creativity as the  Milhouse Solution (see below)," but nice try. And again, what is this default thing I keep hearing about, if we refuse to print more Monopoly money? Default on what?  Really.  I'm old and afraid to go outside.

Revisiting The Milhouse Solution

Revisiting The Milhouse Solution

Professor Obama: :"FDR was fiscal conservative"

History à la carte Contrary to myth ...

“ [...] No one grew the size of government, taxation and spending in peacetime the way Roosevelt did, Powell said. “FDR tripled taxes and spending more than doubled from 1933 to 1940,” Powell said. “That was the biggest increase in peacetime spending in American history. Before that, the biggest increases in spending came during wars.” Further, the New Deal did not bring the economy back and prolonged recovery, Powell said, as unemployment was still at 17 percent by 1940, before war spending began to pull the country out of the depression. “There were a number of New Deal policies that make it harder and more expensive to hire people,” Powell continued. “Compulsory unionism made it more costly to hire people. The more expensive something is the less you get of it. The more you subsidize something, the more you have of it.” Despite the $500 billion spent under FDR through various programs, the unemployment rate in the United States did not significantly decrease until after the U.S. officially entered World War II in 1941, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records from 1929 through 1944.  [Obama: FDR Was 'Fiscally Conservative'] ”

John and Mary sell the Mercedes

S'plain this Lucy Congress ditches Obama on debt talks

I found this Politico article pretty interesting when I read it this morning, especially where Pelosi had to march Harry Reid out by the scruff of the neck to keep his head from doing a 360.  He's furious that Republicans are only talking short-term debt ceiling at best. Just after I read it, Roll Call reported that Obama will veto any short term extension.  Democrats want spending maintained through the 2012 election.  How obvious can they get? But there was something else that's been bugging me.  This. John and Mary are spoiled Gen-X brats who are used to having stuff now.   While John earns a mid six-figure income, they are drowning in debt.    Finally, unable to sleep at night, they've  decided to get a grip.  They'll have to sell their home in Potomac, MD and move to Prince George's County,  where homes are cheaper and his commute to work much shorter.  Their daughters, age 13 and 15, are still crying hysterically as we speak with the news that Bullis Prep is out, and public school in.  Mary, a proliferate spender,  sobs as well while taking scissors to about a dozen credit cards.  Depending on what their home sells for, John figures that they can become solvent in from 5 to 8 years.  He calls his mortgage company, bank, credit card companies and other debtors and petitions them.  He assures that monthly interest payments will be paid promptly, with payment on the principal rationed for the time being.  Here's the responses. The Mortgage Holder: "Yes, but only if you take out a third mortgage with us." The Credit Card Company: "Yes, but only if you increase your average monthly purchases," The Car Loan Company:  "Yes, but only if you trade in for a new Mercedes S600 sedan." Mookys Rating Se vice:  Unless you take out additional loans in order to keep spending up, your credit rating will be lowered and you'll have to get credit from Crazy Al's Finance. Ridiculous?  Of course.  So explain  this to me. “ With rating agencies warning about downgrading the United States’ credit, which could lead to a surge in interest rates and a shock to the markets, (if the debt limit isn't raised) ” Am I missing something?   I'm not the only one at sea here, pretty sure of that.  Remember, we are in good shape when it comes to meeting our interest obligations - as long as we sell the Mercedes, send the kids to public school, and quit  hiring  pool-boys and  French chefs.  So what's with the threats from ratings services like Moodys and S&P?  Raise your debt limit or else ... .?                           Real Question

Nice Tent

Can you beat this guy's caption?