Equality -- or Freedom?

"On average, Asians earn more than Hispanics; blacks less than whites. Mormons earn more than Muslims; Jews more than Jehovah's Witnesses. And Polish Americans earn more than Puerto Ricans.

Does that prove America is a racist and religiously bigoted country?"

One time I asked my boss, Jay Ladd, why a male librarian hired after me, younger, was earning more. His answer stunned me. "Because he asked for more." When I had children, I left the work force. When he had children, his wife left the work force. But there are lots of reasons women's salaries differ. They take fewer risks; move less; turn down more difficult assignments; don't want to do the out of town trips and work; and there are no "good old girl" networks that even come close to the "good old boys." We tend to stab each other in the back rather than let another woman get ahead.

This article is on the new Paycheck Fairness Act passed by the House 256 to 162.

Equality -- or Freedom? - Pat Buchanan - Townhall Conservative

Obama makes Bush his Blame Czar

"The Senior Adviser [Valerie Jarrett] seems to have forgotten that she is the power [fretting about the tea parties and town halls]. Admittedly, this is a recurring lapse on the part of the administration. There was Barack Obama only the other day, blaming everything on the president – no, no, silly, not him, the other fellow, the Designated Fall Guy who stepped down as head of state in January to accept the new constitutional position of Blame Czar. Musing on problems in Afghanistan, Obama blamed the "long years of drift" under his predecessor. The new president – OK, newish president – has been Drifter-in-Chief for almost a year but he's too busy speaking truth to the former power to get on top of the situation. It could be a while yet. In his more self-regarding moments, such as his speech to the United Nations, he gives the strong impression that the "long years of drift" began in 1776. Mark Steyn

The White House Trifecta

Minority female slumlord. And rich. Valerie Jarrett. Just like the good old white boys from Chicago. Women! We've finally made it! Think of the real estate development if the Olympics come to Chicago!! More poor to be moved out and scattered--again--just like 20 years ago. More tax dollars down the drain.

White House Olympics crony watch.

From Change.gov: "Valerie B. Jarrett became the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company on January 31, 2007. From November 1995 through January 31, 2007, she was the Executive Vice President of The Habitat Company. The Habitat Company is one of the nation’s premier developers and managers of residential apartments and condominiums. Habitat has developed more than 17,000 housing units and currently manages more than 20,000 units. Before joining The Habitat Company in 1995, Ms. Jarrett served for eight years in the City of Chicago government; first as Deputy Corporation Counsel for Finance and Development, then as Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Richard M. Daley and finally, as Commissioner of the Department of Planning and Development. Prior to her City government service, Ms. Jarrett practiced law with two private law firms."

From Chicago Tribute: "Habitat has earned $6.8 million in fees and $10.8 million in administrative expenses since the plan started in 2000, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The company also earns millions as a property manager for the CHA."


From Boston Globe's story of Jarrett's (and Obama's) slum dealings in 2008.

Campaign finance records show that six prominent developers - including Jarrett, Davis, and Rezko - collectively contributed more than $175,000 to Obama's campaigns over the last decade and raised hundreds of thousands more from other donors. Rezko alone raised at least $200,000, by Obama's own accounting.

One of those contributors, Cecil Butler, controlled Lawndale Restoration, the largest subsidized complex in Chicago, which was seized by the government in 2006 after city inspectors found more than 1,800 code violations.

Butler and Davis did not respond to messages. Rezko is in prison; his lawyer did not respond to inquiries.

Jarrett, a powerful figure in the Chicago development community, agreed to be interviewed but declined to answer questions about Grove Parc, citing what she called a continuing duty to Habitat's former business partners. She did, however, defend Obama's position that public-private partnerships are superior to public housing. . .

[Obama] once told the Chicago Tribune that he had briefly considered becoming a developer of affordable housing. But after graduating from Harvard Law School in 1991, he turned down a job with Tony Rezko's development company, Rezmar, choosing instead to work at the civil rights law firm Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, then led by Allison Davis.

The firm represented a number of nonprofit companies that were partnering with private developers to build affordable housing with government subsidies."

Why Obama had to go to Copenhagen

"[Chicago Mayor] Daley's son, Richard R. Daley, learned a lesson from his father. Go with the political flow regardless of its direction because it's all about Chicago, not any political ideology. Left or right, all are precious in the Machine's sight -- as long as there's a money river to tap. So what if the political flow of the Democrat Party has turned decidedly left. Chicago is neither left nor right -- it's permanently Machine centered.

Daley the Younger called in his markers and drafted President Obama to go to Copenhagen and lobby on Chicago's behalf. Wherever he was born, Obama will now always be the favored son of the Machine. Obama original allegiance is to that Machine. He owes it. And it's payback time.

When Obama came to work as a young lawyer at Allison Davis' law firm, one that represented slum landlords like "Tony Rezko," Obama learned the lesson of "go-along-to-get-along" that his new boss had once learned. Davis learned not to cross the Machine. Davis, Rezko and current senior presidential advisor Valerie Jarrett were Obama's finance campaign committee in his run for the Senate. They're all serious contributors to the Machine.

Jarrett was the president of a property management firm that managed large Chicago Housing Authority properties. In other words, a city-designated slum landlord. Before that, she was Michelle's boss in the Office of the Mayor of Chicago -- that would be Richard the Younger. After that, she became Michelle's patroness at the University of Chicago Hospitals.

So, of course, the President has to go to Copenhagen to push for Chicago as the site for the 2016 Olympics. He is the duly elected Patron in Chief assigned to bring home the bacon. The closer. He says he's can now leave Washington because the campaign for healthcare reform in under control. Right. And the Cubs are destined to take the Series this year in four straight." Read the rest Lee Cary at American Thinker

Michelle and Valerie lobby for Chicago Olympics

They've even got matching Olympian outfits. Oh that's so cute. So BFF. But guess what? Brazil says it will help their poor if it is chosen for the 2016 Olympics. What to do! Go with rich, spoiled Chicagoans, or consider Brazil's plea? Choose the Obama machine (do presidents usually get involved with this--has it ever been in Texas or Arkansas?) because he could be the coming Messiah? I read this in the WSJ, Matthew Futterman, 9-23, but here's another one.

Time to defund the National Endowment for the Arts

It has become just another mouthpiece with our tax dollars for Obama. It’s not that hard to make a living in the arts without government money if you paint, or write, or sing, or perform something decent, intelligent and not demeaning to women. Starving artists probably deserve to be so. My husband sold 11 paintings this summer and he’s a hobbyist. They are lobbyists.

Go here to check the links. I’ve looked at them. It’s disgusting. I'm sure they'll be pulled. In this case, the NEA is getting directions straight from the White House Office of Public Engagement (Valerie Jarrett). The Office's Deputy Director is Buffy (the Wal-Mart slayer) Wicks who made the conference call soliciting NEA artists to promote Obamacare with their art. According to Frugal Cafe, "her job is to silence conservatives, to spearhead boycotts (paid for by American taxpayers, including conservatives, by the way) against any businesses or talk show hosts who aren’t “on board” with ObamaCare or anything else the government wants to shove down American citizens’ throats. To support and possibly fund partisan agenda, AGAIN with taxpayers’ money." According to Canada Free Press

"My sources in the progressive movement say Wicks handled the Obama campaign in Missouri last year. Obama lost in Missouri and activists in that state and people within the Obama campaign placed the blame for the defeat squarely on her shoulders.

After failing to win Missouri for Obama, Wicks had a very hard time finding a job but somehow she landed a job in the Obama White House. It’s unclear how she did that.

Wicks used to work for Wake Up Wal-Mart (wakeupwalmart.com), which is not a formal affiliate of ACORN but is an ACORN-sponsored spinoff group. The group works very closely with ACORN and is modeled after ACORN’s own anti-Wal-Mart affiliate W*A*R*N* (Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now)."

If some lackey gets moved or fired, even Buffy, don't you believe that has solved the problem, because nothing happens in the White House without Ms. Jarrett, Obama's right hand.

Video/audio/text of the conference call here.

Valerie Jarrett, Obama's BFF

Both the left and right acknowledge her role. But this story lays it out and connects all the dots. She's affluent, well connected, far left and a slum lord. Her parents were friends with Bill Ayers' parents and her family tree is very--way out. Her mentor and buddy is Marilyn Katz, part of the 1968 SDS group and what they evolved to. No one gets to Obama without going through Valerie.

Don't miss Scott Baker and Liz Stephans interview with the author which will peel off the layers of Obama's tight circle of Communist friends, pampered radicals, racist and elistist advisers.

HT G & B